Making MEP-002A Quieter

[SandBar]

I do not even have my mep002 yet but from reading here they are a little noisy. Is it worth it to find an ASK kit? I was thinking of the following:

Small cinderblock structure with all columns filled with concrete. Have the lentil guys come over and do a concrete roof as well, and place a quieter muffler on it if possible. If I could set it on rubber feet for vibration isolation I would do that too.

Anyone care to fill in any tips or poke holes?

 

[Recovry4x4]

Just move it farther away from your AO. Or, you could use an MEP-017 for a day. After that your 002 will seem like a Honda EU.

 

[SandBar]

Further is an option as well, what are you all using for interconnect wire? I thought I read a post that GL had something quite usable but I forgot the term for the wire.

 

[n1oty]

I use Hubbell 50 amp 120/240 volt 4-wire waterproof cables. As far as noise, the sound is controlled reasonably well on the trailer with the tarps down except for an opening for the exhaust.

John

 

[coyote62ny]

if you put the ask unit on your gen set it will make repairs harder. most of the noise is the cooling fans on the engine and gen head and mechanical noise of a diesel engine. but all that said the 002 and 003 are about the best value for home back up power. i have a 003 that is 50 feet from my bedroom window with the window shut it isnt loud enough to bother you sleeping at least it dont bother me i like the sound of a good running diesel anyway. i used 8/4 so water proof cable to hook up my 003 to the house works great .

 

[gimpyrobb]

Most of the noise is mechanical. A custom enclosure is gonna be your best bet, but I wouldn't build that vault till you have it and hear how loud it is.

 

[3dAngus]

They make acoustical panels, 6 each, that go over the top (3 each) and to one side (house side) of the gen set for the MEP 002/003. They slide in and out of special racks for easy removal. If you look at a laundry unit, you'll see them there, protecting the operators from excissive noise. There is also a stainless steel flex cable that screws on the exhaust pipe to route the exhaust noise from the muffler further away from operators. They are approximately 12' long or so, and used by design. Difficult to find, but I have the set in excellent condition.

 

[Monty]

In the field we'd dig a hole and set the generator in it or in the case of a 002 we"d dig a small trench and slide it in then sandbag the opening. Either way it deflects the sound off the walls of the hole and straight up.

Nearly stepped into a genny hole at night with it running it really does a good job of quiting them down. Just make the hole double the size to vent heat and noise.

 

[storeman]

I'm building a shelter next to my house, insulated. Will post pics when I get to building it. Its going where the first 4 units in my avatar are now, with 2 002a's in it. Too much else going in now.

Jerry

 

[Tejano33]

Just an idea & a suggestion.................

I went to my local truck tire recapper. They always have cutoffs. The guy was nice enough to give me some, so I contributed to his coffee fund. They are not as good as standard isolation spring mounts, but they do help.

 

[SandBar]

Thats a great idea. Are cut offs chunks of old tread? Do you happen to have pics of your setup?

 

[Tejano33]

Accoustical Supression

Sandbar, I do not have any pictures. The tire recap material that I speak of is the generic thread that recappers buy to recap tires. As these are generic fits-all units they are usually too long for truck/trailer tires. The recappers have to cut them to fit the particular tire that they are working on before it is vulcanized to the old tire carcass. I just cut a cross-section of the new recap material and place it between the floor/deck and the frame. bolt it LOOSELY or you will defeat the purpose. This will reduce transmitted vibration and help with some slight amount of noise. Good Luck

 

[Woodsplinter]

Sandbar,
Check out www.acoustiblok.com. They have lots of noise dampening products. Saw some on "cool tools" and they were amazing. I'm looking into using some of their products to quiet my deuce. Hope this helps

 

[SandBar]

Fantastic details, thanks!

 

[Beerslayer]

Here's a couple of things for you.

Rubber Vibration Damping Mounts at McMaster-Carr I use these on my pressure washer for example.

Exhaust noise is big. Best thing I have seen was described in the now gone Bug Out Thread.

Essentially pipe the exhaust after muffler down into a 55 gallon drum filled with water. Cap the bottom end of the pipe and drill lots of holes in the side of it so the exhaust bubbles out through the water. Haven't tried it but I am sure it will work good.

Sounds like you are designing a gen shed that will withstand the severe Florida storms. I like it.

 

[Beerslayer]

Specifically, this mount. Made for generators. $80 and you're done.

 

[SandBar]

Those are real nice, just might work. Yes, we live about 30 minutes form town and it is beautiful out here, the downside utilities are slow to fix issues. Like you said, a bad Florida storm and we are out of power for hours, or days if bad enough. The idea with the MEP002 is:

Reliability - Military...diesel.. converting to use spin on easily available filters
Affordability - 400 + misc parts... good fuel consumption
Low Profile - well, this part I am working on

The low profile part is dual purpose. Allow us some peace to sleep, and if we may not want to attract too much attention in some situations. We are also working on a solar system, starting with a 24v pump for the 2nd well and 500 watts of mono solar panels + battery reserve.