Generators...

[Hi Ho]

Why are they so noisy??? I was reminded of the noise they make at a bluegrass festival this weekend. I know it is possible to make a quiet generator. If you have ever "heard" a Honda generator you haven't heard much and that is a good thing. Unfortunately most generators in motorhomes are extremely noisy. Why??? When my car is running I can't hear it at all. Heck, when a lot of those motorhomes run you can't hear them. But their generators are extremely annoying. It doesn't seem like it would take much. Just a nice big muffler. Why not?

[Panama Red]

The engine is exposed to the air for cooling unlike an auto engine that is water cooled and enclosed in a bunch of metal and sound deadener. Those things help keep the auto engine more quiet too.

[Hi Ho]

How does Honda make their generators so quiet then?

[jong2k4]

I don't know if this is true in all cases, but I've only ever used one Honda generator, and it was really quiet, but I always thought that was because it was a tiny little thing that you could carry with one hand fairly easily. Compare that to the monstrous generators used to power banks of lights that require kilowatts of power at outdoor events...it's no wonder that they're noisier.

[Hi Ho]

Honda makes some large generators that are very quiet.

[Lamilia]

insulation around the generator could probably do that