How To Quiet Generators

Portable and standby emergency generators are becoming increasingly popular purchases. However, many generators whether powered by gas, propane or electric can be extremely noisy, and are an extremely common source of noise disturbance and annoyance. According to many scientific studies which have been carried out on the impact of generator noise, noisy generators can also produce many side-effects for human health including fatigue, deafness, and lack of concentration.

Yet, there are quite a few options available in making a generator quiet. To quiet down a generator one option is to reconsider the placement of your generator. While placing a generator at a further distance may not actually reduce the noise of the generator when it is in operation, it can effectively reduce the noise you have to listen to. By doubling the distance between your home and your generator you can significantly quiet down a generator by around six decibels.

Distance is therefore one of the easiest solutions which can quiet down a generator to more endurable levels. On average by placing your generator approximately forty feet away from your home, the noise your generator makes can be reduced by about six decibels. Increase this distance to eighty feet and this quiets down a generator by around twelve decibels, and by further increasing the distance to three hundred and twenty feet, you can quiet down a generator by twenty four decibels.

Another common solution to making a generator quiet is by constructing a barrier wall between you and your generator. Overall, this is a better solution to generator noise for those who lack space to increase the distance between themselves and their generator. For a barrier wall to be most effective in making a generator quiet, it needs to be solid in construction and should aim to completely hide the generator from your line of sight or those of your neighbors.

The best performing barrier walls are those made from concrete blocks but many acoustic sound screens are also being manufactured to help quiet down a generator. While barrier walls and acoustic sound screens can provide a good solution for making a generator quiet, another solution which can be used either; in conjunction with this method, or as an alternative method to quiet down a generator, is to place the generator on an anti-vibration mount. Anti-vibration mounts made by forming a thirty-two millimeter thick sand bed under the generator often works the best in making a generator quiet.

Of course, excessive generator noise may also be caused by an inappropriate installation, and many accessories including exhaust kits are available to help make a generator quiet by reducing the vibration noise being made by the exhaust pipe. In work settings, acoustic enclosures are more and more commonly being used to quiet down a generator sufficiently to reduce noise distractions for the work force. Because many acoustic enclosures are designed with generators in mind, they ensure that maximum noise reduction of the generator can be obtained, whilst at the same time providing sufficient air flow to ensure optimum performance of the generator.