How To Use A Quiet Generator To Protect Your Home

In the world of preppers, OPSEC aka operation security, is a commonly used word.

The first rule of OPSEC is that you don’t talk about your stash! The same goes for the second rule and the third rule! Loose lips can sink ships and the whole nine yards, you know the drill! Yeah, I wrote that back in the day in an article dedicated to OPSEC issues. Just go and read it, it’s important intel there.

Now, today’s article is aimed at helping preppers reading Survivopedia.com to improve their OPSEC rating by making their generator quieter. That’s a big issue if you come to think about it.

First, having a generator available, ready and willing (as in working) in a SHTF situation is like winning the lottery. Or winning at life. Yet, a working generator comes with advantages and disadvantages, like everything in life. The good thing is that you’ll have power going, unlike almost everybody else who’s not a prepper. Here, it’s your win. On the other side, being the only house in “the hood” with shiny lights on would definitely attract an undesirable amount of attention from envious eyes.

What about the Noise?

Without power, everything is dead-quiet in the city.

I’ve noticed that during power outages. Yet, a generator is rather noisy, and the noise of a running power-generator is unmistakable, not to mention the fact that you can hear it from hundreds of yards. That would most definitely guarantee you’ll be paid a little visit from your friendly or not so friendly neighbor. If you’re on the side of “open borders” and “immigrants welcome” policies, you probably don’t mind sharing your food stockpile and everything else with people you don’t know, right? Especially in a SHTF situation. By the way, that’s the leftist mindset for you in a nutshell, except from the fact these people have no idea what I am talking about, as in they were never in a crisis situation, and they don’t realize that when SHTF, it’s every man for himself.

Moving along with our story, yes, generators are awesome, and yes, it would be advisable to keep yours as quiet as technically possible, especially if you’re the only one in the area who owns one. With regard to generators, they are usually built for civilized times, when a little bit of sound presents no significant problems. Like any combustion engine, generators come with mufflers attached. If you’re lucky enough to own a popular generator, you may actually find aftermarket mufflers for your baby. As the general rule of thumb, an aftermarket muffler for a generator is the opposite of an aftermarket muffler for a car, as in it quietens it. Joke aside, a quality aftermarket muffler can work miracles in terms of making your generator quieter. That would be the first idea for my readers, go and buy an aftermarket muffler for your generator.

Another idea to mitigate a buzzing power-generator is the soundproof box. There are 2 issues that come into play here: how much money you are ready to spend, and how good you are at DIY stuff. As in, you can build your own soundproof box, or you can go buy one already made. The worst part about the second option is that soundproof boxes tend to be rather expensive, yet expensive is a word that must be put into context with regard to one’s financial means.

But I am digressing. So, if you can afford a soundproof box, just go and buy it, and let’s get it over with.

The other scenario involves DIY work or a bit of luck, i.e. you may have a wooden box, laying around somewhere on your property, with the exact dimensions to fit your generator. In this case, you’ve won the lottery of life the second time. If not, you’ll have to build it. Don’t worry, it’s not very hard, and here’s a short list with the stuff required: measuring tape, right angle ruler, paper and pencil, mass loaded vinyl, a saw, medium density fiberboard, foam mats, glue, acoustic caulk, nails, screws, ventilation duct, vents, screwdriver, hammer, and a bottle of Jim Beam black. Some cigars would also be cool, during your breaks.

The best thing about Jim Beam and cigars is that you can enjoy them while watching the video. Hence, it’s a win-win situation.

The short story goes like this: first you measure your generator, in order to determine the dimensions of the soundproof-box, and remember to think thrice and cut once, maybe twice. I mean, pay attention, okay? Then, you’ll have to cut the box out from your fiberboard of MDF. Using MDF is not mandatory, but it’s a great material for soundproofing incidentally, and it’s not expensive.

Then you’ll have to set up vent-holes, to fit your ventilation duct dimensions and all that. In the next step, you’ll use the “layers is everything in soundproofing” philosophy, i.e. if you want to do a good soundproofing job, you’ll have to use multiple layers of insulation, as in layers of material doubled by layers of air/free space. The loaded vinyl is the first insulation layer, and must be cut to fit the box, then glued into place etc. Then comes the caulking  job, for the first layer of insulation. Then, the foam mat must be glued on the walls and ceiling of the box, that if you want to do a proper job.

In case you were wondering, the whole thing with layers of material and air when it comes to soundproofing is similar to the concept of putting multiple layers of clothes when it’s cold outside.

Finally, you must put the box together, attaching the ceiling and the walls one to another. Yes, with screws and nails, obviously. Then, you’ll install the vent duct, and that would be all. Here’s another video tutorial to give you some more hints and ideas:

Besides the soundproof-box, there are other tips and tricks for soundproofing your buzzing generator, more or less. First, you can install rubber legs, the exact-same ones used to prevent furniture from slipping. The idea is, any little amount of “soundproofing” matters in a SHTF situation, if you know what I mean. Moreover, since everything in life is location, the same goes for where your buzzing generator is placed. Always remember this idea: never place your power-gen on a surface which may amplify the already-nasty sound that it makes. Another no-no procedure is placing a generator on a shaky area.

Keep in mind that latest-gen power-generators are, generally speaking, quieter than older ones. And maybe not as reliable, but that’s another story, which has its origins in our companies offshoring production in China and Pakistan. Bottom line, newer generations (inverter generators and all that fancy stuff) are quieter by default, and they’re also more efficient. Here’s a cool video on making a generator quieter.

Another trick is to connect the exhaust pipe of the generator to a hose immersed in a bucket of water. Yes, it sounds ridiculous, but it really works.

My final advice would be this: if noise is your primary concern, try to purchase a generator that it’s already designed to run quietly (an ultra-quiet piece of gear that is). This would make your life much easier, and you’ll also end up much better in the end, as in you’ll live to tell the story after SHTF.

I hope the article helped. If you have ideas, comments or suggestions on how to make a generator quieter, things I’ve failed to mention in my piece, by all means, don’t hesitate to enlighten me by using the dedicated section below.