It looks really good! Too bad it didn't make much of a difference. Those briggs motors are just simply loud. I know folks that have tried to quiet them down with little luck. You get an A for effort though!
I have a 6500/7500 PowerMate genny in a Suncast dual trash can shed. I've been considering altering the muffler to quiet it down, but as noted, these rigs are LOUD, period. Many YT videos confirm this...thank you for sharing your test! It's not so much the exhaust. Some guy has a video up that quiets a genny 10x in 10 seconds.....he lays plywood sheets all around the genny. Insulation/sound deadening seems to be the key. I'm guessing my next move is a sound insulation attempt. The way my Powermate is set up, the exhaust is on the 'left side' along with recoil pull handle. Power panel on the 'right'. The exhaust points out one of the two shed doors, the other I can close along with the roof of the shed. The exhaust door will always have to be open during operation, which is ok with me. Hopefully, with sound deadening material applied to all interior surfaces the engine noise will drop some.
Studio DaVeed The exhausts on those Tecumseh engines aren't quiet at all. A better exhaust would definitely help, but air cooled engines aren't that quiet to begin with. The engines would be much quieter if it was suspended in some springs and rubber pads to absorb the vibrations. I am planning on building a generator that will run at a lower 1800 rpm instead of screaming at 3600 rpm using an 18 HP Onan engine. The lower rpm will be far less noisy. I will be using small springs with rubber pads for the engine mounts to keep the noise down. I am using the stick mufflers but I'm welding pipes to redirect the exhaust into another resignation chamber to make the exhaust sound like a steady "hmmm". Lastly, the entire setup will be put into a wooden box with sound dampening material on the inside. The exhaust will exit out the side of the box with thermal insulation to protect the wood. I have a 10kW generator head rated at 3600 rpm that is shaft driven so I will have to use 3 individual v-belt pulleys at a 2:1 ratio.
Lean a piece of plywood against it with the plywood facing you, makes a huge difference in the noise that makes it to you. Trick we did when I was framing houses.
Do not forget about generator safety ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-I1jT3ANENvI.html keep in mind that portable generators can be dangerous if not used carefully. Especially it’s important to keep children safe when you’re using portable generators. Thank you. Stay safe
I always said that to myself.Wood framing with foam insultions on the inside.Plus keeping it cool because of the restriction once covering it up.You must be in to construction or the Engineers in the service.It's not the most genius idea,but you have to knowledge in at least three different fields.Framing,sound deadening,and cooling.Excellent input and idea.
Lot of work, but we learned. Maybe the way to get quiet is a sound-absorbing box around the generator, and a pipe (not directly connected) like a chimney, to carry the sound up toward sky.
There are two things to consider when trying to quiet down a small engine. #1 The amount of metal and thickness of the crank case and cylinder and cylinder head. Small, air cooled, engines have very little metal in the engine housing itself so a lot of the combustion noise is actually coming through the walls of the engine. This can be addresses by enclosing the engine in a sound dampening housing. however this is problematic with air cooled engines. #2 No matter how quiet a muffler claims to be, it is greatly influenced by the length of exhaust tubing. The longer the exhaust tubing the quieter the the sound. The exhaust noise is greatly reduced by the distance and turns and surfaces in which the exhaust, and pressure wave, has to transverse.
Thanks for watching and commenting. I’ve seen a lot of generators burnt up at the race track with not enough air to cool them. I hope to do more experiments on it soon. Have a good one
I always wondered if that would work. I guess now we know. Thank you for doing this video! **In the Army they had tactical quiet generators; it was basically just insulation surrounding all the generator with slots to allow for cooling/air...
I agree with the other poster, you get and A+ for the effort. That muff is thin sheetmetal, the exhaust "pop" flows into it and bang, like a drum. You could try a couple of old Cadillac muffs in series from a junkyard, I think they'd quiet the beast.
Honesty is lacking is most reviews. You are completely honest and objective and I for one respect that. Thank you for the information. I have a large Winco Generator with a Honda engine. It’s as quiet as it can be but as you said, the actual engine noise is louder than the muffler.
100% guilty of liking this video, subscribing and hitting that bell just cause I appreciate a good install. AND that's one hell of a southern draw you got there man! #ifitaintsouthernitaintRIGHT!!
AMonsterNut Thanks. We’re going to do more experiments on it. We converted a old round baler into a rebaler,dirt track racing vids drone videos. Have a good week
Thanks for doing this, I have been contemplating doing the same thing! You saved me the exact amount of time and money you spent on this experiment. Thanks again, I really appreciate it.
I've been wondering this my whole thinking life ... how a 70's Cadillac with a huge 200hp v8 can be nearly silent at idle, but a cycle or small engine always has to be annoyingly loud - good on you for trying this and putting it together
Air-cooled vs watercooled motor, air-cooled engines have very thin metal around the cylinder vs a watercooles car engine, that reduces alot of the combustion noise, I'm sure the water running through the block helps reduce it to. Also, having a 12-foot-long exhaust pipe helps too, having the engine enclosed under the hood helps too.
I don't have very much experience with generators. However, as a semi-retired auto mechanic. I know that muffling the INTAKE of an air compressor does wonders for quieting them down inside the shop. In fact, the only difference I've noticed on standard vs. ultra quiet compressors is the intake has been muffled on the ultra quiet ones. Might be something to try out on a future video. Also, you wouldn't have to worry as much about heat and that would free you up to use a wider variety of materials. Just some thoughts. I just found your channel and have subbed.
You are not hearing the sound of the exhaust you are hearing the sound of the engine. It is not a very well balanced engine. Lots of vibrations lots of noise.
95% of all the noise comes from all the mechanical parts while it's running. Put an insulated box around it, put an inlet fan to keep it cool and feed the carburetor. Take that exhaust from the muffler and run it towards the ground. Put some cinder blocks around the exhaust near the ground and you'll hear a huge difference in noise level. Thanks for sharing. Been there done that test. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya
Thanks for watching and commenting. I have to move the generator around to different cow pens when we have power failures. I really enjoy trying to make things work better for us here on the farm. I agree with the most of the noise being mechanical. Have a good week.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and attempt. I often wondered if a muffler would work.... now I have my answer as generators are very loud..... God bless you and your family CHIEF JONES
Thanks for watching.I plan to do more test on it. Soon as i get time on the farm.I like to try and make stuff work instead of just buying another.Have a good weekend.
Hey pal. Stopped in to support and say hello. I met you in one of the streams I follow for sure. When I first saw you putting that on I was like "WOW THATS A GREAT IDEA!!!!"... Part of me was a little bummed when it wasnt quieter. Very cool to try it though. Loved watching it. I was excited to see if it worked. hahaha Thanks for sharing.
A few things I did was add muffler(with equal results) , added a small set of valve springs inside the factory springs (coil over springs like older V8's had), and took valves from a 1.6L kia rio and crudely cut the length of the stems to be slightly longer than the factory valves. That way the valve train noise was almost eliminated . Aluminum transmits harmonics exceptionally well, which is a big problem when seeking to reduce the overall noise these engines produce. If you look at newer F150 trucks, on the exhaust system they have a exhaust clamp with a bar about 6 inches long with a large weight attached to the end of it. I took notice of this and attached a bracket to the engine, drilled and threaded 2 holes, one in front of the other separated by 2 inches or so. Used a long 'all thread' (1/2 inch) , attached a bunch of large heavy washers to the end, and started up the engine. Slowly turned the rod increasing the distance of the weight from the engine. It began to vibrate violently but kept going till it stopped and the noise was almost eliminated. The harmonic frequency was matched , canceling itself out. This alone ,without adding valves,springs, and muffler is by far the best thing you can do to quite down these things. Give it a shot, its cheap and easy , try a 3/8 all thread, it might work better .
Thanks for watching. We’re going to do more experiments on it soon as I get time. Things are crazy on the farm. The all thread sounds like a good idea. We might try some of your value tricks also. Thanks for the info. Have a good week
I had a single stage air compressor for airbrushing. I put in a sealed container with sound deadening material on the inside. It worked perfectly but the only issue was heat being stuck inside the enclosure. The compressor was way hot after an hour of use. I'm sure there is a way to do this without any bad side effects.....
It would take 8 years 7 months and 6 days to heat up a cup of coffee just by yelling at it. Sound wouldn't be to efficient producing energy. I'm pretty sure if you harnessed every sound a generator makes in the whole US you might have something decent.
You are a man of heart and soul. A valiant effort! Better luck on the next one. I might suggest an old motorcycle muffler that has a baffled inside. You can find them in old salvage motorcycle parts shops. They work very well for bike exhaust. The baffle does all the work. Give that a try. Mike in Colorado
A company I worked for a long time ago actually bought a device to pick up the sounds in an exhaust, delay it, and play it back thru a speaker in the exhaust 180 out of phase to cancel the noise. Not my project, so don't know how well it worked, but based on this video I suspect there was a reason it was just sitting on a shelf in the conference room.
Thanks for doing an honest test on this subject and sharing with folks. You may have saved a lot of guys some money with your demo. One fundamental issue with small air cooled engines is they have much less mass and no water jacket to help control all that nasty sound. The noise just doesn't get absorbed. Better to build a small sound absorbing shed to place the generator in. Then use the auto muffler to safely exhaust the fumes and heat from the building.
miggs225 there are so many factors to consider. In car, sound gets absorbed in a long exhaust pipe. The longer the sound travels in an enclosed pipe the more it looses the energy and finaly calms down by the time it passes through the muffler which reduces it further to almost quite. The exhaust pipe is purposely hang on rubbers which also helps to absorb the vibration from the moving gas that comes out with a pounding force. Secondly, most genders are two strokes engine.the interval between the firing in the cylinders is very long. If a genset is made with 6 cylinders, it will produce less sound bkoz the firing will happen at close intervals hence sound will come out smooth like bruuuuuuuuu than braaarrrrrrr Thirdly, the sound doesn't just come from the exhaust pipe alone but also comes out directly from the thin cylinder walls. The only way to contain the sound is to cover with a sound proof box.
By far one of the best modification videos I've watched. For one simple reason. Straight to the point at the end. No bs. No difference! So many others talk complete shite and try to backup what they've done by manipulating the results!
I'd suspect a motorbike muffler would be better matched to this size engine, they also put rubber bungs in between the fins to deaden mechanical ringing noise on air cooled motorbikes.
Make your own muffler, just larger, use a 55 gallon drum lined with something. Might sound deeper. Most sound probably come from engine not exhaust. Put it in a doghouse or shed with exhaust outside shed.
We Bury our gen in a 6 by 6 hole with lid that has plenty ventilation and a fan. Also the hole is lined with polyethylene Foam board and lid as well. When closed we can barely hear it. 👍
The resonator in an exhaust is tuned to a specific engine speed to reduce volume at that frequency of exhaust pulses. Car exhausts usually have a variable resonator that opens up at high speed (pressure activated) that offers a second tuning for the higher frequency. The small engine is probably running at a lower RPM than the resonator is tuned for. I'd try using a scooter exhaust. I doubt if a motorcycle exhaust would have much effect, either, since they're usually tuned for higher RPM ranges.
That's a good thought but, the engine is connected to the generator at a 1-1 ratio. So the engine is set to run at 3600 rpm (which is around or above the resonate frequency of most mufflers) to provide the 60 HZ electrical output. My theory is that the 3/4" pipe connecting the muffler to the engine is too small, therefore keeping velocity too high. I think had he used the short run before the turn to put a larger diameter pipe (like 1-1/4 or 1-1/2) then reduced back to 3/4, would lower velocity and allow the pressure waves to react against one another. A lot of automobiles have this very thing (a resonator) usually behind or built into the Cat.
The most important thing is vibration control. Right off the exhaust port I used a Stainless Steel exhaust flex pipe (with SS braid on the outside) to isolate the engine from the solidly mounted exhaust as any weak point between the two will fail quickly, as in the aluminum engines exhaust port/mount breaking apart.
while it didn't quiet it any it is still a cool looking modification what you made is a car enthusiast gear head style generator ! very cool props for the effort !
Can assure you it works very well but learned the hard way about over insulating exhaust because had a huge build up of carbon in the cylinder & started running rough after long hours of operation ended up having to pull head off & clean piston & valves but other than that its the way to go.
@@100pyatt put a little re-bond carpet padding or horsehair carpet pad onto the plywood and that should make a very good noise insulator, just keep enough distance between the padding and anything hot. Leave the top open and raise the bottom just enough to get air circulation. You can get clean used carpet pad free from most any carpet shop as its recycled and they probably wouldn't mind if you pulled some from their recycle bin as long as you didn't leave a mess
That's interesting findings. I retrofitted the stock muffler from my Triumph Speed Triple motorcycle to work on a Generac generator with the same engine and it's much quiter than the factory muffler. Perhaps the automotive muffler is too high flow for effective sound deadening on this application.
We had a diesel air cooled small generator (at my job before retirement) not much bigger than what you have there. We to ran into the exhaust and generator noise issue. What quieted it down was first a different muffler, and then adding insulating panels to the sides, being careful to not restrict the cooling air flow. It did quiet down by at least 50%.
Thanks for watching. I want to try a few more things thanks to lots of good comments. Soon as I get time. Things are crazy on the farm right now. Have a good one
Great video , the problem with these engine is that it's made of a thin metal with no water so alot of noise is coming from the head and the block . You can easily quite a generator by building an enclouser with foam pads inside and an electric fan . Which will make a BIG difference
The vast majority of sound on a conventional generator is from the engine internals and the actual genset on them. That’s one of the reasons inverter generators are so quiet.
Yes, the intake makes noise. Use this muffler for the intake. For exhaust, as soon as you can, increase the pipe to 1.5, then flex pipe to a glass pack muffler mounted with rubber hangers. Or just put a plywood cage around the generator (walls angled in just a bit)
T.T. - wrong because of what? The muffler he used is a baffled chamber. A flow through muffler uses a different technology that absorbs sounds without baffles. Is that what you’re suggesting? I saw that explanation on another video but not sure if I understand it completely. I have a chipper shredder that mostly runs wide open when it’s working and it seems much louder than the previous Craftsman chipper shredders I’ve had.
I love your honesty and effort! Great job!! I managed to make my Generac 7500 4db quieter just by using Royal Purple oil. It is still loud at 86db, but not bad for just using good oil.
Thanks for watching. Several people have said try different oil. I might try it. I plan to do more experiments on it. Merry Christmas to you and your family
As some of the other people have mentioned, you'll have more luck by Sound insulating the engine itself. Like building an enclosure around it with rockwool. Rockwool is an excellent sound insulator. You just gotta be careful and make sure that the engine will still get (and be able to get rid of) the cooling air. Good luck and thanks for sharing your test!
Your muffler input and output are too big so there's not enough resistance for the muffler to do its job with the size of the input and output it's like having no muffler
Thanks for testing that ,, they are loud really not much a person can do perhaps enclosing the unit but then you have to worry about over heating everything thank you
The noise from the Briggs engines comes through the case. I took carpet and stapled it to plywood and placed it on the 4 sides and top and bottom leaving the the top and side that faced away from the house with openings for venting. It was a big improvement.
@@GerraldFarms, I've always wondered about this and glad to see someone try it. The other problem with the Briggs is oil consumption. I gave up on my Briggs and went to a Harbor Freight. The electrical wave is "noisy". Electric motors run by it sound different and buzz. The engine itself is much much quieter though and fuel efficient. Bottom line if you want a quiet, long lasting, good signal generator pay the big bucks but that make life less of a challenge and less fun :-)
I tried the same thing about 10 or 12 years ago. It was during that terrible terrible ice storm we were hit by. The stores all throughout the Midwest and Northeast of the United States. Had no generators left, including being sold out of every gas powered heater they could get their hands on. It was all a terrible experience I'll never forget. How are utilities work turned back on for a total of 16 - 24hr. days & 9hrs. I'll never forget it. I had a brand new portable ®Mr. Heat buddy heater, along with my heater I had two generators running non-stop for almost 3 whole weeks..!! Needless to say but that ice storm was the worst to hit America in over 20 years. I must also say.. that ice storm taught me how to install and retrofit a used car muffler on to my generator. The first one(muffler) worked great with a HUGE reduction in the exhaust noises. Thank God !! I just wanted to share that itty bitty bit of interesting information on your topic. Thanks
