Hey professor! On the picture you posted of the 5200W generator with the white tank.
When I seen it, I had the feeling that I had seen that design before, so I dug through my old catalogs and found it.
Itโs not a Chinese genset.
Just for grins and giggles, here is the information.
It was private labeled for and sold by northern tools and equipment. It was in their spring 2001 catalog.
So itโs about 7 years old.
It has a Briggs and Stratton Vanguard engine in it. The engine was manufactured for B&S by Mitsubishi in Japan.
Model 5200MIT (NTE5200V)
Electric start
11HP OHV engine
Low oil shutdown
AVR
Auto idle control
5200 peak 4600 continuous
187 pounds
Cost, $1099+S&H
The fact that he hasnโt even completely removed the โNO OILโ sticker from the recoil starter area is not reassuring. Lack of oil may explain why itโs so freaking loud (snickersโฆ)
In reality though, the extreme noise most likely a result of the generator manufacture using a stock B&S muffler for the engine.
When I seen it, I had the feeling that I had seen that design before, so I dug through my old catalogs and found it.
Itโs not a Chinese genset.
Just for grins and giggles, here is the information.
It was private labeled for and sold by northern tools and equipment. It was in their spring 2001 catalog.
So itโs about 7 years old.
It has a Briggs and Stratton Vanguard engine in it. The engine was manufactured for B&S by Mitsubishi in Japan.
Model 5200MIT (NTE5200V)
Electric start
11HP OHV engine
Low oil shutdown
AVR
Auto idle control
5200 peak 4600 continuous
187 pounds
Cost, $1099+S&H
The fact that he hasnโt even completely removed the โNO OILโ sticker from the recoil starter area is not reassuring. Lack of oil may explain why itโs so freaking loud (snickersโฆ)
In reality though, the extreme noise most likely a result of the generator manufacture using a stock B&S muffler for the engine.
PatJ wrote:
FYI
I have tested the volume level of the Champion 3500 and 1200 generators, and compared it to my Honda 2000. The results of the test can be found in my other thread:
Link
see http://pweb.amerion.com/~patsplace/Gentest.htm to view Pat's test....
Nice job! Your findings are consistent with mine. Aside from the inverter technology and engine RPM, the Honda WILL be a quiter genset under identical test conditions due to the shrouding used to cover the genset. The Champion 3,500, and others like it, are open frame gensets.
During my initial test of the open frame Chinese genset, it was apparent that much of the noise was from the crankcase of the engine and the metal sides of the muffler, not from the exhaust outlet. I have sawed open a Chinese genny muffler just to see how the baffling is accomplished. The internal sound reduction qualities of the muffler are excellent.
I determined that by putting a Chinese genset muffler inside a steel box and packing fiberglass insulation into the open space, that sound passed thru the metal wrap of the muffler could be attenuated by 2 dB on the A weighted scale. Note the square metal box under my carrier - that is the muffler inside a steel box.
Additionally, sound absorbing panels in the area of the crankcase make a considerable difference in the ambient noise level.
Again, it is not just the inverter technology that makes the Honda quiter - it is the cabinet used around the generator.
There are some non-inverter Chinese gensets in the 3,000 watt class that do offer sound abatement panels. As noted by O&S, DuroPower advertises such a unit. Here is another model that uses panels, but a US outlet for this model does not appear to exist. You can also check out specs here. Note the 63 dB sound rating - a drop of 5-6 dB from a unit without panels.
UNLESS there are some additional modifications made to open frame Chinese gensets by the owner, they will be 5-6 dB louder under identical operating conditions than the boxed Hondas and Yammies. Conversely, the 3,000 watt open frame Chinese gennys can easily run up to 10 dB down from other styles of open frame gensets using different mufflers - sort of like the lawnmower used in your test.
If this sounds like a brag posting to you, youโre right. When things go the way you planned and work flawlessly, it is only normal to shout in delight.
Last Friday morning, my wife, grandson, dog and I made our annual pilgrimage to Big Meadows on the Skyline Drive. At an elevation of about 3,900 feet, the air is clear and cool. For someone who normally lives only slightly 100โ above sea level, this is a real treat. If you really want to know where the bear and deer play, you need to go to Big Meadows!
The campground at Big Meadows is divided into several areas. Some do not allow generators at all, while the area we selected does allow generators between 8 am and 10 am and again from 4 pm to 7 pm. Sites are quite large in our section and just about everyone has a generator of some sort that they run a few hours each day to recharge batteries. Air conditioning is definitely not needed this time of the year.
The camper on my awning side had a commercial Chinese genny marked as 5,200 watts with a 9HP engine. It was extremely loud and obnoxious, disturbing campers for several hundred yards around. Unfortunately, the rangers did not elect to confront the discourteous owner about the excessive noise. I measured 76 dB at my front door, some 60+ feet away.
My neighbor on the opposite side was in a smaller Jayco trailer. They had a Honda 2000i placed at the front of the camper. I never even heard it run. They were about 100โ away.
Directly behind me was a Rockwood, also with a Honda 2000i. The noise was a mere murmur and one had to listen hard to know it was running.
The unit across from the front side of our rig was an older model Wilderness powered from a 8HP Chinese genny rated at 4,500 watts. Again, this unit was louder than most would have liked, but not nearly as obnoxious as the 9HP unit above me. The owner of this rig only ran his genny for about 1 hour in the evening.
We had the usual Onan MH factory generators and a mix of both Chinese and Honda portable units ranging from 1,000 watts to 3,000 watts scattered around the RV area. Only the Onan Motor Home units could be heard while sitting under the awning at our site.
When Chinese open frame gennys rise above the 6.5 HP 3,000 watt class the noise level increases significantly. As most know, the nominal rating of 67dB is within the NPS sound regulations. Those larger typically add at least another 10dB to their noise level โ an amount that is excessive for a National Park setting.
My genny is a Champion 40008 electric start remounted in a self-designed sound abatement enclosure with a double boxed muffler and run off of LPG.
It hummed along at a sound level far below anything in an equal power class in the campground โ even when loaded by the microwave. While the outside temperature had a hard time reaching 70 in the mountains, the temps inside the enclosure never got above 140 and the probe placed right on the cylinder head next to the exhaust never reached above 180. The run-up to 140 occurred while Nancy was nuking a few large potatoes. I had previously determined that the upper margin for a safe operating temp inside the enclosure would be 195. I have a switch inside the enclosure set to 180 that will shut off the genny, giving a 15 degree safety margin. The temperature of the air moving across the AVR and genhead itself would equal outside air temperature plus the nominal heat transfer from the mass. I am looking to keep the exit air temps at the bottom of the genhead below 160. So far, testing has shown that this is possible. I have an electronic meat thermometer with a remote probe measuring air temps at this point. It never rose above 85 degrees over the weekend. Iโll find out more this summer as outside temps rise and A/C loads are brought into play.
Just as a test, I stood equally distant between my genny and the Honda 2000i behind me while both were running. The Honda was the louder of the two units.
I had previously built my portable transfer switch which would allow me to flip between the inverter and genny with the touch of a button on an indoor panel. The transfer was so fast I could switch from the genny to the inverter with the TV and Dish receiver on and never drop the signal. I could also remove the load from the genny with the transfer switch before starting or shutting down, giving the needed protection for the AVR.
The remote panel also allowed me to turn on the LPG and start the generator (or inverter) from inside. This was great since I did not need to put on shoes to trudge outside to start or stop the genny or move power cords around.
I received numerous comments and compliments from fellow campers. Many simply could not understand the how or what of the system, but did appreciate the near silence of the unit while in operation.
Last Friday morning, my wife, grandson, dog and I made our annual pilgrimage to Big Meadows on the Skyline Drive. At an elevation of about 3,900 feet, the air is clear and cool. For someone who normally lives only slightly 100โ above sea level, this is a real treat. If you really want to know where the bear and deer play, you need to go to Big Meadows!
The campground at Big Meadows is divided into several areas. Some do not allow generators at all, while the area we selected does allow generators between 8 am and 10 am and again from 4 pm to 7 pm. Sites are quite large in our section and just about everyone has a generator of some sort that they run a few hours each day to recharge batteries. Air conditioning is definitely not needed this time of the year.
The camper on my awning side had a commercial Chinese genny marked as 5,200 watts with a 9HP engine. It was extremely loud and obnoxious, disturbing campers for several hundred yards around. Unfortunately, the rangers did not elect to confront the discourteous owner about the excessive noise. I measured 76 dB at my front door, some 60+ feet away.
My neighbor on the opposite side was in a smaller Jayco trailer. They had a Honda 2000i placed at the front of the camper. I never even heard it run. They were about 100โ away.
Directly behind me was a Rockwood, also with a Honda 2000i. The noise was a mere murmur and one had to listen hard to know it was running.
The unit across from the front side of our rig was an older model Wilderness powered from a 8HP Chinese genny rated at 4,500 watts. Again, this unit was louder than most would have liked, but not nearly as obnoxious as the 9HP unit above me. The owner of this rig only ran his genny for about 1 hour in the evening.
We had the usual Onan MH factory generators and a mix of both Chinese and Honda portable units ranging from 1,000 watts to 3,000 watts scattered around the RV area. Only the Onan Motor Home units could be heard while sitting under the awning at our site.
When Chinese open frame gennys rise above the 6.5 HP 3,000 watt class the noise level increases significantly. As most know, the nominal rating of 67dB is within the NPS sound regulations. Those larger typically add at least another 10dB to their noise level โ an amount that is excessive for a National Park setting.
My genny is a Champion 40008 electric start remounted in a self-designed sound abatement enclosure with a double boxed muffler and run off of LPG.
It hummed along at a sound level far below anything in an equal power class in the campground โ even when loaded by the microwave. While the outside temperature had a hard time reaching 70 in the mountains, the temps inside the enclosure never got above 140 and the probe placed right on the cylinder head next to the exhaust never reached above 180. The run-up to 140 occurred while Nancy was nuking a few large potatoes. I had previously determined that the upper margin for a safe operating temp inside the enclosure would be 195. I have a switch inside the enclosure set to 180 that will shut off the genny, giving a 15 degree safety margin. The temperature of the air moving across the AVR and genhead itself would equal outside air temperature plus the nominal heat transfer from the mass. I am looking to keep the exit air temps at the bottom of the genhead below 160. So far, testing has shown that this is possible. I have an electronic meat thermometer with a remote probe measuring air temps at this point. It never rose above 85 degrees over the weekend. Iโll find out more this summer as outside temps rise and A/C loads are brought into play.
Just as a test, I stood equally distant between my genny and the Honda 2000i behind me while both were running. The Honda was the louder of the two units.
I had previously built my portable transfer switch which would allow me to flip between the inverter and genny with the touch of a button on an indoor panel. The transfer was so fast I could switch from the genny to the inverter with the TV and Dish receiver on and never drop the signal. I could also remove the load from the genny with the transfer switch before starting or shutting down, giving the needed protection for the AVR.
The remote panel also allowed me to turn on the LPG and start the generator (or inverter) from inside. This was great since I did not need to put on shoes to trudge outside to start or stop the genny or move power cords around.
I received numerous comments and compliments from fellow campers. Many simply could not understand the how or what of the system, but did appreciate the near silence of the unit while in operation.
