Generator Noise

[Friz]

This is more of a question of practicality/feasibility on what I want to do regarding a gen set in the truck bed. Don't plan to do a lot of dry camping but who knows. Recently purchased a 28' Keystone Cougar, no gen set. I have a Champion 5500 gen set which I would like to put in the truck bed up by the cab. An extension cable would be required to run the gen set while hooked up. Otherwise it would be unhook and park the truck  behind the camper. Noise is what comes to mind. I have used this genset during hurricane power outs and it is loud as most are. Would there be problems/complaints running the gen set at a rest stop, state/federal parks? Has anyone built or is there commercially available some kind of sound proofing enclosure to dampen the noise? 

Thanks, Friz

[SWharton]

Most State/Fed parks have a max decibel rating allowed and you probably exceed that. I also don't think any neighbors would be happy with you using that generator.

You should look into Honda or Yamaha that are very quiet.

[LindaH]

According to what I could find on the Champion 5500-watt generator, it has a dBA rating of 74 at 50% power.  That is *extremely* loud.  You wouldn't make friends running that anywhere around other RVers!

I'm with SWharton...if you want to do what you're talking about, get one of the inverter generators from either Honda or Yamaha (there are less expensive inverter generators, but I don't know how reliable they are or how easy/difficult it is to get them repaired if needed).

[Lance A Lott]

You might try putting a real muffler on it. Putting it in a box might make it quieter but it might over heat as well most of the noise comes from the exhaust. Just slip a old muffler over the end of the current one and see if it makes a difference. I would think a muffler  for a atv might work. My father put a add on one on hit atv and it quieted it down a lot. 

[DQDanny]

putting your generator in the bed of a pick-up will magnify the sound.  The loudest generator I have heard in my 25 years of camping was a month ago with this situation I am describing.  I discovered that when I got 11' away from my Honda 3000, the sound from my generator was drowned out by his yellow champion that was in his pick-up.  And he was over 100 yards away.  I ended up enjoying his company as a fellow camper, but incredibly loud was his setup with his yellow genny in the bed of the pickup.

[OregonJim]

I camped near a guy who had a box over his generator.  Looked like 3/4" plywood with foam insulation inside.  I don't know how he kept it from overheating, but it was still annoyingly loud 100 ft away where I was.  It was on the ground.  You can hold a normal conversation in front of my Honda 2000i.

[Twotoes]

Many parks both private and government have posted generator hours. Most are like 8 AM until 8 PM. Ask when you make a reservation what their gen hours are and if there is a noise limit. As far as truck stops go, they are very noisy and many trucks run their gen all night. As far as rest stops, I don’t think there are any rules but common courtesy would dictate the hours and noise level. 

[weredoingit]

2 hours ago, DQDanny said:

putting your generator in the bed of a pick-up will magnify the sound.  The loudest generator I have heard in my 25 years of camping was a month ago with this situation I am describing.  I discovered that when I got 11' away from my Honda 3000, the sound from my generator was drowned out by his yellow champion that was in his pick-up.  And he was over 100 yards away.  I ended up enjoying his company as a fellow camper, but incredibly loud was his setup with his yellow genny in the bed of the pickup.

The yellow generator your talking about was probably a open frame contractor model. My yellow Champion is a 3400 inverter model, remote start, triple fuel option and I love it. I gave my son my 2 honda 2000's after I bought the Champion.

[mptjelgin]

3 hours ago, weredoingit said:

The yellow generator your talking about was probably a open frame contractor model. My yellow Champion is a 3400 inverter model, remote start, triple fuel option and I love it. I gave my son my 2 honda 2000's after I bought the Champion.

But the 5500 watt Champion generator that the OP is asking about is no doubt an open-framed contractor model. So your point is ???

[Chad Heiser]

I had a 7500 watt champion RV style portable generator for a while.  I liked it because it was inexpensive and it had all the power I needed.  I didn’t like it because it was so loud.  I put a considerable amount of time, effort and money into trying to quiet it down.  I built a really nice sound deadening box for it.  The box worked great for dampening the noise.  You could barely tell it was running from 20 feet away.  However, I could never solve the overheating problem the box caused (and I tried A LOT of different ideas and options).  I ultimately gave up on the generator and sold it to a buddy of mine for his off grid property out in the boonies. 

If you are going to be camping around other people, I recommend getting a quiet inverter style generator.  Either a portable unit from Honda or Yamaha or a built in style like an Onan.  They definitely cost more, but they are worth it when it comes to keeping your neighbors (and you and your for that matter) from having to deal with the droning noise.  It’s not fun to have a neighbor come over and ask how long you plan to run your generator.  It kind of drives the point home of how loud they can be.

[markandkim]

14 hours ago, weredoingit said:

The yellow generator your talking about was probably a open frame contractor model. My yellow Champion is a 3400 inverter model, remote start, triple fuel option and I love it. I gave my son my 2 honda 2000's after I bought the Champion.

Me too! I have the same one. The best.

[FL-JOE]

As someone already said, most CG's have restrictions on running generators.  The KOA in Mt. Pleasant SC told us during a recent stay that we couldn't run ours at all, even while they were changing out the pedestal breaker!  And that was at 2pm and our gen set is a diesel built in.  

As far as running a gas generator in truck stops and rest areas I wouldn't suggest it for overnight stays.  You may have detectors and feel comfortable doing it but what about unsuspecting drivers that could park next to your rig?  If your generator is running in the bed of your pickup it would certainly be close to the sleeper berth of a commercial 18-wheeler when parked in a rest area.  Not good my friend.

[LindaH]

Another advantage of an inverter generator over a contractor generator is the *cleanness* of the power.  Much better for running electronic equipment such as computers.

[Friz]

All very good info. Thank you very much. The fact is I have 2 generators, a 7500w Briggs& Straton and a 5500w Champion. These are the type of emergency power gen sets popular here in Florida. I get the impression theses are called open commercial. I don't think I will be buying a 3rd gen set. As far as a running gen set in a campground, that is not what I have in mind. I am will be looking for full hookup or water/elec sites.  Also do not plan on overnighting in a rest stop, possibly in an emergency. I do appreciate how much noise my Champion makes and would not be running it to the annoyance of those around me. 74 db is loud. I  think the little Hondas are like 54 db. I am going to take a serious look at an enclosure. I doubt if this is a new idea. I expect to find lots of guidance and designs. If it doesn't work to my satisfaction I'll just leave the thing at home.