Generators can be the noisiest thing on the planet. But when you are without power, they are worth gold. A home standby generator or whole house generator comes in different sizes, from 7 KW to 20 KW in air-cooled and 22 KW and higher in liquid-cooled. You can also purchase portable generators. A standby generator for your whole house can run on propane or natural gas. The difference in size and type depends upon your needs and where you will use it.
Standby generators are installed in a permanent position and are usually installed with an automatic transfer switch. The transfer switch will transfer from utility to load when you lose power from your local utility power company. Thirty seconds after you lose power, you will be on generator power. When your generator starts, it will power your lights or whatever you were using before losing utility power. It will take a few moments before your central unit will start. When you have a full load, the noise level of your generator will increase. The noise level is called the decibel level or dBs.
dB can be used in a wide variety of measurements like electronics or acoustics. A washing machine may have 70 dB, and a vacuum cleaner may have 90 dBs. A standby generator will have in the range of 62-68 dBs depending upon the kind of generator you have. The noise comes from the exhaust noise and engine noise.
It is an essential factor when you live in a neighborhood that requires low dB for noise sensitivity. Some towns in California are restricting leaf blowers because the dBs are so high. They are trying to limit the level of noise. The manufacturers are trying to perfect another type of blower where the noise wouldn't be so high. Neighborhoods are starting to restrict leaf blowers because they can't stand the noise. They believe it is interrupting their way of life. They purchased a house in a quiet neighborhood only to have their neighbors using leaf blowers. So they want to keep the noise out.
Also, some campgrounds may restrict some generators because of their noise level. If you have a built-in generator into your camper or RV, some are not as noisy because they are built into a housing that absorbs sound. Some campgrounds require the residents not to have so much noise, like running on a generator all night. Most people don't have to run on a generator all night at a campground. They can plug into existing power instead of running on generator power.
A portable generator means you have to take it out of storage, fill it with fuel, and plug it in. A standby is permanently installed. The portables have much higher dBs than the home standby generators. The home standby generators can have dBs in the range of 62 to 68 dBs. A portable generator can run closer to 90 dBs. They have started building a new inverter generator that doesn't have loud rpm. You can get those up to 6500 watts, which is a perfect generator. But the problem is that at 6500 watts, it is not enough power to run your central unit. Portable generators need fuel, gasoline, or diesel.
If you want to get all the efficiencies that you need in a compact unit that doesn't make a lot of noise and doesn't burn a lot of fuel, you want a standby generator. Its fuel comes from natural gas, a readily available source or propane that is also readily available and can be stored for indefinite periods. Propane can be kept forever as long as the tank has no leaks. Propane tanks do not have any problems like getting moisture in the fuel.
Therefore, when you get into one type of generator vs.another type of generator, you can get into another set of problems. One is the noise level. Two are gasoline versus natural gas. The third is having to make sure it runs, pulling it out and cranking it up to see if it will run when you need it in an emergency. The home standby generator automatically starts up to exercise itself once a week. That ensures that you have more of a chance of having a standby generator when you need it. Generator noise and decibel levels should be considered before you make your purchase.