Bill Bright wrote: Ive been told that if you bury a 55 gallon drum in the
ground and pipe your exaust into it, it will quiten down a bit (clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Probably would, but I don't think I would bother. First off, as has been
pointed out earlier, a large part of the noise comes from the outside of the
engine, not from the exhaust. I have one of those less expensive Coleman
generators, with an open pipe frame, and, yes it is noisy. But, the first
time I used it in a power failure, my neighbors were all puzzled by the fact
that I was the only one with the lights on. The inverse square law applies
to sound, as well as all other energy radiation phenomena. Distance is your
friend. My generator is loud when you stand next to it, but it is just
barely audible from inside the house, and evidently inaudible in the
neighbors houses.

Also, I have never had anyone express resentment at the fact that I was
running it and had power when they didn't.