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Old 10-19-2015, 10:20 PM   #1
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Acceptable generator noise level

I already have a generator that I use for dry camping, which is few and far between, but I was curious as to what everyone's opinion was on acceptable noise level at campgrounds. I fear this might open a can of worms. I've seen some advertised for quite a bit less than the thousands you would pay for a Honda or Yamaha at 76 to 64 dB.


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Old 10-19-2015, 10:37 PM   #2
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The Gold Standard is the Hondas,your stated numbers are Very High! Youroo!!
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Old 10-19-2015, 11:11 PM   #3
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That's just what I've seen advertised on popular gens. I believe mine is around 64, but I don't use mine in a campground. The only things that'll get annoyed are the deer...


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Old 10-20-2015, 01:47 AM   #4
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Quote:
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I've seen some advertised for quite a bit less than the thousands you would pay for a Honda or Yamaha at 76 to 64 dB.


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Honda/Yamaha inverter generators are way quieter than 76 to 64db.
Not sure where you got those numbers.

Personally, any non-inverter generator would be too loud for me, in a campground.
And I own a Champion 3500/4000 and a Honda 2000i, so I know the difference between the 2.
I would never subject fellow campers to my Champion 3500/4000.

There are also some cheap wannabee inverter generators that are as loud as my non-inverter Champion.
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Old 10-20-2015, 06:48 AM   #5
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In a campground I would say only an inverter style generator. The champion inverter generators seem to get good reviews if the Hondas or Yamahas are out of range. I would never dream of using my open frame generator at a campground. I have a Briggs and Stratton storm responder and it is loud but not terible but still to loud for me to want to listen to let alone anyone else...

If I was on our 100 acres in the middle of no where I'd still not use my BS geni but at least you would only scare the deer...

Edit: I run two (if needed) paralleled Honda eu2000s and can hardly hear them from the front of my trailer where they are running at the rear.

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Old 10-20-2015, 06:58 AM   #6
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I run my 3600SI inverter Boily and it's around 58db and I also can run and not hear it when it is running at the rear of the camper and I'm up front. Price is reasonable also. Later RJD
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Old 10-20-2015, 07:15 AM   #7
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I run my 3600SI inverter Boily and it's around 58db and I also can run and not hear it when it is running at the rear of the camper and I'm up front. Price is reasonable also. Later RJD
RR Man,I can believe that,since you could NOT hear the Trains at Goshen either! Youroo!!
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Old 10-20-2015, 07:41 AM   #8
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Acceptable Generator Noise Level

We also have a Honda 2000 and find it REALLY quiet, especially when set on ECO mode. I don't want to highjack this thread but would like to piggyback on it. We have found that a lot of campgrounds have regulations prohibiting generator use from 10 at night till 6 in the AM. The reason we bought the gennie was because my wife uses a CPAP machine to sleep at night. When we mentioned this to the campground manager, she said to go ahead and use the gennie. Has anyone else had experience with this? Advice?

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Old 10-20-2015, 07:46 AM   #9
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RR Man,I can believe that,since you could NOT hear the Trains at Goshen either! Youroo!!
Kind of like living by an airport after a while you do not hear
Later RJD
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Old 10-20-2015, 07:50 AM   #10
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To answer the original question. It varies. Some campgrounds specify approved generators and or noise levels, others are at the discretion of the Duty Ranger. If there are complaints you might be asked to shut if off. You number of 64 is very high. Remember these levels are in db, Every 3db increase is 100% increase in sound level. 9db louder is really 300% louder.
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Old 10-20-2015, 07:53 AM   #11
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We also have a Honda 2000 and find it REALLY quiet, especially when set on ECO mode. I don't want to highjack this thread but would like to piggyback on it. We have found that a lot of campgrounds have regulations prohibiting generator use from 10 at night till 6 in the AM. The reason we bought the gennie was because my wife uses a CPAP machine to sleep at night. When we mentioned this to the campground manager, she said to go ahead and use the gennie. Has anyone else had experience with this? Advice?

Kdot
Might look for a 12v cord for the cpap if you cannot run the geni at night. This is what we did for my mom who needed the cpap.

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Old 10-20-2015, 10:10 AM   #12
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We also have a Honda 2000 and find it REALLY quiet, especially when set on ECO mode. I don't want to highjack this thread but would like to piggyback on it. We have found that a lot of campgrounds have regulations prohibiting generator use from 10 at night till 6 in the AM. The reason we bought the gennie was because my wife uses a CPAP machine to sleep at night. When we mentioned this to the campground manager, she said to go ahead and use the gennie. Has anyone else had experience with this? Advice?



Kdot

An inverter you get at Walmart might fix the issue. You might have to calculate the watts or find it on the nameplate to get the correct one.


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Old 10-20-2015, 11:31 AM   #13
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I built an insulated take apart dog house to put over my Honda 3000 inverter generator and it is very quiet. It takes about 10 minutes to set up.
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Old 10-20-2015, 11:46 AM   #14
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I have a couple of the Ryobi RYi2200 units with a parallel cable, that run every bit as quiet as the Hondas do, IMHO. I have a decibel meter and have checked them from the industry standard 23' (7 meters) distance and they are in the mid 50 dB range; conversation level. They are only a quiet hum from inside the trailer near them.
I had a open frame Troy Bilt 5500 and it was LOUD, over 75 dB at 23'. Sold it to someone that camped in the boonies and didn't mind the noise; gave them the sound-deadening box I built as part of the bargain.
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Old 10-20-2015, 11:56 AM   #15
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Zero dB. There is no such thing as a quiet generator!

OK, that's harsh but if you don't already own a generator consider solar before buying one. The ears you save might be your own... Many, many of us can generate all the power we need to camp without running a generator.

Just call me:

The squeaky wheel
The one trick Pony
The annoying lefty (though I could not be more right wing)
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Old 10-20-2015, 12:02 PM   #16
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Zero dB. There is no such thing as a quiet generator!

OK, that's harsh but if you don't already own a generator consider solar before buying one. The ears you save might be your own... Many, many of us can generate all the power we need to camp without running a generator.

Just call me:

The squeaky wheel
The one trick Pony
The annoying lefty (though I could not be more right wing)
I'll agree but we, personally, do not dry camp enough to cover the cost of a solar setup. Generator is more versatile.

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Old 10-20-2015, 12:31 PM   #17
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We also have a Honda 2000 and find it REALLY quiet, especially when set on ECO mode. I don't want to highjack this thread but would like to piggyback on it. We have found that a lot of campgrounds have regulations prohibiting generator use from 10 at night till 6 in the AM. The reason we bought the gennie was because my wife uses a CPAP machine to sleep at night. When we mentioned this to the campground manager, she said to go ahead and use the gennie. Has anyone else had experience with this? Advice?

Kdot
I don't have a generator but run my cpap off a small inverter off my truck battery. I think this would be much better than running a generator all night. You could always recharge the battery using the generator in the daytime if needed.
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Old 10-20-2015, 12:33 PM   #18
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We also have a Honda 2000 and find it REALLY quiet, especially when set on ECO mode. I don't want to highjack this thread but would like to piggyback on it. We have found that a lot of campgrounds have regulations prohibiting generator use from 10 at night till 6 in the AM. The reason we bought the gennie was because my wife uses a CPAP machine to sleep at night. When we mentioned this to the campground manager, she said to go ahead and use the gennie. Has anyone else had experience with this? Advice?

Kdot
They sell kits for a CPAP machine to be able to run it off of 12 volt. Or you could buy a cheap inverter to give you 120 volt. This way you do not need to run your generator all night just during the day to recharge your batteries. You can also add a second battery to give you extra storage capacity.
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Old 10-20-2015, 12:36 PM   #19
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To answer the original question. It varies. Some campgrounds specify approved generators and or noise levels, others are at the discretion of the Duty Ranger. If there are complaints you might be asked to shut if off. You number of 64 is very high. Remember these levels are in db, Every 3db increase is 100% increase in sound level. 9db louder is really 300% louder.

Actually, acoustic energy is not the same as perceived "loudness.

Doubling of the volume (loudness) should be sensed as a level difference of +10 dB − acousticians say.

Doubling of sound intensity (acoustic energy) belongs to a calculated level change of +3 dB.
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Old 10-20-2015, 12:39 PM   #20
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They sell kits for a CPAP machine to be able to run it off of 12 volt. Or you could buy a cheap inverter to give you 120 volt. This way you do not need to run your generator all night just during the day to recharge your batteries. You can also add a second battery to give you extra storage capacity.
We camp a lot out of a Bushtec trailer pulled behind my Harley. My wife also sleeps with a CPAP. I carry an extra Odyssey 12v motorcycle battery in my trailer and used with a 600 watt pure sine wave inverter, it will run her CPAP for a few days. I have a pigtail that I attach to it while it's in the trailer to get charged up while we run down the road.
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