Having a generator is very essential to home and business. You will still have the power to run your essential appliance whenever there is a power outage. Taking a generator along for your camping can be ready to hand for charging your phones, tablets, and other appliances that will help make your outdoor adventure a memorable one.
However, one downside of generators is that they make an extremely loud noise when operating.
There are simple ways to quiet your Onan 4000 generator: These are replacing the muffler, setup sound deflectors around your generator, creating a baffle box, placing your generator on a soft surface, and using water as a muffler.
In this article, we will talk about these methods in detail and a few other approaches to help you quiet down your Onan 4000 generators.
10 Simple Ways to Quiet Your Onan 4000 Generator
1. Create an Acoustic Baffle Box or Enclosure
One of the easiest simplest ways to cut down noise from your generator is to enclose it with sheets of plywood. Closing in the generator will help curb the sound waves and significantly decrease the loud noise coming from the generator.
Shielding your generator with sheets of plywood will help decrease at least 10 decibels of noise. Being able to trim down about 10 decibels of the noise will help make the noise more bearable in your neighborhood environment.
One good thing about this method is that you can purchase the baffle box at your local home depot shop or you can build one on your own if you want. If you intend to build a baffle box, here is what you need to get going;
- 2×4 kinds of wood
- L-brackets
- Quiet boards
- A foam sealer
Use the 4 by 2 kinds of wood to build a frame and use the L-brackets to hold the frames together. Spray the foam inside the frames and lay the quiet boards on them. Apply the spray foam sealer on any gaps in the box as best as you can.
After creating the baffle box, you need to cut holes inside the box where the generator exhaust is situated. This will allow sufficient airflow into the box. This is because inadequate airflow in the box might lead to the accumulation of heat which will eventually cause damage to the generator.
Enclosing your generator in the baffle box will hold back the noise for it to be absorbed into the ground rather than spreading toward your surroundings.
2. Purchase a Zombie Box to Enclose Your Generator
The zombie box is a ready-made soundproof enclosure. The zombie box is waterproof and powered by a fan for ventilation. The box comes in various sizes suitable for all types of portable generators.
The zombie box is very effective in cutting down noise, it can decrease up to about 18 decibels,5 times or roughly 99% of the noise from your generator as stated on the company’s website. The noise reduction was based on several factors so the company didn’t give specific decibels reduction.
3. Buy a Generator that Suits Your Needs
This is something you need to bear in mind before buying a generator, you need to know your power needs before purchasing a generator for your home or camping. Knowing your power needs will help purchase a less noisy generator.
The generator works in such a way that the more power it produces the more noise it will make and the less power it produces the less noise it will make. If you are someone who needs a generator to provide just enough electricity to charge your phones, tablets, and other essentials while camping, then considers a smaller and less powerful generator. Then a generator with a capacity of hundred watts can handle those smaller tasks.
If you are considering a generator that will provide electricity to power larger appliances like AC, refrigerator, and microwave when there is a power outage or while you camp then you will need a generator with higher output power. A generator with about 2,000-5,000 watts will be enough to power larger appliances.
However, some generators are particularly made to have higher output power while being quieter than other models at the same time. But these kinds of generators are usually expensive due to their features.
Also Read:
Top-rated quiet 4000-watt generators
4. Face the Generator Exhaust Pipe Away from You
One of the obvious and simple ways to quiet your generator is the position of the generator itself. More importantly the position of the exhaust pipe from you, your house, or your campsite.
It is plausible that the sound waves from your generator’s noise will travel in the direction it’s facing. In most cases the exhaust pipe is the root cause of the noise, so facing it away from your house or campsite will remarkably cut down the noise from your generator.
Also, some of the generator models produced these days are designed in such a way that you can point the exhaust pipe upward facing the sky.
5. Move Your Generator Farther Off from Your House
You might have heard that the further you’re from a noise source the less sound you will hear. We are going to use this same concept here to help you quiet your noisy generator. Distancing your generator away from your home is simple if you live in the countryside.
The homes in the countryside are far-off from each other than homes in the urban areas. Normally a generator decibel rating is measured at 7 meters away from the operating generator. So setting your generator 20 feet away from your home will significantly bring down the noise.
You can invest in long extension cords to move your generator farther from home. You can place your generator behind the building of a separate garage or storage shed.
6. Put Your Generator on a Soft Surface
One important thing to consider when trying to quiet your generator is the surface on which your generator is operating from. After you have found a good far side to place your generator, you need to ensure that the surface on which it is operating deadens the noise rather than amplifies it.
If you are camping or in the home, the best place to put your generator is the grass or dirt. Either of these will absorb the noise and deaden the sound produced by the rumbling generator.
In case you are in a situation where you can’t get a soft ground to put your generator on, then you can use an anti-vibration mat instead. These anti-vibration mats are made of rubbers that can take in the vibrations that come from your generator. You can easily put your generator beneath one of the anti-vibration mats to cut the noise.
7. Set Up a Sound Deflector Around Your Generator
One of the easiest, simplest, and cheapest ways to cut down the noise from your generator is to cover it up with plywood. The only things you need to get going are four sheets of plywood and a sheet of drywall. Each of the sheets should be about four feet wide and three feet tall.
Shore up each of the sheets against the generator in the shape of an enclosure. Make sure you pop up the drywall on the part of the generator that houses the exhaust. This will prevent the deflectors from catching fire as the dry is fire-resistant.
Laying the pieces of wood around your generator at an angle will airflow and at the same time deflect sound waves into the earth.
This approach is safe and will cause any damage to your generator.
8. Shut in Your Generator Within the Earth
The earth is very effective in noise reduction. All you need to do is dig a 4ft ×4ft square at a depth of 5 feet deep. Put the generator in it and lay 2×4 plywood over the hole, then cover the entire hole with at least half an inch of plywood.
Put something heavy on top of it. It is advisable to place a small fan in the hole to help run off the generator. The 2×4 plywood will create the right amount of space for good ventilation. This approach can also work effectively during storms. This solid earth helps cut down more noise from your generator than a box. Ensure to elevate the generator inside the hole with a brick to avoid damage from water due to seepage.
9. Replace the Generator’s Muffler
If you have recently realized that your generator makes a louder noise than usual then it means the muffler is faulty. The function of the muffler is to dampen the noise coming out from the exhaust pipe, which is connected to the motor of the generator.
Within the muffler are punctured holes that help deflect the sound waves from the engine to decrease the noise that finally escapes through the exhaust pipe.
The exhaust pipe is one of the loudest parts of your generator after the motor. So replacing your old muffler with a better one will help cut down about 10- 12 decibels of the sound produced by your generator. Send your generator to a small repairman to help you change the muffler.
10. Create a Water Muffler for Your Generator
Water is a very good absorber of sound, water a property that makes it viable for the molecules to convert sound into heated vibrations. This is the reason why it is difficult to hear someone speaking underwater inside a pool.
To use this approach, here is what you need to get going:
- A 5-gallon bucket of water
- A hose
- Clamps
Fill up the bucket with water, Put one end of the hose into the bucket of water, and clamp to fasten the hose to the generator’s exhaust pipe.
However, you need to do this carefully so that water doesn’t enter the engine. You can also perforate holes in the hose to avoid the backflow of water into the engine.
To maintain the water in the water in the bucket, put the generator on a higher ground than the water level in the bucket.
Conclusion
A generator is very essential for your outdoor camping or a standby power source for your home or business, but one thing you wouldn’t like about it is that it makes a loud noise when running. This noise can be very disturbing. Luckily enough we have gathered some of the best methods to help you quiet down your Onan 4000 generators.
Before going camping, try out these methods to see which one works best for you.
- How to Chew Quietly While Eating-Effective Tips - April 14, 2023
- Why is My Clutch Pedal Squeaking – Causes & Fixes - April 14, 2023
- Propane Tank Making Hissing Noise (Solved) - February 25, 2023