Home Made Quiet Generator

[storeman]

Cool, nice work. I just got an MEP002 with the ASK set up on it. Do you think you will have any issues with overheating with your setup?

Not if well vented.

 

[ETN550]

This is what was in the housing before I started. The engine fan sucks cold air through a big hole in the bottom. Mine is sealed around the sides better. The hot air off the engine is essentially forced out through the vents. I have positioned the engine the same and the generator end sticks out past the housing a few inches. This worked good because the end of the generator that sucks in the cooling air is outside the housing so the gen is fed cold air too.











And here it is after replacing the pump with the generator.

 

[hmsgoodhope]

WoW - Great idea - have bid on these in past - no luck yet but will keep trying as your project looks like a super mod. From the unaltered "baseline" how significant is the noise supression with mod? Thanks for posting lots of pics - Really Neat!!

 

[DieselGenAC]

Based on my experience, the engine cooling fan in the flywheel of air cooled diesels does not move enough air to keep an enclosed unit cool. I suggest you add an additional fan to move air through your enclosure before operating it in warm weather.

 

[ETN550]

WoW - Great idea - have bid on these in past - no luck yet but will keep trying as your project looks like a super mod. From the unaltered "baseline" how significant is the noise supression with mod? Thanks for posting lots of pics - Really Neat!!

It is significantly quieter. I still have a few holes to plug. One of the article I read said that a hole the size of 10% of the area lets out 50% of the sound.

I might get one of those sound meters for $75 and take some measurements. It is not as quiet as a Honda 2000 and the sound does travel but it is more of a muted low rumble.

Two persons can have a normal conversation right next to it running.

 

[ETN550]

Based on my experience, the engine cooling fan in the flywheel of air cooled diesels does not move enough air to keep an enclosed unit cool. I suggest you add an additional fan to move air through your enclosure before operating it in warm weather.

I just copied what was already in the enclosure. I will continue to take measurements of temperatures using my infrared gun. However, it is now getting colder so I won't have real results until next summer.

What experience do you have that you mention and what are your results? This is my 4th attempt after 3 other ways of doing it. A tight enclosure with few holes is a requirement for keeping sound inside. My first attempts involved moving a lot of air through an enclosure with baffles causing a direction change in the airflow. It got real complicated.

The current setup puts cold air on the cylinder and into the intake. Those areas are very close to the same as running in the open. the rest of it does get pretty hot but it seems to level off. The MEP831A only uses its engine fan until it gets too hot and it is rated for 125 ambient. It also uses a permanant magnet alternator and that alternator does not get cold air from the outside like mine. Plus, they have all the inverter electronics inside. That thing must cook by comparison.

I got my ceramic blanket insulation yesterday. It will be applied to the exhaust system. I did notice about 50 deg higher temps on the Outside of the enclosure over the exhaust area.

 

[DieselGenAC]

My experience is with trying to reduce noise in Yanmar L48 and L70 powered stuff. With the flywheel end drawing outside air in through a plywood enclosure, oil temp starts to run away at higher sustained loads when temps are above 80F. An 800 to 1600 CFM fan pulling additional outside air should do the trick. I used a couple surplus 8" 120VAC fans in my plywood box with good results. Of course, openings for fans let more noise out.

If your load is less than 50% with only short spikes at higher loads, you may never need additional cooling. If you run large constant loads such as lights or resistive heaters, you may want to watch oil temps on warmer days.

The Yanmar application manual has oil temp and air flow info.
YANMAR Application Manual LV Series pdf free ebook download from martindiesel.com
I made an oil temp sensor using the dipstick under the muffler. I drilled a small hole through the top and ran a thermocouple down along the dipstick. I then coated it with epoxy using a plastic tube as a mold. Using an old Fluke meter with a thermocouple input let me watch oil temps.

 

[ETN550]

My experience is with trying to reduce noise in Yanmar L48 and L70 powered stuff. With the flywheel end drawing outside air in through a plywood enclosure, oil temp starts to run away at higher sustained loads when temps are above 80F. An 800 to 1600 CFM fan pulling additional outside air should do the trick. I used a couple surplus 8" 120VAC fans in my plywood box with good results. Of course, openings for fans let more noise out.

If your load is less than 50% with only short spikes at higher loads, you may never need additional cooling. If you run large constant loads such as lights or resistive heaters, you may want to watch oil temps on warmer days.

The Yanmar application manual has oil temp and air flow info.
YANMAR Application Manual LV Series pdf free ebook download from martindiesel.com
I made an oil temp sensor using the dipstick under the muffler. I drilled a small hole through the top and ran a thermocouple down along the dipstick. I then coated it with epoxy using a plastic tube as a mold. Using an old Fluke meter with a thermocouple input let me watch oil temps.

The oil temp is a great idea. I'll do the same thing. I spent this weekend cutting in a new access door to be able to get to the dipstick easily. I also insulated the exhaust system. another idea is to mount the primary muffler outside the enclosure to further reduce heat.