If you find yourself owning a noisy little portable generator such as the 800-watt portable genset by Chicago Electric featured in a previous post (it’s rated at 91 dB level which is pretty loud considering its size), then you might be interested in an old forum post by a certain Buffalo Bob over at greenspun.com and “Jerry the Generator Guy” over at SurvivalBlog.com.
Buffalo Bob, in his article, basically shared what he did to significantly lower the noise output of his 1000 watt generator equipped with a loud 83 dB 3.5 HP Briggs & Stratton engine. He narrated how he dealt with both the noise produced by the exhaust and the mechanical noise created by the internal combustion gasoline engine using scrap materials he got from a construction site and a few inexpensive materials that he bought from the local DIY store. Buffalo Bob’s article was shared online during the time (specifically year 1999) when brandishing your email address inside forums and bulletin boards for all to see was still fine but I think the techniques he shared may still apply and may prove to be effective in reducing generator noise. Be sure to read the comments, too.
Another bloke by the name of Jerry the Generator Guy shared very similar methods in his 2007 article. In addition, he also offered solutions to two other problems commonly associated with the use of power generators especially in a residential setting: namely, the hazards posed by the exhaust’s high temperature and the gas emissions (e.g. carbon monoxide, etc.). See related article on the dangers of using power generators.
Visit Buffalo Bob’s article here and Jerry the Generator Guy’s article here.
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