Reducing Generator Noise

[chemist]

You have to decide what kind of detection you're trying to avoid, first of all. The marijuana growers here in Cascadia probably know all the tricks for concealing generator signatures, like heat and smell as well as vibration and sound.

Sending the vibration into the ground makes it harder to pick up in the air, but much easier to detect inside the ground. What's the threat? Define your goals clearly, and then work from there.

I can't hide my gen, but I can operate it for just an hour a day to run the well pump and charge the batteries. All my neighbors will be in on it, and they'll all have a vested interest in keeping it intact as the common source for our water and lights.

In other words, "hiding" has many meanings and levels, like for example how hostile Muslim Arabs are able to hide so effectively in some Detroit suburbs because of their connections to their communities. It's easier to blend in than to become invisible.

 

[chemist]

2 oz good tequila

ERROR404: NO SUCH THING.

 

[OregonPlinker]

Have you considered an unblended margarita? With no salt?

1 oz lime juice
1 oz simple syrup
1 oz Cointreau or Gran Marnier
2 oz good tequila

Stir and pour it over the rocks. No generator needed.

I actually prefer mine on the rocks but you know how picky people can get while roughing it...

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Honda generators are often whisper quiet

 

[Cortes]

ERROR404: NO SUCH THING.

You would have had to try them all to be able to accurately state ^^ that

There's a Mexican restaurant in West Linn that has about 75 tequilas, most of them very good. Some that are exceptional.

I'm not talking about Sauza Gold. Much better than that.

 

[Both Eyes Open]

Nothing wrong with Sauza Gold, Better than Monarch

 

[drillah]

It's easier to blend in than to become invisible.

This is good advice.

 

[Hook686]

Well unless you look dirty, hungry, and smell I think you better be invisible. Most of the folks after a few days of SHTF will not be liked they just stepped out of the shower, put fresh clean clothes on and fixed themselves a margarita.

 

[chemist]

There's nothing wrong with looking dirty, hungry, and desperate, so, long as I still get to wash, brush teeth, etc.
The liberated German Jews talked about hunting down their guards, many of whom "dressed down" in rags to try to slip away, but they were easy to spot - because they were FAT in a country of walking skeletons.

Blending in a year after the crash will be much, much harder than doing so a couple weeks in.

 

[WhyteCheddar]

I admit I didnt read every line of every post here but would like to add that you can get generators that are fairly quiet to begin with. The honda series of portable generators are really very quiet.
If you add a nominal amount of extra sound deadening you are going to be about as quiet as its possible to get.
And I suppose with noisy generators you could experiment with various mufflers. I've seen some noisy quads with moped type mufflers that were quieted down nicely. Even some with home made silencers.
But like I said before, the place to start for a quiet gen set is at the point of sale.

 

[chemist]

Internal-combustion engines make subsonic thumping noise because of their reciprocating action. Those low frequencies are the hardest to control, either by absorbing them or by redirecting them. That periodic thumping signature will stand out in an environment where no other engines are running.

You'd have to be in an already extremely quiet place before you could accurately assess detectability.

If I were designing a quiet gen, I'd use a turbine or at least a wankel, so that there were no low frequencies to worry about.

 

[Wenis]

Honda generator with an inverter are very quiet. I recommend the EU2000i and if you need more than 2000 watts, buy a second one and tether them together with a Honda cord for 4000 watts of good, clean, and quiet power. It's cheaper and more portable than going with a EU3000 or larger. As far as being quiet, I have a vent in my garage and run a short exhaust pipe out of the generator and through the vent.

Don't forget heavy duty chain, locks, etc to secure it from being stolen. I've heard of people stealing generators and leaving running lawn mowers.

 

[Sabertooth]

Start with a Honda generator, how much juice do you really need?
I use a Honda 1000 Watt generator. I run it during hunting season. I run it 16 days, 24 hours constant. Change oil regulary. Can't hear it 100 feet away.

 

[chemist]

Yes, you most certainly CAN hear it 100 feet away, and probably 100 yards away. Or do you shoot without ear protection?

You just need a quiet enough background environment so the S/N ratio is above detectability. And that's what we're all going to be living in when the cars and trains and electrically powered tools all stop.

 

[powersbj]

When camping and away from the background noises of the city you can hear a bird fart 100 yards away. Post event with no bustling white noise people will hear that engine rhythm a mile away, not to mention smell it.