building a soundproof box around a generator

[Jerry Kuperus]

I just poured my slab and I need some advice on building a weather resistand sound proof enclosure,
what to build it out of and how to make it sound proof.
I need a lid that opens up to fuel, a small door in the from to roll out the portable generator and accomodate for a muffler opening on the side and ventilation.

Should I do it out building block or frame it use plywood inside and out.

If anyone has done this before please share you experience.

thanks,

Jerry

[supersoundproofing]

A small storage building could be modified with soundproofing panels inside to do this job....



See http://soundproofing.org/infopages/generator.htm

That will get you started.



BJ nash

[James]

What kind of a generator is it?

[James]

I've been playing with a similar problem for about a month now and wasted quite a bit of time. I might be able to help you just a little bit. The first thing I think you need to do is define the problem which begins by asking some questions:

1. What sort of generator do you have?
2. What's the purpose of the generator? How often and how many hours per day will you use it?
3. Do you live in a residential area or a rural area? How close are the neighbors? If it's a residential area, do you live on a hill or is the terrain flat? Do you and your neighbors have ground level houses or are they bi-level or 2 story houses?

[joel]

Hi Jerry,



Because you will need several movable parts (lid, door, muffler opening) to the enclosure for your generator, the most simple would be to frame it and use exterior grade plywood.  Since wood transmits sound 400 times faster than air, be sure to cover ALL of the inside surfaces with noise absorbing/blocking closed cell acoustic foam - SSP Mat is listed at http://www.soundproofing.org/sales/prices.html  And for sound sealing around openings of doors, etc, use the self-adhesive backed tapes of the same material shown on the same page further down the list (SSP Tape).  This method has been done hundreds of times with outstanding results.



Joel

[spaterso]

After many months of searching here's what I came up with for my needs. I have a :

http://www.kingcanada.com/Products.htm?ID=11890

I need to make it sound like a 1000W Honda.

I bought:

suitable crate from a manufacturing company $25.00
obtained damaged acoustic tile from work and a local company for free
Utility Exhaust Fan UF10-G 10" fan (120 Volt, 10 foot cord - Removes air in a 10' x 10' room every 2.5 minutes - providing adequate air inlet is available) for $49.99 +taxes
2 metal dryer inlets with screens ($8.99 @ the Home Depot)
external electrical outlet with weather proof cover (I had left over wire and a duplex)

I lined the box with the acoustic tile using builders glue
I had a friend weld an extension onto the muffler pipe so it exhausted directly out of the box
installed the utility fan near the muffler/heat shield (I finally figured out that some hot air blows off of the motor heating up the inside)
I installed the 2 dryer vents for cool air intake.

Some original ideas I tried were a 15cfm bath fan exhausting outside. The box became so hot the gas in the tank started boiling out of it. I tried the same set up but bought a longer gas line and bolted the gas tank to the top of the boxes lid. The results were internal box temps >120F. When the utility fan was suggested, and placing it right near the heat shield/muffler the temp never got above 90F. I also had to cut a 4" * 4" hole for additional air intake.

If I had to do it all over again, I'd cut a strip the entire from of the box near the bottom 2" high for air intake and forget the dryer vents. That way there's front to back air flow. The final result is here:

http://fishtank.uwaterloo.ca/~spaterso/generator-1.jpg
http://fishtank.uwaterloo.ca/~spaterso/generator-2.jpg
http://fishtank.uwaterloo.ca/~spaterso/generator-3.jpg

[rmidgett]

Hi,
The links to the pics of your box don't seem to work. Can you repost or send them direct, please?
Thanks!