Is this unit louder than a lawn mower or gas powered string trimmer? Assuming the unit isn't running during whatever "quiet" hours you municipal ordinances specify, I can't see the cops doing much about it. Assuming they showed up inside the 20 minutes the unit was running.

Don't your neighbors work?

You can improve the muffler or use an enclosure. If the muffler is old/rusted you should replace it. Using two or more is an option, but may affect engine operation.

Enclosures can actually make it worse if they are no more than a box around the gen. An enclosure with soundproofing will help. You may want to research "mass loaded vinyl" soundproofing material.

Some generators are very noisy, but none are so noisy the cops are going to do anything about a gen operated only during the day for 20 mins/wk.

Depending on the local noise law you (some places do not allow audible noise over a property line) you may have to install a better muffler.

Lawn equipment that is not permanently installed is usually exempted except at night.

Generator is definitely louder than a lawn mower. Our noise ordanance is in affect after 10pm. We have lots of neighbors around us, some work, some are moms with children and some are retired. We are also surrounded by pools, so everyone is out in the summer.

We are just trying to pacify everyone. Don't know if that is possible. Like my husband says - if the power goes out and we are the only ones on the block with electric, they will be asking to run an extension cord. Don't think the noise will bother anyone than.

"Don't think the noise will bother anyone than. "

Sure it will if you tell them "no" since you are not likely to have enough capacity.

Exhaust system components are not expensive. While rain must not be able to enter the exhaust pipe, extending the pipe up to roof level may help with noise as perceived by neighbors, especially if their houses are single story. Sound levels drop dramatically with increased distance. Look for ways to get the end of the pipe as far away from them as possible. Check about adding resonators in the system which help reduce noise while adding little back pressure. Ask at a muffler shop.

and they pissed you off by complaining in the first place. Tell them to suck the big one. They can thank their lucky stars you are not a biker connected to the under world.
Even if you are tell them to suck it. You have the right to power as every one else. I couldn't think of anything else but the biker thing. No offense to anyone.

I agree with bus drivers suggestion regarding relocating the exhaust as an option to reduce the perceived noise level but just wanted to add that you can also check RV parts stores, such as Camping World, for generator exhaust converter kits that route the exhaust up and over a motorhome - if for nothing else other than ideas - although there's no reason that they could not be adapted to home generator systems.

Also though, in my experience, unless you live in an area with an atypical climate, exercising a generator weekly may be a little bit more than is needed for a residential backup generator.

Many units offer programmable weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly exercise schedules. I'm quite comfortable exercising mine once a month - although I admit, when there is major weather coming in, I may do a good old "double check" just to make sure.

I currently own 2 generators and occasionally buy and repair them as a hobby. A surprisingly large percentage of the noise doesn't come out of the muffler, so you can only do so much with a muffler. I have noticed that it helps a lot to have trees, bushes, etc. between the gen and the neighbor. A fence with bushes around it will knock the sound level down.

"You have the right to power as every one else."

And they have the right to not have your noise polluting the neighborhood.

Excessively load pipes will get you a citation in many places.

I'm in the tell them to suck it camp. If the noise ordinance is in effect after 10PM then let them call the cops.
Some people whine WAY too much.

Why does it run once each week? Does it have an internal battery that needs to stay charged? Why does battery discharge in 1 week? Does house power keep battery charged? Is it an antique? Old?

Cavell, ALL automatic standby generators exercise once a week or so. This is SOP.

Once each week? Is this some poor design criteria the manufacturers made to ensure units would wear out sooner? We have 7k onan genset on our motor home we start 3 times each year. We push button and it starts? Always has. Never once failed to start. Hmm.

Realistically or not, we expect backup devices to be more dependable than the primary device(s). A parked motor home not actually in use ordinarily has a lesser priority. I would "exercise" an automatic backup generator not less than once a month in any event.

Cavell, you cannot be serious. "Poor design"??? "Wear out sooner"???

A genset in a motor home is NOT an automatic standby unit. It is assumed you will use it a few times a year at least.
Some automatic standby units may sit for a year or more. When do you want to know about a problem, during a routine 15-20 minute exercise, or when your power is out on a Saturday?
If that happened you'd be all pissed that your $$$ generator didn't start and then you'd be looking for someone to point a finger at for that "design flaw".
I get the impression that you don't very often point a finger at yourself, do you?

I am surprised at some of the comments here. These people are your neighbors, and regardless of what the law or some internet poster says, you should be treating them in a considerate way.

That you have a whole-house generator at all suggests that you are prudent and willing to take reasonable steps to guarantee that your future runs smoothly. These neighbors are part of that future. If there is even one complaint, that means it is time to work on keeping the neighbors happy.

The manufacturer is a good place to start. They will have dealt with this problem a thousand times, and know in detail how to muffle this exact unit effectively. In particular, they should know how to set it to self-test less often and for a shorter period of time. Once a week for twenty minutes is a bit much for your situation.

As Startle said, there are two parts to the noise. The exhaust is a big one, and then there is noise that comes directly from the machine itself.

For the machine noise you may be able to sink the machine into the earth, put up a shed around it, hang one of Startles sound absorbing curtains around it, or at the very least surround it with evergreen bushes (assuming they grow out your way)

For the exhaust there is something called "Back Pressure" which refers to how much resistance the exhaust gas meets on its way out of the motor. You can't just throw stuff on the pipe. You need someone who is familiar with motors to design your muffling so the machine doesn't have too much or too little, as it could hurt itself.

The entire problem is perfectly solvable. It will just take a little effort on your part. If you would care to post back here what you do, and how well it works, I imagine a number of us would be interested to read about it.

Good luck, Ken McE

To much back pressure is a problem. Too little. I don't believe it. Do you have any documentation for that?

So you're within the law if the generator exercises before 10 PM? Neighbors who would make a major issue of 20 minutes/week of legal noise, at a time of their choosing, sound like a PITA whom I wouldn't spend money to appease. They're not showing any regard for your concerns, just their own. And some of the suggestions here (e.g. sink the machine into the earth) would be pretty expensive where I live, especially if you can't DIY. Of course, if you have a real relationship with these people then it's more complicated.

A couple of other points:

If your generator is like mine (2-year-old air-cooled Generac), it exercises at half-speed. It'll be noisier when it's supplying backup power.

It's a good idea to simulate a power outage occasionally, to verify that the transfer switch works and the generator can actually supply power to loads.

I have a 17 KW Generac whole house generator. It is set to come on every SATURDAY at 2 PM and runs only 10 minutes. This is necessary under warranty to keep the expensive engine properly lubericated.

My generator does not make any more noise than a 5 ton air conditioning unit, and no one complains about that.

The problem I have with my unit is the exhaust air which is very hot if run for long periods like 2 days during tornado, completely kills out any vegitation surrounding it. I asked the installer if I could put up something to reflect the heat and he said no that the heat does not need to be able to get back to the engine itself as it could cause it to overheat and void the warranty.

Don't want to do anything that will have me to spend another 8,000 bucks.

Tom

I'd bet those doing the complaining do not have one!! You know you can't please everyone - no matter what you do, they will complain. Put your teflon jacket on and let it roll off your back. I am fortunate, I live where there are plenty of them, and it is life. Oh, if the power were to go out in your neighborhood and it is extremely hot/cold, bet the complainers would accept your offer to run an extension cord for their frig! Ron

I would put a straight pipe with 3" chrome tip on it for a couple of months and then put the muffler back on. They will welcome the old sound.

Do your best to appease the whiners. Maybe rotate the times of the gen test. Next time the power goes out, invite the whiners over to eat, drink, play cards, or whatever.

For soundproofing, the enclosure Hardwarenutz posted looks like a great solution, stops the sound from going lateral and makes it go up instead and also allows airflow.

Kathleen, what is the zoning code for building a fence, is there a setback from the property line? If not then they are within their rights to install a fence on their property. Usually if they want the fence directly on the property line they need approval from the neighbor.

How far is the generator from your house? There may be a setback from your house wall to the fence for egress reasons. 3 feet is standard for a fence running parallel to the house so both the fence and the house wall can be maintained.

Also, sounds like your generator is on a side yard, should have been installed in the back yard.

It is the fence being to close to the generator; maintenance will be impossible. They signed off on the variance

No offense, but I think it's your fault for putting the generator in a place where you can't access it without going on your neighbour's property. They signed off on the variance for you to put it there but they probably didn't give you easement rights to their property.

It might not be nice that your neighbours did this but they are probably within their rights to do it.

But that's just my non-professional opinion. If you want a qualified opinion, talk to a lawyer.

I agree with greg - you should have never located it that close to the property line.

Out home is long - we located the A/C condenser (outside) 75' from the evaporator, so it would be away from the property line.

There is plenty of space on the side of the house for the generator. Space has never been an issue.

Yes, space is the issue. Space to locate the generator AND maintain it.

Currently, there is no problem accessing & performing maintenance.

Without trespassing on your neighbour's property? Then there's no problem!

But that's not actually the case. Even though the location was approved, you were not granted permission to trespass on your neighbour's property indefinitely. Maybe your neighbour and the city had no idea that you'd have to trespass in order to maintain the system. Did you inform them of that when you asked them to agree to the variance? If so, you should have gotten that agreement in writing (ie. an easement).

It would be great if when they extended it, the extension was a gate. That would allow the maintenance man to open the generator and fit in the space to do the work per usual.

Have you offered to pay your neighbour if they'd add a gate and allow you access to their property? They aren't required to do it but maybe they would if you approached them nicely ($$$). Even if you do that, unless you get it in writing then there is no guarantee that they'll continue to allow you access. What if they sell their property? Would you expect the next owners to honour a handshake agreement with the old owners that they knew nothing about before buying the property?

I was asking for some good reasons for not extending the fence.

Legal reasons so that you can force them not to? I personally think you're out of luck but try talking to a lawyer.

Or just reasons so that you can try to convince your neighbour not to?

I don't see anything in your comments indicating that you've actually spoken with the neighbors about their fence, only that you disputed it with the town. Have you spoken with them and tried to reach a mutually satisfactory solution, such as you paying for a gate as greg mentioned?

" I don't need to be chastised for the placement. Believe me there is space."

Look - you got permission to locate the generator very close to the property line. However you did not get the right to control what the neighbor legally does with his land.

I would offer to pay for that section of fence, with a gate, or make it removable some how.

Its too bad your neighbors are like that but that is why zoning codes exist and rules are in place so that people can live next to each other in peace. You would find if you lived in a rural setting you can pretty much do whatever you want without discussing it with a committee. It is different in a town, where a lot of houses are close to each other and people squabble.

I was asking for some good reasons for not extending the fence.

I gave a few options in my post but they require you to research the fencing regulations for your city in hopes a loophole can be found that does not allow them to do what they propose.

It looks like she didn't appreciate hearing that nobody agreed with her opinion so she erased all her posts and now all of our comments are without context. Oh well...

And she wonders why her neighbors are unfriendly.

I blame the dogs

IMHO there ought to be a time limit outside of which you can't edit or delete posts. An hour ought to be plenty of time.

I just had another thought about this problem. People with this problem could simply forgo the automatic test runs and do a manual test periodically when the neighbors are not there. It could go as far as to ask the neighbors to let them know when they are not there near the time when a manual test is desired. That puts the burden on them. It is also a better test if the genset is like the 16 kW Generac like the one I am familiar with. The automatic test won't really warm it up completely in the winter, does not produce power for the house to test the system rigorously and does not test the transfer switch.

Such negotiations sound a lot more annoying to the neighbor than just tolerating the automatic exercise once a week. I do agree that you have to do a real failover occasionally too.

Yes, appear to be accommodating with an offer that in reality is going to be more of a PITA. When I was talking to the guy that installed my father's Generac, we talked about the lack of a real exercise/test. He shrugged and said that people don't like to change their clocks. I proposed that at least two a year could be done at the spring/fall time transitions.