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Can you make an inverter generator quiet enough that neighbors outside 100 ft away wont hear?

  • Yes, its possible

    Votes: 20 71.4%
  • No, its not possible

    Votes: 8 28.6%

Can a small inverter generator be made quiet enough that suburban neighbors won't hear it running?

3423 Views 29 Replies 20 Participants Last post by  sharpshooter109
After all the talk here about natural gas shortages and the issues in Texas last winter, I've been thinking about picking up my first generator. I know I will need an inverter so I can run sensitive electronics, I've been looking at some of the cheaper honda look-alikes in the 2000w range. I've also seen some of the cheaper open frame inverters with slightly more wattage (3000w - 3500w continuous) for just a few dollars more (around $50 to $100 more). My purchase is not intended as a total shtf prep, but rather for temporary outages lasting up to a few days. I would need to power a few comfort items: 2 fridges, gas furnace (if natural gas is available but power is out), maybe a tv or microwave. Both of these types of generators could probably handle each of these items, but the 2000w will not be able to power them all at once. While I would like to have a higher wattage unit, I think the benefits of a near silent generator would make it worth it, IF IT IS POSSIBLE.

So my question is this: is it possible to make a small 2000w inverter generator quiet enough that neighbors who are outside and 100 feet away won't be able to hear it running? Imagine it is the day after a winter storm, no cars are on the road, it is virtually silent outside. in my area no one has snow blowers so any small engine noise would be suspicious.

I know I would need to build a baffle box or quiet box to reduce the noise level of the generator. I briefly looked on youtube and found a few examples of people running inverters inside a quiet box. Most of them said it was quieter than a window A/C unit, but I think even that might be loud enough to be noticed. The only time I've ever been around a honda inverter was when I was walking around sporting events. I did notice that you can't hear them until you are nearly on top of them, but a sporting event is also much louder than a quiet neighborhood after a snow storm. If it is possible to quiet an inverter enough I may look further into it, but if it is definitely not possible I will probably look at the bigger but slightly louder open frame inverters.
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Test it out before it is actually needed. Dig a hole to put your baffle box in. This directs what sound is left up and not toward the street or the neighbors. Don't completely enclose the generator, leave the top open to the air which the generator needs to run and keep cool.

Line the box with some anechoic foam. Direct the exhaust downward into the dirt or away from the foam so it isn't melted.



Do an internet search for anechoic chambers to learn more.
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Solar generators are very quiet.
It's good to have both for when the sun don't shine.
Correct, you need Pure Sine Wave to run modern electronics on an inverter.
I "solarized" my hamshack/shed some years ago. 600 watts with a 1750 watt modified sine inverter. I ran my LCD TV, Blu-ray player, microwave oven, stereo receiver, LED lighting, 5 cu. ft. freezer all with it. The radio is connected directly to the batteries. I recently bought a 2000 watt pure sine inverter to replace it, but can't tell any difference other than the LED lights now flicker. I think the freezer compressor likes pure sine better.
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