NOISEY GENERATOR

Range Maggot Bob wrote:
Wow. Lwiddis and MDKMDK- you guys are really a lot of help for someone looking for information.

Yeah ... you get solar fanatics chiming in all over in the RV forums.

For sunny RV drycamping in mild enough weather, of course one can get by with solar - even "only solar" if combined with large enough batteries and pure sine wave inverters.

But for intentional RV shade drycamping and intentional or unintentional RV hot weather drycamping in the sun or in the shade, a truly self-contained setup must have adequate generator capability along.

We like our RV "to be ready for anything at any time", which requires a convenient generator arrangement that is quiet enough inside and outside ... whether running for short or extended times when drycamping.

..............

Wow. Lwiddis and MDKMDK- you guys are really a lot of help for someone looking for information.

DrewE wrote:

DFord wrote:
Unfortunately, OEM generators for RVs all operate at a constant speed of 1800 or 3600 RPM in order to produce 60Hz power. So far, Onan and Generac have failed to get up to speed with inverter technology that would allow them to run only as fast as required to meet usage demands.

...

I few years ago, I corned a rep at the Onan booth at an FMCA rally and raised a fuss with him about their using such ancient technology. He liked what I said and made a video of me complaining on his camera to take back to the factory. I haven't heard anything about upgrades to their products so far but they're way past due!

The (diesel fueled) Onan QD 6000 and QD 8000 RV generators are inverter generators that vary their engine speed with changes in the load.

I don’t believe they’re in the RV built-in generator market any longer, but the nearly 20 year old Generac 36LP model in my TC is an inverter generator. In many ways it was ahead of the technology at the time, and finding a technician that actually knew and understood the inverter and control system on them when they needed service was difficult. Consequently, they developed a bad reputation from techs who couldn’t fix them. Parts tended to be pretty expensive too, and it’s even worse now that they are orphaned. Mine still starts up quickly, and runs fine though, knock on wood :W

:):)

Thanks for the replies

When doing bus conversions we built sound box's for the generators, they can be quieted down, same as boats. What the RV manufactures sell is unconscionable!

Google generator sound box to get some ideas but there is unlikely enough room to do much.

Then they duct the AC units and put a hole in the ceiling directly under the motor and blower fan. Yep that makes a lot of sense!

For some people no amount of noise is an issue, wish I was one of them. I am sensitive to noise and firing up the genny and turning on the AC is like running a shop vac in the RV 24/7. I use a Honda 2000 and an 8k window unit.

The comedians aside, what pnichols said will reduce it. I have a soft paneled sound shield for my boats 6kw diesel genny. There is no getting rid of the hum. The best to be hoped for is a reduction.

“for long battery charging runs when RV drycamping...”

For long battery charging runs (absorption), solar is the better answer.

How about a piece of heavy carpet (that is easy to store) and that you just lay on the ground under the generator compartment? I've also noticed that the outside sound is reduced when parked or grass or dirt, so a piece of heavy carpet there should work pretty good.

Might work.

Steve

Lots of threads about how to mitigate noise of RV generators - use the forum search feature. Std's include isolating the generator box with sound dampening material etc. Noise is relative - I hate the air conditioner far more than my Onan 4000.