# Generator Noise



## KosinTrouble

I am getting a lot of conflicting stories on how loud 76db is. Head a loud conversation, vacumn cleaner ect...
I am looking at a generator that a friend has to sell and it says its 76db. He said he used it camping a bit (think he's only been a dozen times in his life).

He lives a few hours away so I dont want to go drive up there and listen to it, would rather find out some of you guy's/girls opionions about it.

So is 76db too loud for a campsite?

Thanks
Kosin Trouble


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## skippershe

Here are some decibel level examples...

http://www.lhh.org/noise/decibel.htm


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## KosinTrouble

I lied its actually 74db, doesnt sound like much of a difference but told it was. To me, I dont think it would be that bad, once i put it at the back of RV, do a 1/2" Cover to keep it dry from rain and ect.

Now its not something I would run for hours at a time, just when the batteries get low, to recharge or for 10min to nuke something.

Kosin Trouble


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## jlbabb28

I think 72 to 76 is ok and quiet. I think my Kipor is 72 or 76 and you can stand next to it and have a conversation with no problem.

Jeff


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## jdwAg20

KosinTrouble said:


> I am getting a lot of conflicting stories on how loud 76db is. Head a loud conversation, vacumn cleaner ect...
> I am looking at a generator that a friend has to sell and it says its 76db. He said he used it camping a bit (think he's only been a dozen times in his life).
> 
> He lives a few hours away so I dont want to go drive up there and listen to it, would rather find out some of you guy's/girls opionions about it.
> 
> So is 76db too loud for a campsite?
> 
> Thanks
> Kosin Trouble


Kosin - I have a generator that's 70db at 20ft. I'm going to test it Saturday. If you're in no hurry to make a decision, I'll report back to give you an idea of the noise.

What kind of cover are you going to use? Is it a hard 1/2" cover or soft? I've found a rubbermaid 50gal storage bin (like the kind you'd store Christmas stuff in) that has the dimensions to fit perfectly over my generator (24x19x19). I'm going to experiment with drilling holes for ventilation, and cutting out some areas for cords/chains/etc, and see what that does to cut down the noise even further.

I'll let you know.


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## HootBob

I think you'll find thatit mat be still a little loud when camping

Don


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## CamperAndy

jlbabb28 said:


> I think 72 to 76 is ok and quiet. I think my Kipor is 72 or 76 and you can stand next to it and have a conversation with no problem.
> 
> Jeff


None of the Kipors are over 65db and anything over 68 starts to really get on peoples nerves and if you fire up a unit that runs 74 db you will hear cheers from 8 camp sites away when you turn it off. Save your gas and do not even go look at it.


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## Moosegut

CamperAndy said:


> I think 72 to 76 is ok and quiet. I think my Kipor is 72 or 76 and you can stand next to it and have a conversation with no problem.
> 
> Jeff


None of the Kipors are over 65db and anything over 68 starts to really get on peoples nerves and if you fire up a unit that runs 74 db you will hear cheers from 8 camp sites away when you turn it off. Save your gas and do not even go look at it.
[/quote]
x2

The Honda and Yamaha are under 60 dB (They claim 58) at full load. The Kipor is just a shade over that. Don't know about the Yamaha but the Honda has an eco-throttle. It only throttles up when a load is put on it and it only throttles up as high as it needs to to meet the load. The rest of the time it is idling very quietly and charging the batteries. The only time mine ever throttles up to a full load is when the AC first cycles on and since I rarely use the AC that is rare. Again, these gens are very quiet. 74 dB is very loud at night whan all else is quiet. I think you'l hear cheers from a quarter mile away when you turn it off.


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## Oregon_Camper

CamperAndy said:


> None of the Kipors are over 65db and anything over 68 starts to really get on peoples nerves and if you fire up a unit that runs 74 db you will hear cheers from 8 camp sites away when you turn it off. Save your gas and do not even go look at it.


That is too funny. Just 2 weeks ago we did that when this guy FINALLY turn off what sounded like a small jet engine for his generator. And we were not the only ones cheering!!


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## N7OQ

My Kipor is rated at 63 max and with smart throttle switch on it is really quite. When it is running the AC I can stand right next to it and have a conversation. But even at 63 db I don't like to run it more that I have to especially in a quite campground. Of course when someone is running a contractors generator in the same campground I don't mind running mine because he will get all the attention. 74db's is just way to loud. My brother in-law has a Honda 3000 and it is so quite it amazes me just wish it was lighter.


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## Sluggo54

So is 76db too loud for a campsite?

Thanks
Kosin Trouble
[/quote]

Depends - how many miles is your campsite from mine, and have you constructed a sound shield for it?

Seriously - that's going to be loud enough to draw fire if it goes on very long, or at the wrong time of night.

Last week, a drunk visited a camper about 300 feet from us and told him that if he didn't turn off his gennie, he'd turn it off for him. Got kinda ugly - I mean, this was about 6:30 in the evening, bothering no one except the drunk and his two teen daughters. They were nearly as obnoxious as he was. The CG host called the sheriff, who would have put him on the road - but wouldn't send him out drunk. Told the guy that if they heard about him again that night, they would come get him - with a transport unit - and he would be paying by the mile. Another deputy showed up the next morning and escorted them from the CG, to multiple cheers.

As the kid the cop says - why doesn't that ever happen to me? "Wait a sec, lemme get my badge and gun, then we'll take up where we left off..."

Slug


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## jlbabb28

YEA thanks for the correction I had to go through the manuel last night, to see how loud it was.

Jeff


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## SoCalOutback

Here is a quote I found a while back from a website on how sound is measured:

"The dB-scale is a logarithmic, or relative scale. This means, that as you double the sound pressure (or the energy in the sound) the index increases by approximately 3. A sound level of 100 dB(A) thus contains twice the energy of a sound level of 97 dB(A). "

When comparing generator sound raiting you need to remember that the difference between a 60 dB and 76 dB is a little over 5 times the sound energy.


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## skippershe

SoCalOutback said:


> Here is a quote I found a while back from a website on how sound is measured:
> 
> "The dB-scale is a logarithmic, or relative scale. This means, that as you double the sound pressure (or the energy in the sound) the index increases by approximately 3. A sound level of 100 dB(A) thus contains twice the energy of a sound level of 97 dB(A). "
> 
> When comparing generator sound raiting you need to remember that the difference between a 60 dB and 76 dB is a little over 5 times the sound energy.


Huh??


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