Thinking about a generator.

[ShelbyM]

I've always believed that using the quietest generator possible is important if we camp near neighbors. The only reason not to is cost, and seriously if you can afford an RV and fuel you can afford the least offensive generator. That said, they are all noisy and if I was starting fresh today I would put the $ into a variety of solar and battery options. Roof of trailer, portable, on tow vehicle, etc. Running the A/C on a generator isn't something I would consider and I'm kind of surprised that there is so much interest in it.

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by ShelbyM

I've always believed that using the quietest generator possible is important if we camp near neighbors.

This is all about being considerate. I have camped a few times right beside a genset, and even the quietest can still be a bother in some situations.

At a music festival one time where you are all slotted into 20x40 sites, a group of us was sitting outside enjoying our morning coffee, made by boiling water on a propane stove and using an AeroPress for brewing, when the motorhome beside up fired up their diesel generator located of course on their backside and right beside where we sat. I went an knocked on the door and asked if they could hold off running it until we were gone as the stink and noise was unbearable. The answer was "I see you are drinking coffee, and we would like to as well", then they closed the door. The next morning they never even figured out the potato in the muffler (not done by me, but someone with us), but I kindly served them some yummy coffee.

One other time with almost the same thing but a lot more separation in a campground, they were running one of those cheaper and really noisy ones. I talked to them, and though their reaction was at least friendly, they said they had too, as their battery had drained down over night. I asked if they could do it later, and he said his wife wanted heat (though it was not that cold). He at least moved the genset to the other side of the trailer.

It is events like these that have soured me to gensets when camping in general. Especially since solar now has become so much for affordable, and the cost of a genset would offset it a lot and in some cases pay for it. For the most part I am talking folks who basically just need to charge batteries, and in many cases have a worn out battery that holds little charge. In extreme hot I realize that running A/C is a need for a few folks. A few medical reasons too, but most of that can be ran off of solar now too.

I must mention those with nice and quiet gensets that set them off in a place where it least bothered others and ran them at appropriate times, trying to be as considerate as possible. This is very much appreciated. Fortunately it seems almost all campgrounds are putting slotting 2 hours twice a day for them to run.

[Vtec]

Originally Posted by Jane P.

Excellent point! I would never think to check out campgrounds before buying a Generator. So, I went to Naional Park website & looked up rules for noise levels:

36 CFR Section 2.12 Audio Disturbance
Under this section the following is prohibited: Operating motorized equipment or machinery that exceeds a noise level of 60 decibels measured on the A-weighted scale at 50 feet, or, if below that level, nevertheless makes noise that is unreasonable.

At 58 dbs, the Champion 3100 inverter is accepted at national parks. While it is not as quiet as a Honda or Yahama, it noise output is acceptable to the national park service.

My point remains that noise level is not the only factor when purchasing a generator. If that were so, no one should purchase anything except a Honda, which produces the lowest dbs. There are several new inverter generators on the market we should feel free to consider.

This was a from a post I made some years ago about a Champion generator.

"We tend to camp at nice quiet national forest campgrounds or state parks. I laugh at some of the noisy generator comments. last summer we were at least 7 very large sites away from the loudest generator I ever heard in my life. They ran it for about 4 hours in the afternoon. When it shut off there was complete silence around the entire lake for about maybe 20 seconds. Then the whole campground erupted in cheers and hollers of "Glory be! She's off!!!"

When it comes to camping I think being a good quiet neighbor is very important.

[Jann Todd]

Originally Posted by Jane P.

Excellent point! I would never think to check out campgrounds before buying a Generator. So, I went to Naional Park website & looked up rules for noise levels:

36 CFR Section 2.12 Audio Disturbance
Under this section the following is prohibited: Operating motorized equipment or machinery that exceeds a noise level of 60 decibels measured on the A-weighted scale at 50 feet, or, if below that level, nevertheless makes noise that is unreasonable.

At 58 dbs, the Champion 3100 inverter is accepted at national parks. While it is not as quiet as a Honda or Yahama, it noise output is acceptable to the national park service.

My point remains that noise level is not the only factor when purchasing a generator. If that were so, no one should purchase anything except a Honda, which produces the lowest dbs. There are several new inverter generators on the market we should feel free to consider.

Have you tried getting any parts for the Champion. Some generator brands don't produce parts to fix them. We ran into that once.

[Raspy]

I have a Yamaha 2000 watt genny with eco mode. But it won't stay in eco when charging the batteries because the load is big enough to make it rev up. Even though it's a quiet generator, it's still annoying because it's running so fast and at a constant level of intrusion.

Last time I ran it I asked my neighbor if he minded and he assured me he didn't. The kids were all out playing and it was the middle of the day. But it bothered me and I haven't taken it along since.

Now I have an inverter in the truck I can run equipment from if needed, and When I need to charge the trailer batteries, I run jumper cables from the truck battery to the trailer battery and idle the truck. That makes less noise and is a less annoying noise than the genny. Plus, it puts more amps to the batteries.

Next trip, I should have my suitcase solar system ready to go too.

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by Raspy

... When I need to charge the trailer batteries, I run jumper cables from the truck battery to the trailer battery and idle the truck. That makes less noise and is a less annoying noise than the genny. Plus, it puts more amps to the batteries.....

why not just plug the RV pigtail in ? that charges the trailer from the vehicle.

[Raspy]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

why not just plug the RV pigtail in ? that charges the trailer from the vehicle.

Jumping from the TV battery to the trailer battery directly can put up to the full output of the alternator into the battery. Plugging in the umbilical typically only charges with a few amps. It seems every TV puts out a different amount to the rear plug, but it's never very much and can't be more than about 30 amps because of the wire size, and may only be about 10 amps.

My trailer would not charge at all, through the 7 pin, until I traced the wiring and added an internal ground wire. Now, if I run the fridge on 12 volts while driving, the charge rate just about breaks even. Others have commented that they don't get power through the 7 pin either

If I plug the trailer into my 2000 watt generator and it charges through the internal converter, I'm still only getting about 30 amps.

Jumping directly gives me up to about 150 amps, or so and is noticeably quicker than what the generator does.

I have four, deep cycle, group 27, flooded cell, 6 volt Trojans. Two parallel banks of two, in series.

[Darral T.]

I have to call dibs on Champion for a gen for MY use. I have the 3500/4000 "noise maker". But I use it at a model flying field where there's others running- gens are the norm. I've had it about 4-5 yrs with NO problems and usually starts the FIRST pull every time. It runs my Coleman 9200btu A/C or Heat strip with just a "blip" when they kick on. I think I gave like $329 for it with the "Wheel kit".

[eugenevdw]

Here in South Africa we don't have the kind of Parks dept. rules about generators like you have in the US. That being said the camping community here are (for the most part) very considerate when it comes to noise. I'm finally coming around to the idea of buying a generator for camping but I really don't want to be "that guy" so I really want a quiet one. I know that "quiet" is very subjective but I've been doing some research and found some reviews of quiet generators that look like they may be big enough for our needs. I was wondering if any of you have had experience with any of these generators: https://www.quietest-generator.com/ or https://www.knowitalllearning.com/quietest-generator/

Also, I've seen some people claiming you could make these generators quieter. Would it help to build a padded wooden box to run the generator in if I allow enough volume and a hole for exhaust?

[John in Santa Cruz]

your box will need sufficient ventilation for cooling, too, and that will let a lot of the sound out.

[redbarron55]

I found on my Harbor Freight inverter generator that a large amount of the noise was not from the exhaust but rather from the unmuffled intake. I made some baffles and quite it down considerably