Soundproofing/Waterproofing a Honda Genny
 

Tom Francis wrote:
On 20 Jan 2007 16:06:36 -0800, "dene" wrote:


Eisboch wrote:
My creative thought?

plonk

Ah.....one less idiot for me to deal with!

Heh - well, it just goes to show you what a dimwit you are.

Dick is one of the most generous people I've ever had the pleasure to
meet. He's also one of the best engineers and business men I've ever
met and I've met quite a few.

He's been successful in the majors - you're still playing T-ball.

Fine....I'm glad he's your pal, but he accused me of spamming, so in
this regard, he was being an idiot. Why would a spammer show pictures
of the design and list the materials used.

-Greg

Soundproofing/Waterproofing a Honda Genny
 

Thanks again for all the advice!

Here's an update so far....

1. I was unable to locate 9 volt muffin fans, at Comp USA or Home
Depot. Will order two on-line and likely install them near the power
outlet and the carb intake. In addition, we plan on installing two
louvered vents and drill some more holes on the side of the cooler.

2. I ran the genny on medium load for 20 mins. while it powered a
ceramic heater for the cockpit.
We were in a now wake zone which enabled me to hear it. There was no
problem. The lid was partially opened. The temperature inside the
cooler was 151 degrees. Near the exhaust, the side of the cooler was
hot. I could put my hand on it for just two seconds. However, no sign
of melting. Is this too hot of an enviroment?

3. Per a poster's suggestion, I put a thick bathmat under the cooler.
This helped dampen the sound and vibration considerably.

4. I don't have any CO concerns. The exhaust is right by the engine
vapor vent which always stays on while the genny is running. However,
Regal has a CO detector in the cockpit and cabin.

5. Many have warned me about liability....thank you. At this point,
my concern is with my own genny. I will have to be certain it works
before promoting the design, via a paid download, or manufacturing one
for somebody else. Regardless, I will not make a penny. This is for
my stepson. I've been accused in an unmoderated forum of spamming. If
this was true, then why would I post clear pictures of the design and
list all the materials. Again, I want this to work for my own boating
needs. If this enable another to solve their genny problems, then I'm
tickled. Feel free to copy and tinker with this all you want.

Finally, I was heartened by the experience of a Bayliner owner, who
writes the following about his own experience......

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I built a sound box for my Honda 2000i out of a plastic storage tub
with a top. Cut out a section for the exhaust end to stick out and an
opening to put the cords through and a chain to lock it (Genny) to the
step just in case a person came by and created a wake and we started
rocking and rolling. I have put it on the swim platform and found it
better to be on top of the roof (Hardtop and I realize a lot of folks
couldn't do that). All I did was get a rubber door mat and fit it under
the Genny on the bottom of the tub and it wraps up about a 1/3rd of the
way up each side and this has cut the noise down at least 1/3. It also
took away a lot of the vibration noise that you get through the boat. I
have used it in very hot weather running for a few hours with no
problems. Also has been in rain and the Genny stayed dry. After 3 years
I have no complaints or any problems other than the plastic box has
gotten old and I lost the top one time in a high wind storm. I 'm
currently working with a fabricator (good friend) to make one out of
aluminum that is hinged and will fold up for storage. It will have
louvers on each side and similar to the plastic box an opening for the
exhaust and the other side for the cords and chain. It will be lined
with 3m soundproofing material same as used in engine rooms. We have
been kicking around putting a small electric fan in it that will run
off the one outlet I don't use. And this will draw in air. Honda made
the Genny for camping and other applications and wanted to keep it
light. I think one can improve on making it quieter with some form of
sound box that Honda would approve of as long as it gets enough air to
keep it cool.
In the plastic box and on the roof (hardtop) I thought there would be a
lot of vibration and it would be louder. It actually is very quiet when
we go below and close up the hatches to watch a movie, heat the water,
run the microwave. The other nice thing with it on the roof, it lowers
any problems of Carbon Monoxide coming into the cabin. I also point it
away from other boats that may be anchored next to us and it reduces
any sound for them too.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Count me as one who is interested!!!

-Greg

Soundproofing/Waterproofing a Honda Genny
 

I passed on those posts to
my talented stepson and today we came up with a proto-type, that he may
eventually market for roughly $150 on E-bay.

$150 each is nowhere near enough to counterbalance the insurance you're
going to need to fend off the lawsuits.

Have you never seen the REAL enclosures they put REAL gensets? They're
METAL, not plastic. And they're insulated with fire retardant foam.

Half-assing this in a plastic box is, well, just plain stupid. Fobbing it
off on your stepson borders on child abuse.

Hey I'm all for the idea of making a better mousetrap, but this ain't it.

Soundproofing/Waterproofing a Honda Genny
 

dene wrote:
Bob wrote:
dene wrote:
A couple of months ago, somebody in a boating forum described using a
modified cooler to house a honda 2000 genny.
-Greg Schoenberg
"She Said Yes"
2002 Regal 2465
Kalama, Washington

HiGeg:
Great idea!
I too agree about the heat problem. But hey, run a test. Stick a
Thermometer in side and start er up. Please post you results this
aternoon.

Ever run into a family named Miller in your town? Most the kids would
be in their 50s by now.
Bob.

Not yet Bob. We just moved to "Mayberry" six months ago. We're slowly
getting to know folks.

I'll bring the thermometer and post the results.

Also measure the temperature outside the box. The temperature inside
the box probably shouldn't get any hotter than 100F. So, you can raise
the temperature outside until you get a 100F inside. Then you can
specify a maximum ambient temperature for using the box.


Great feedback....thanks a bunch!

-Greg

Soundproofing/Waterproofing a Honda Genny
 

"dene" wrote in message
ups.com...


Fine....I'm glad he's your pal, but he accused me of spamming, so in
this regard, he was being an idiot. Why would a spammer show pictures
of the design and list the materials used.

-Greg


Greg,

Perhaps I was too hasty in assuming you were trying to sell your invention
on various newsgroups.
If so, I offer my apology. However, I still think you are promoting a
potentially dangerous setup and ignoring some of the safety comments that
you have solicited.

In another post you appear to be testing this thing on a boat, underway
(operating in a no-wake zone) with the generator providing power to a space
heater. You reported the temperature in the box was 151 degrees. I did a
cursory review of the owner's manual for my Honda EU2000 and could not
readily find an operating temperature spec, however 151 degrees is
intuitively too high. These little generators are designed for forced air
cooling at a normal range of ambient temperatures. 151 degrees is not
normal. I am sure the operating temperature specs are available from Honda,
but I don't know what they are nor apparently do you.

Next, you are promoting it's use on a boat. The biggest danger on a boat
underway, large or small, is fire. Ever see a fiberglass boat burn? It's
not a pretty sight. You've got a hot generator, full of gas, a catalytic
type exhaust sitting in an inadequately vented and cooled plastic box. The
generator is producing electricity, has electronic components (inverter) and
you think this is safe? The EU2000 has a vented gas cap that must be open to
run. You close it when moving it around to prevent gas spillage. So, you
have a vented cap on the gas supply of a overheated generator ... in an
enclosed plastic box ... on a moving boat. Are you nuts?

My comments are intended to convince the unknowing that, IMHO, this is a
dangerous setup, especially for use on a boat, and careful thought should
be given before attempting to duplicate your idea.

Eisboch

Soundproofing/Waterproofing a Honda Genny
 

"Tom Francis" wrote in message
...
On 20 Jan 2007 16:06:36 -0800, "dene" wrote:


Eisboch wrote:
My creative thought?

plonk

Ah.....one less idiot for me to deal with!

Heh - well, it just goes to show you what a dimwit you are.

Dick is one of the most generous people I've ever had the pleasure to
meet. He's also one of the best engineers and business men I've ever
met and I've met quite a few.

He's been successful in the majors - you're still playing T-ball.



You're a bit generous in your complements, but thanks anyway.
I think maybe I mis-judged "dene". He seems to be sincere, but I still
think he's enthusiastically chasing a very bad idea.

Eisboch

Soundproofing/Waterproofing a Honda Genny
 

"Bill Kearney" wkearney-99@hot-mail-com wrote in
t:

I passed on those posts to
my talented stepson and today we came up with a proto-type, that he
may eventually market for roughly $150 on E-bay.

$150 each is nowhere near enough to counterbalance the insurance
you're going to need to fend off the lawsuits.

Have you never seen the REAL enclosures they put REAL gensets?
They're METAL, not plastic. And they're insulated with fire retardant
foam.

Perhaps you haven't looked at a lot of smaller generators, but they're
typically housed in fiberglass enclosures.

-- Geoff

Soundproofing/Waterproofing a Honda Genny
 

"dene" wrote in
ups.com:

Thanks again for all the advice!

Here's an update so far....

[clip]
2. I ran the genny on medium load for 20 mins. while it powered a
ceramic heater for the cockpit.
We were in a now wake zone which enabled me to hear it. There was no
problem. The lid was partially opened. The temperature inside the
cooler was 151 degrees. Near the exhaust, the side of the cooler was
hot. I could put my hand on it for just two seconds. However, no
sign of melting. Is this too hot of an enviroment?
[clip]

Do you really think that this unit was designed to run in 151 degrees? If
that's the air temp, how hot do you think that the engine components are
getting? I would also worry about the oil breaking down. I think that
you're just lucky that the motor hasn't seized as of yet.

-- Geoff

Soundproofing/Waterproofing a Honda Genny
 

Harry Krause wrote:
On 1/21/2007 7:59 AM, Geoff Schultz wrote:
"dene" wrote in
ups.com:
Thanks again for all the advice!

Here's an update so far....

[clip]
2. I ran the genny on medium load for 20 mins. while it powered a
ceramic heater for the cockpit.
We were in a now wake zone which enabled me to hear it. There was no
problem. The lid was partially opened. The temperature inside the
cooler was 151 degrees. Near the exhaust, the side of the cooler was
hot. I could put my hand on it for just two seconds. However, no
sign of melting. Is this too hot of an enviroment?
[clip]

Do you really think that this unit was designed to run in 151
degrees? If that's the air temp, how hot do you think that the engine
components are getting? I would also worry about the oil breaking
down. I think that you're just lucky that the motor hasn't seized as
of yet.

-- Geoff


Really. I like the little Honda generators and if you're careful they
can be used in the cockpit of a boat without too much trouble. They're
certainly not noisy enough to be a pain in the ass. I sometimes take one
out on my Parker. I keep it in the cockpit near the back of the cabin,
where it is protected from splash by the cabin and by the higher
gunwales in that area. A couple of bungee cords keep it from sliding
around. If we were going to anchor for the evening and there was a
chance of taking a nap in the cabin, I'd move the generator to the stern
cockpit area, just to be triply sure no CO would find its way into the
cabin.

These are *portable* gasoline generators. They're not built-ins.
I would be very leary of using a gas generator in this manner. You may
not wake up.

Soundproofing/Waterproofing a Honda Genny
 

Perhaps you haven't looked at a lot of smaller generators, but they're
typically housed in fiberglass enclosures.

On boats or land/RV applications?