How to Make a Silencer for a Generator

How to Make a Silencer for a Generator

How loud is your generator? Is it causing a lot of nuisance in the neighborhood? Most likely, you are not comfortable with it. How can you arrest the situation?

Generators can be noisy, especially when the air is damp and with a high density. The good news is that there is a solution to the noise from these machines. One way to prevent the nuisance is by making a silencer. Another question that might arise is, how can one make a one for their generator? Here in this article, we will look at this procedure conclusively. In the end, you should be able to make one! Read on.

How to Make a Silencer for a Generator

How to make a silencer for a generator

Follow the following steps to come up with one.

Take the measurements of the dimensions of the silencer box

Make accurate measurements that will accommodate the silencer box. Leave some few inches on all sides for the ventilation aspects and the insulation thickness. Do not leave too much or little space that will not fit the two components as required. If you leave a big opening, then the silencer might not work as expected. Similarly, a smaller size will choke the generator!

Make a provision for ventilation

The machine requires adequate room for ventilation and free flow of air. It serves well for the general working and overall health of your generator. The silencer room needs two ventilator ducts. One on the roof and the other will be the side piece of the building. Each of them will be directly opposite the other one! The reason for doing this is to allow air to flow freely within the system without obstruction. One will act as an inlet and the other one as an outlet at any given time.

Create an isolating or a mating surface

It will help to prevent sound leakage when the generator is on. The mating surface should be perfectly airtight. The isolating unit stops the pressure changes that come by vibrations from creating noise.

The mating should always be between the ground and the floor of the silencer. Use a thick rubber sheet to complete this task.

Build a wooden frame to fit the generator

It will help prevent the generator from shaking, and it can have either the inner or the outer box casing. The frame should be of the appropriate size, or else it will not serve the purpose!

Build the sound insulation

The way to do this is to add some layers of free space to enable the sound to suppress. Apply the appropriate sound mitigating material to the free openings to reduce the sound. Check out the recommended material from the vendor near you. Materials such as Mass Loaded Vinyl are some of the best for this task.

Apply any other sound mitigating material such as the plywood that is suitable for retaining the sound. Whatever you use for insulation should minimize the noise. At the same time, it should keep the box lightweight.

Remember to provide enough space to allow the noise to scatter inside the box. The essence is to have the sound absorbed wholly inside the silencer box.

Add some extra insulation

To further minimize the noise, you should consider adding some extra insulation to the silencer box. If you can add some anti-vibration pads, it will help in absorbing the reverberations inside the box.

Finally, remember to apply strong glue to all the components in the box. There will be a lot of vibrations, hence the need to have strong connections. Furthermore, the exposed crevices and gaps will prevent the desired output of the silencer box.

Assemble the silencer box

You have now done all the preliminary work, and the remaining part is assembling the silencer enclosure. Attach the top of the box carefully, and securely screw it down.

It is important to note that you cannot soundproof your generator fully. That is why it is always wise to make an adequate room for air to get in and out. It will allow some little noise to flow out. The method will only make the noise less disturbing but will not prevent it in totality!

Why are the generators very noisy?

Many factors can make the machine so noisy. Among them are:

The power generation

A powerful engine that produces a lot of watts will be noisy, and the opposite is true. That is to say that the small ones are quieter.

If you want a less noisy one, go for one with 4,000 watts and below.

The usage

If the generator is running a lot of applications, then it will be noisier. How you set it and its surrounding will also affect the noise level.

To minimize the noise, check how you position the generator. Aside from that, use any soundproofing method available to silence the machine.

The engine fuels

The type of fuel you use will also determine the level of noise of your generator. In reality, diesel-powered engines are the loudest of them all! On the other hand, solar and gas-powered engines are the quietest models in the market.

The only challenge with the quiet generators is that they are pricey, and many people may not afford one! However, it is worth investing in it. I would recommend it to any person who wants to buy one.

The technology

The technology has enabled the manufacturers to create quitter versions of the machines. Old and traditional models produce a lot of noise. The current ones are fitted with inverters to minimize the noise output.

Why should one silence their generator?

The noise from the generator can be disturbing. If two neighbors have their generators running, then there would be a lot id nuisance in the environment. It would be a nuisance to your neighbors as well. If you are using it for a long time without the silencer, it could bring several problems in the surrounding. It is, therefore, wise to keep your generator silent to maintain peace with the neighbors!

In the camping sites, loud generators can make the expedition non-exciting. It is only prudent to carry the gas or solar-powered ones to such sites. You can still take the diesel-powered one provided you build a silencer to it.

Most noise-reduction methods depend on several factors such as; the generator’s room and the exhaust pipe. It also depends on the size of the structure. You can put all these factors under consideration when building the silencer.

Conclusion

Generally, generators are very noisy. Diesel-powered ones are the loudest, and the sound travels furthest when the weather is damp.

One of the ways to arrest the noise is by building a silencer for your machine. Follow all the recommended steps when making one achieve the desired output.

When buying a generator, look out at the factors that make it noisy. All these factors are in the article above. Finally, you cannot make the generator silent, but you can only minimize noise output!

You May Also Like:

Best Generator for Your Apartment

Best 50 Amp Rv Gegenrator Guide

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *