Cinder block generator shed

[area_man]

I have a nice little Honda generator, one of the bigger home units that is portable on wheels and runs gasoline and natural gas with the conversion kit. I plan on installing a cinder block or cement block shed for it for year round possible use, but it will be empty until it's time for use went I'll pull it out of the climate controlled and dry garage out to the generator shed to run so exhaust can leave but sound can be muffled.

Right now I'm planning on a 10x10 patio on cement. I might see if I can get a 1-2 foot divot in the middle for the generator to drop down below grade a little, I think that will help a lot with the sound, and then a cinder block wall backed up with a cement block wall to a few feet over the top of the generator, and a wooden roof with some kind of baffles to disperse the sound and energy.

What else could you put in the walls to help reduce the sound? I suppose I would like to put air in between the cinder block and cement walls, so maybe cork or some kind of foam? How about wood?

Are there plans for generator sheds made to muffle noise?

 

[semipro]

I'd consider something like what's shown below.
Lower-frequency sounds tend to go through materials, while higher-frequency sounds tend to escape through air gaps.
There are quite a few videos on Youtube on the subject of enclosing generators.

 

[stoveliker]

a u-shaped shed, open to the side where sound escaping is not bad. Otherwise you contain most of the sound, and either it will have to be absorbed by the walls or leak through. The walls will always reflect some sound, and that can then escape rather than keep being reflected until it absorbs (with each reflection having a certain leak rate of sounds to the outside).

I would make the walls double wall, mechanically decoupled from each other.

 

[zrock]

personally i would loose all the block work and build the shed out of wood the cost of block work far outweighs the benefit unless you have money to burn. As stated above do a double wall with the above insulation . You need that airgap to absorb the sound. Usually honda's are pretty quiet especially the new ones.. Usually 10 feet away and i cannot hear them..

 

[hockeypuck]

Not sure what your yard set up is like, but I would consider a wood structure with roxul and have double swing doors facing away from your house. Open them when its running. I too would question the amount of effort you would put into this because Hondas are usually some of the quietest units out there.