recommended sound level for generator

[guadalupegrl]

I'm shopping for a generator for my 26' overlander. I found 'a sweet deal' on harbor freight, but am curious what y'all would recommend for the decibel levels?

[BigAl]

Around 50 db if you can afford it.
Check out the forum for what others use. I have a Yamaha and it is quite quiet.
Al

[Wayne&Sam]

The favorites around here seem to be Hondas and Yamahas. The quiet ones run at 53 db at 1/4 load and 59 db at full load.

[wahoonc]

Quieter the better.

I have one 6500 watt Honda that is quiet enough to carry on a conversation standing right next to it while it is running at load, it is rated at 60db. I have another one that is not a quiet run that is listed at 75db.

The quiet one is like being in on a quiet residential street the other is like standing on a freeway during rush hour when traffic is moving.

FWIW there is about a $2k price difference, however it was well worth it to me.

Aaron

[JimGolden]

I use a Honda EU2000i. It will run everything but the a/c, and is quiet as a churchmouse. They run about $900 to $1000, and are only 2000 watts.

For a/c, you'd need to have a bigger one. Some folks say the 2400 watt Yamaha will run the a/c. If so, then cool. I couldn't tell you. My dad's buddy runs his a/c with one like mine, but they put a big start capacitor in the a/c unit to give it the big "hit" it needs to start it. Thing is with the a/c, it takes a lot more to get it rolling than it does to keep it running. Anyway, I don't know if dad's buddy has burnt his up yet or not. Dad's an electrician though and says that if you have a big startup capacitor, then you can run it with a 2000 watter. I haven't tried it.

I plan to get a second EU2000 at some point and run them together to get 4000 watts and then I can run the a/c. But as of yet, I've not boondocked when it was hot enough to need the a/c, so my little Honda has done fine.

An EU3000i would have been superb, but they are ten times the physical size of the 2000, weigh 160lbs empty (mine weighs about 45) and cost twice as much. They are excellent generators, but I didn't have the dough for one when I got the 2000.

At any rate, either Honda or Yamaha inverter types are probably what you want. They are both great, both very quiet so that your neighbors don't come over in the middle of the night and pull your spark plug or cut your wires, and they'll last a long long time. I agonized over it for months and finally went with Honda. But honestly, I think the biggest difference is if you like Red or Blue.

If you get one of the contractor types, those are OK if you're out in the woods by yourself away from others. If you are making as much noise as a Huey hovering 2' off the ground beside your camper, you'll probably not make too many friends in the campground if you're in close quarters.

As a side note, we sometimes go to WVU's coliseum for football games and camp out there. They cordon off half the lot for RV's. You will sees hundreds of the inverter type Hondas and Yamaha's quietly humming away out there while people BBQ, play Corn-Toss, and generally have a good time. You don't see any of the loud ones.

Best of luck,

[ROBERT CROSS]

Red & Blue are the most popular, quietest.

Bob

[switz]

I went with the Honda 2000 watt pair to power a 30 amp trailer with AC. It was suggested that if not running AC, switch off between the two units to equalize the wear and tear over time.