Honda 10i noise level over time? Does it get louder?

[Franziska]

Hi,

we have a fairly noisy 2600w genset on board.
As we have a piece of equipment which will need about 300w power per hour continuesly over extended periods from time to time (up to 48h nonstop) we are considering to augment the noisy genset with a super quiet Honda 10i genset.
Refueling is not a problem, the piece of equipment has a battery for those short moments.

I was contemplating also to use solar instead but the amount of batteries and panels purely for this make that not a viable solution, especially as the equipment needs to run uninterrupted overnight as well.
Although this would be the preferred solution, it's just to expensive.

In the medium term we might also get rid of the 2600 w genset and add a second Honda 10i instead. This way we gain redundancy and if we need more power than 1000w we can connect the 2 Hondas together.

Here comes the big question.

Does the Honda 10i get significantly louder after extended usage?
You bought it and it was quiet. You used for a couple of years, is it now much louder?

I guess we'll run it in Eco most of the time.

If you have and use one very regularly, what are your experiences?

Is it still quiet enough to not disturb neighbors or being able to sleep if it's active on the stern and you are in the V- berth?

Thanks for your replies,

Fran

[Dockhead]

I had one of these. The problem with the 1kVA version of the Honda gennie is that the total capacity is only about 850 watts (or something), so it is often running wide open. It's very well muffled so not that noisy, but the tone of the sound is unpleasant.


I would rather consider the 2kVA version, which is heavier and more expensive, but sounds more relaxed.


Unlike the case with a fixed speed diesel generator, a variable speed petrol inverter-generator like this doesn't care if you are only using a small % of the total power. The 2kVA one will be less efficient at a small load (say 300 watts), but a little extra petrol in the grand scheme is not a big deal. It will last longer -- a lot longer -- at that load, than the 1kVA one will, so you will gain back in terms of wear and tear for sure.

[Franziska]

Hi Dockhead.

Thanks, well, the dedicated 1000i would run at 300w absolute maximum, so it's far under 850watt.
That would also allow it to run always in Eco mode.

What are your experiences with the Hondas noise level over time?

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Franziska

Hi Dockhead.

Thanks, well, the dedicated 1000i would run at 300w absolute maximum, so it's far under 850watt.
That would also allow it to run always in Eco mode.

What are your experiences with the Hondas noise level over time?

Noise level did not change over time. As long as it stays in Eco mode, it's very quiet. If you really don't need more than 300w, then the 1000kVA model should be OK.


Be very careful about the little carburetor (Vergaser), however. Clogs up very very easily if you are using fuel with bio in it. You might want to buy some alkylate fuel, at least for the last tankful before you will be not using it for a while.

[Franziska]

Great answer. Thank you also for the comment on the gas type.

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Noise level did not change over time. As long as it stays in Eco mode, it's very quiet. If you really don't need more than 300w, then the 1000kVA model should be OK.


Be very careful about the little carburetor (Vergaser), however. Clogs up very very easily if you are using fuel with bio in it. You might want to buy some alkylate fuel, at least for the last tankful before you will be not using it for a while.

[Sailmonkey]

We’ve got a 12year old 2000 Honda. It’s no louder now than it was new. It’s got at least a thousand hours on it.

[Franziska]

Thanks!

So looks like I need not worry that the Hondas are going noisy over time. Good news.

Our old Fme 2600, can be unnerving....

Originally Posted by Sailmonkey

We’ve got a 12year old 2000 Honda. It’s no louder now than it was new. It’s got at least a thousand hours on it.

[Cadence]

Granted Honda makes a good product but others are producing similar gensets at a considerably lower price.

[Granfalloon]

I had a Honda 1000 - great, light, low noise but it was not enough for my microwave to work. I moved up to 2000 and that solved the problem albeit a bit heavier. In either case, they can run rough over time. I used two products Ethanol Shield and Mechanic In a Bottle. Both available at Home Depot or Lowes. I used them inf my lawnmower and snowblower as well.
If you don't have one I suggest a battery-powered CO detector.

Different subject: I purchased an Induction Cooktop - single burner. Low amps, instant heat. Just need pots or pans that a magnet will stick to. Cast iron is one. It generated a lot less heat in the galley than the propane stove.

[a64pilot]

Buy the 2200, much easier to sell at a later date, and they sell many more of them for a reason.
There is a lot of misconception about Eco mode. What it does is keep the Honda at “idle” the Honda runs at 3000 RPM with no load so it’s hard to call that Idle.
ECO mode off just bumps the min RPM to I believe 4200 but it may be higher, all it does is put the RPM higher so the Honda can handle an instantaneous load, ECO on the engine may not respond fast enough.
However if the loads requires an RPM at or above the RPM you get with ECO off, there will be no difference in noise or RPM regardless of what you do with the ECO switch, it only has an effect at low loads
At 300W the 2200 will not come off of idle and will be the quietest generator possible, the 1,000 would probably come off idle and be louder.

That is the real question, if the 1000 will make 300W and stay at it’s lowest RPM, if it will then it will be quieter and burn less fuel than the 2200, but if it won’t then it’s going to be louder.

Take something to a Honda dealer that pulls 300W, it can be as simple as three 100W light bulbs and test to see.
However I predict that if you have a generator, you will do other things with it, charge batteries, watch TV, charge laptops, run a portable fridge / freezer for instance and if so then the 2000 will run quieter than the 1000.
People don’t think they will, but once you have a generator and especially if it’s running anyway, you will use it for other things, like keeping your battery bank at float and not cycling it, making it last longer for instance.

I have a 2000 and put a tach / hour meter on it to schedule oil changes. I can confirm that zero output is 3000 RPM exactly, there is a data plate on the Generator that states rated power is at 4300 RPM, so from idle to max continuous power is only 1300 RPM, that’s not much, but it sure makes a big difference in noise, so if you want quiet, buy one that will always run at 3,000 RPM under your load.

In a quiet anchorage at night, you and if there are any others around you, the generator will be heard, but it’s pretty quiet, and at low load it’s a smooth steady sound and wouldn’t affect my sleep. If it were changing loads or running harder then it would be much worse.

Obviously be very wary of CO poisoning, I would want probably more than two CO detectors, because I am paranoid and remember they have a limited life. I don’t know why but something must be used up or wear out in them because they need to be replaced at some interval.

All newer US made consumer CO detectors have an end of life signal, usually it beeps and putting new batteries in doesn’t stop it.

[Franziska]

Thanks A64.

We have a noisy FME 2600 genset already. That's fine for our normal loads if we need it.

But it's overkill for running 300watts over 48hours nonstop. It's too loud too and wastes petrol too.
But, point taken, I'll see under what load the 1000i switches out of idle mode.
The device we want to power has no high startup load.

As said we only need this for a specific load of never more than 300watt which sometimes needs to run for extended times nonstop.

For anything bigger we will use the 2600FME.

Regarding Co meters, yes we have them and it makes sense to have them also because of our stove.

Our 2600 genset lives outside on the bridge deck in a very well ventilated area.
I'll do the same with the 1000.

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Buy the 2200, much easier to sell at a later date, and they sell many more of them for a reason.
There is a lot of misconception about Eco mode. What it does is keep the Honda at “idle” the Honda runs at 3000 RPM with no load so it’s hard to call that Idle.
ECO mode off just bumps the min RPM to I believe 4200 but it may be higher, all it does is put the RPM higher so the Honda can handle an instantaneous load, ECO on the engine may not respond fast enough.
However if the loads requires an RPM at or above the RPM you get with ECO off, there will be no difference in noise or RPM regardless of what you do with the ECO switch, it only has an effect at low loads
At 300W the 2200 will not come off of idle and will be the quietest generator possible, the 1,000 would probably come off idle and be louder.

That is the real question, if the 1000 will make 300W and stay at it’s lowest RPM, if it will then it will be quieter and burn less fuel than the 2200, but if it won’t then it’s going to be louder.

Take something to a Honda dealer that pulls 300W, it can be as simple as three 100W light bulbs and test to see.
However I predict that if you have a generator, you will do other things with it, charge batteries, watch TV, charge laptops, run a portable fridge / freezer for instance and if so then the 2000 will run quieter than the 1000.
People don’t think they will, but once you have a generator and especially if it’s running anyway, you will use it for other things, like keeping your battery bank at float and not cycling it, making it last longer for instance.

I have a 2000 and put a tach / hour meter on it to schedule oil changes. I can confirm that zero output is 3000 RPM exactly, there is a data plate on the Generator that states rated power is at 4300 RPM, so from idle to max continuous power is only 1300 RPM, that’s not much, but it sure makes a big difference in noise, so if you want quiet, buy one that will always run at 3,000 RPM under your load.

In a quiet anchorage at night, you and if there are any others around you, the generator will be heard, but it’s pretty quiet, and at low load it’s a smooth steady sound and wouldn’t affect my sleep. If it were changing loads or running harder then it would be much worse.

Obviously be very wary of CO poisoning, I would want probably more than two CO detectors, because I am paranoid and remember they have a limited life. I don’t know why but something must be used up or wear out in them because they need to be replaced at some interval.

All newer US made consumer CO detectors have an end of life signal, usually it beeps and putting new batteries in doesn’t stop it.

[Rough Magic]

I have no experience with European anchorages and marinas, but in California, most mooring fields and anchorages do not allow generators to be run overnight. If out 'boondocking' then this doesn't apply. So maybe adding reserve battery power is the solution that does not expose you to CO or noise. It would be my choice.

[Franziska]

Thanks.

We have wind and solar already and it would have been my preference. Absolutely.

But if you calculate what is needed in terms of batteries and solar to run a 300 Watt per HOUR device nonstop over 48HOURS (sometimes longer) you'll quickly realize that that solution is way to expensive.

The Honda 10i costs about 450€ used or 650€ new.

A suitable solar & battery solution will cost about 10 times as much and we would need to find a lot of extra area for the additional panels as well as carrying a lot of extra weight in terms of batteries.

Apart from that batteries have a limited life and would need replacing after a while.

For the amount of money of the solar solution I can run the Honda theoretically 9000 hours before the solar/battery solution (Approx. 4500€) becomes financially viable.
Yes there is a small ecological drawback to this, but it's the only option to do this as far as I can see.

So, unfortunately renewable battery power is out.

Reg. running the genset over night, they are very quiet. I guess unless it's a dead calm night you would not even hear it a couple of meters from the boat. A windgen can be louder.
We surely would not run gensets if it's so calm that we disturb others.

To my knowledge we do not have that kind of restrictions over here. Actually it's the first time I hear this.
To get fined I guess you would need to be cought first, which is unlikely due to the silent operation of the Honda 10i in Eco Mode.

Originally Posted by Rough Magic

I have no experience with European anchorages and marinas, but in California, most mooring fields and anchorages do not allow generators to be run overnight. If out 'boondocking' then this doesn't apply. So maybe adding reserve battery power is the solution that does not expose you to CO or noise. It would be my choice.

[rslifkin]

Even the quiet Honda gensets aren't that quiet. In a quiet place, you can hear them surprisingly far away. Certainly much further away than you'd hear a good built in generator with a quiet exhaust.


In most places, it's not illegal to run a generator overnight, but if it can be heard without being pretty much next to your boat it's likely to annoy other boats around you (and some may come over and complain).

[Franziska]

As stated above, we will not run it when we disturb someone.

Do you know of a tiny watercooled generator suitable to be built in?

As far as I know there are none below 3200 Watts.
Way way more expensive than petrol driven air cooled.
Way more heavy installation.
Way to much power for us.
We simply do not need it. Even our FME2600 is hardly ever used at max output.