Quiet Generators

Increasingly, leading generators manufacturers are competing to provide you with quiet generators that hum softly and are least disruptive in terms of sound. Generator engineers have innovated exceptionally quiet generator models to serve your many applications, and sound quality or "decibel rating" is a commonly quoted feature of all generator models. Understanding more about the quality of sound may assist you in determining if you need a quiet generator, as you consider the options to select the best model to serve your purposes.

Sound intensities are typically measured in decibels (db). A one-decibel change is the smallest volume change detectable by the human ear. The Decibel scale is logarithmic rather than a linear scale.

Perception of Sound Change in Decibels
3 decibel change = Barely perceptible
5 decibel change = Clearly perceptible
10 decibel change = Twice as loud

The following chart may be used as your "sound guide" when scouting for a quiet generator:

Decibels	Degree	Comparable Loudness or Feeling
140	Deafening	Jet Aircraft, Artillery fire
130	Deafening	Threshold of Pain, Causes Immediate Ear Damage
120	Extremely Loud	Thunder or Diesel Engine Room
110	Extremely Loud	Close to a train
100	Very Loud	Wood Saw, Home Lawn Mower, car horn at 16 ft.
Over 90 decibels	Very Loud	Can Damage Hearing without Protective Equipment
90	Very Loud	Symphony, Truck without Muffler
80	Loud	Car Noise at high speed, Police whistle
70	Loud	Normal Street Noise, Average Radio
60	Moderate	Normal Conversation
50	Moderate	Normal Office Noise
40	Faint	Residential Area without vehicle traffic
30	Faint	Quiet Conversation
20	Very Faint	Whisper, Ticking of a Watch
10	Totally Quiet	Soundproof Room, Threshold of Hearing

Keep in mind that quiet generators are considerably more costly. Thus, while you may desire a super quiet generator for a camping application, home standby and construction applications might be satisfied with a less quiet generator model, while some industrial settings may not require any additional features required to provide for quiet operation.