A Quiet, cheap, generator

[rslaback]

I know that the two terms in the title are contradictory.

My wife is the pastor of a small church. Each year our community puts on a lighted Christmas parade through town. Most years we turn my 16' trailer into a float for said parade.

The main panels on either side are about 9 strings of lights each. Throw some more lights on and it takes a bit of power. I had originally hoped to feed it with an inverter but it became apparent after the first year that my inverter wasn't going to hack it. That said, we have been using my Generac 3250 watt generator.

It powers the lights just fine but the things is damn loud. We are easily the loudest float in the parade. My father and I bought this unit when we were in construction and as such didn't really give a rip how loud it was. The unit runs great and I am not really looking to replace it as it sees little use as is.

For next year I have been tasked with coming up with a quieter solution. Before anybody mentions it I am absolutely not going to drop a couple thousand dollars on a new Honda Inverter unit, nor am I going to drop $1200 for a used one on craigslist. For 10 minutes of use per year it just isn't worth it. Right now I am down to two schools of thought:

1. Put a better muffler on my existing generator. This would most likely end up costing me in the neighborhood of $100 or so and will probably look pretty hack. I've also read that a lot of the noise from a generator like mine is actually engine valve noise and the muffler won't do much to take care of that.

2. Purchase the 800 watt generator from Harbor Freight. It has decent reviews and a pretty obviously good price point. This generator according to the reviews is pretty loud as well so I was planning on making a generator baffle out of 2" EPS foam that I can put over it. This solution also gives me a second, much more portable generator that I could use as needed.

A third option would of course be to put a muffler on my existing generator and then make a foam cover for it as well.

Opinions?

If your only opinion is to tell me how much you hate Harbor Freight etc. save it. I'm not interested.

 

[metaleltr]

What about a power inverter? Probably wouldn't take more that a couple hundred watts, you could probably get on from HF for less than a whole new generator.

 

[Stuart in MN]

With the low power requirements of the LED Christmas lights available these days, I wonder if you could power them with a battery and then not need a generator at all.

 

[Camtwo69]

Those words don't go together when you talk about generators .

 

[hifi_hokie]

For 10 minutes of use a year, I'd live with looking hack.

Heck, I look hack 365 days a year.

 

[firebox40dash5]

I'd go with the LED lights idea first. Depending on how Jesus' cake is lit up, you could probably easily run that off a 500w inverter and a single battery.

Outside of that, look hack. It's dark outside anyway. I know you said you wouldn't spend $1200 on a used Honda inverter, but... I happened to be thumbing through an RV mag the other day, and they had a review on a ripoff of the 3kw inverter that sells for ~$1700. I think the name was Powertech or something like that? SOund level was identical to the Honda. Maybe they ripped off the little one, too.

 

[rslaback]

With the low power requirements of the LED Christmas lights available these days, I wonder if you could power them with a battery and then not need a generator at all.

I would love to switch over to leds but that would mean remaking the two main signs which each have about 9 strings of lights in them. Ugh.

 

[crf731]

Rent one for the day / night

 

[ishiboo]

+1 for a power inverter, even without LED lights. We have over 1000 LEDs on our 6' tree and it takes only about 50W. Even without LED, you should still be in the range of a decent battery-wired inverter. Short battery cables and keep the inverter close to the battery - long AC cord!

Another option would be a cheap inverter generator like the ETQ, Powerhouse or Honeywell. On paper, they are as good as the Honda - in reality, not even close... but they ARE far better than a Honda or Yamaha for 1/2 or less the price. Plus you could buy the one Sams/Costco carries and return it when you're done... no harm no foul when you're doing the Lord's business right?

 

[ishiboo]

Rent one for the day / night

^ Best and most obvious suggestion, why didn't we think of it?

Our local stores rent the EU2000 for like $30 a day. It's a no-brainer.

 

[LEVE]

Purchase the 800 watt generator from Harbor Freight

I'm confused. I've picked up a (2000 watt continuous, 4000 watt peak) inverter at HF for a project a month, or so ago for about the same money as the generator. Granted, it was on sale, but if you're think 800 watts will do the job... why not go with an inverter?

Does the inverter have to be a Honda? I don't see why?

These HF inverters should do the job nicely. All you've got to do is make sure they're receiving the correct input. That may mean a larger alternator or alternator pulley modification on the truck pulling the float.

Me, I'm turning that inverter into a power supply plumbed from my detached garage over to a couple of circuits in the house and powered by my Prius. So, it won't be 10 minutes use a year, it may be zero. But with the gas storage and vehicle gas I can get over 4 weeks of usage out of it in times of emergency.

Waste not.. want not.

 

[rslaback]

I just did a bit more research. The inverter that I already have that was unable to do the job is a 1500 watt unit so it looks like the HF generator is out of the running. Each of the side boards in the picture have 900 individual bulbs in them. A string of 100 bulbs runs at about 41 watts. There are 18 strings in just the two side boards. It looks like the two remaining options are to rent a quiet unit or mod my current genny as best I can.

I could buy another inverter but I don't really know that my truck would take the abuse of running two 1500 watt inverters.

 

[srmofo]

Build a box around it. Use the construction techniques similar to how they sound proof walls and leave the top open. Build the box tall if you have to. This would focus the noise up and away from the crowd. Coupled with the sound dampening walls it should be considerably quieter.

 

[eljefino]

How did the 1500 watt inverter fail? Was it running off a cig lighter plug?

I think you're barking up the right tree. Hardwire an inverter up to your battery or underhood fusebox. Do some load testing, run it at about 75% of what it can max handle. Then add another inverter and run two extension cords and split the load. Do you have a kill-a-watt meter? Something is amiss with your consumption vs the inverter rating. For a ten minute parade you can deplete the truck battery some and charge it back up later. Being Xmas it won't be hot weather so you won't be frying electronics from the heat.

I have the HF 800 watt 2 stroke and it's quiet. Disconcerting, usually you hear two strokes really ripping it at higher revs. At 3600 RPM it sounds like it needs a tune up.

 

[rslaback]

How did the 1500 watt inverter fail? Was it running off a cig lighter plug?

I think you're barking up the right tree. Hardwire an inverter up to your battery or underhood fusebox. Do some load testing, run it at about 75% of what it can max handle. Then add another inverter and run two extension cords and split the load. Do you have a kill-a-watt meter? Something is amiss with your consumption vs the inverter rating. For a ten minute parade you can deplete the truck battery some and charge it back up later. Being Xmas it won't be hot weather so you won't be frying electronics from the heat.

I have the HF 800 watt 2 stroke and it's quiet. Disconcerting, usually you hear two strokes really ripping it at higher revs. At 3600 RPM it sounds like it needs a tune up.

The inverter has an auto shutoff when it gets to the limit. If you figure in the 18 strings at 41 watts each, that puts you at about half capacity. After that there are still all the other strings of lights on the float (about another 10-15 strings depending on the year/design). It is a lot of freaking lights.

 

[malibu101]

My BIL has one of the little HF 800W 2-stoke lunchbox size generators.
It kept our fridge, deep freezer, and some lights (alternating of course) running though a few days of no power thanks to Hurricane Sandy.
The little ****** kept running fine for many hours but it sure was not quiet.
That little 2-stroke sang a pretty loud note just sitting out in the open next to the house.

EDIT- eljefino has a different opinion. I guess your mileage may vary.

 

[p_mori7]

The inverter~generator rental is by far the cheapest and easiest way to go. Plug & Play, less than half the noise.

 

[Danglerb]

Inverter to me means DC in usually from a battery and AC out. Some generators are "called" inverters because they make DC and use a inverter to stabilize and convert to AC, but I think of them first as a generator.

Cigarette lighter connections are only good for about 100 watts or so, above that you need bigger wires and a solid connection to the battery with lugs etc. I have an 800 watt Cobra that was about $35, next size up should be plenty and once you have a good inverter uses will turn up.

 

[SantaAna12]

Ask among the congregation for Honda generators available to borrow for a good cause?

 

[montero1dfw]

Get the cheap HF generator, run half the lights on it and the other half on the inverter.

mike

 

[ezzzzzzz]

Already mentioned but here's a +1. The Honda EU2000 is an awesome unit. Runs very quiet, especially in the 'eco' mode. You'll need to keep a 3' clearance around it and account for the exhaust too. I carry one in the truck every day. I've got 2 of these, and the jumper, to provide 50 amps of service. These have run the a/c in a Coleman pop-up without fail to keep my teen daughter content.

 

[IndyGarage]

I have a 5,000 watt generator like that. I put an auto muffler on it, and that quiets it down quite a bit - it's still not as quiet as a Honda generator, but it would be a lot less annoying on the float.

I simply welded a short piece of muffler pipe onto the outlet of the current muffler and used some flex pipe going to the cheapest aftermarket car muffler they had at the autoparts store, then attached the muffler to a removable "mast" welded to the generator frame, so it sticks up like a tractor exhaust.

That way the muffler is removable if I don't want to use it, and it gets the remaining sound above ear level. I had intentions of building a foam box to put over the rest of the generator, leaving only the muffler sticking out the top, but the remaining noise wasn't bad enough that I bothered.

 

[ecally]

What about the Honda EU1000i. It's only $799 delivered online from a reputable company. Not sure what its rated wattage is, but it should run at least 45 strings of lights without a problem. Very small, fuel efficient, and quiet.

 

[RKA]

What about the Honda EU1000i. It's only $799 delivered online from a reputable company. Not sure what its rated wattage is, but it should run at least 45 strings of lights without a problem. Very small, fuel efficient, and quiet.

Well, as the model would imply, it's 1000w peak. From everything the OP said, way too little juice. Honda's and Yamaha's (the higher spec'd models) would fit the bill from a sound perspective, but for 10 mins a year, it's a waste. Find someone that will rent them.

Already mentioned but here's a +1. The Honda EU2000 is an awesome unit. Runs very quiet, especially in the 'eco' mode. You'll need to keep a 3' clearance around it and account for the exhaust too. I carry one in the truck every day. I've got 2 of these, and the jumper, to provide 50 amps of service. These have run the a/c in a Coleman pop-up without fail to keep my teen daughter content.

Not quite 50 amps, but close. 26-27 amps with two in parallel mode. An single EU2000 might work, but you may need to swap in a couple of the more accessible light strings for LED's to stay within the output of the EU2000 (1600w continuous).