Noise Insulation for shop compressor?

[JethroB]

Just spitballing here...could HDPE culvert drain pipe be used in some way? Say 48 or 60 inch? Use it to surround the compressor and then wrap the pipe in an insulation blanket similar to a water heater. Plumbing and access would have to be worked out (rope and pulley maybe as it would be lightweight). Would the interior corrugation help dampen the sound or amplify it? Just something that that popped into my muddled mind.

 

[deserteagle71]

I'm definitely not a fan of 'underground' due to moisture and, especially, heavy rain... and dragoneggs lives in the very rainy Pacific NW.

Last weekend I received 152ml of rain over 3 days. Everything is still sodden and it took this week for the 'moats' to disappear/soak into the ground. It's still 'mushy' to walk around... I'd have to pump out any underground facility.

It doesn't actually have to be "underground". Some I've seen were on a foundation above ground, built out of stout but cheap materials like old railroad ties. Then the whole affair (except for the door area) was covered with earth, sides and top, to where it resembled a dugout. Others were a dugout if there was a hill or bank to work with, kind of like this:

 

[cqaigy2]

I use ear muffs when running my air compressor. I use ear muffs when using most all the tools i use on the air compressor, grinding metal, needle scaler, palm nailer, impact wrench etc. I can hear the air compressor inside my shop, from inside my house 100' away. That said, im subscribed to this thread because i use some some air tools that don't make much noise and when the air compressor starts up, it scares the sht out of me.

 

[radios1]

the noise comes from the air intake!. put a quiet muffler on that, then the air filter, and it'll be VERY quiet!.. there's no need to create potential heat/air problems with an enclosure!..

 

[dragoneggs]

Here is a pic of the current location. I built a platform and it is sitting on casters so it is sort of moveable (quick disconnects). I don't think this is its permanent home but it nestles in a bank of old kitchen cabinets. Eventually the cabinets will come down and I will finish the walls and ceiling with mud and paint to brighten the shop up and make it easier to clean. At that point I could see building an insulated outhouse on the other side of the wall.



Got to thinking that maybe I could add some sound deadening foam, insulation blanket material or something... on the back wall and cabinet sides as a temporary thing until I find its optimum location. Do you think this would help with sound? Seems worth a try.

I have yet to mount an auto drain feature but will do that. This would also be easier if I moved it outside. Basically just on the other side of where it sits now would make plumbing easy. I don't have any hard pipe past another regulator just off to the right. I have a blast cabinet, air/hydraulic 20T press, and a coil reel for air tools plumbed via hoses at the moment. I will hard plumb once I am happy with locale and noise.

 

[sandman2234]

We built a room to put a noisy compressor in, really helped! The reason it helped, was the heat burnt the compressor up and we purchased a quieter one!!
We noticed the temp was HOT so we ducted a fan blowing into the enclosure. Life was great right up till the fan motor burnt up and then the heat took out the compressor.
We built a larger area for the quieter compressor and never had any issues with it! If you blow air into a small enclosure to keep the heat down, have safety switches to keep the compressor from running if the fan quits!
David from jax

 

[dragoneggs]

Thanks David! Ventilation is obviously important and I'm thinking the challenge is how you do it without the noise transmission that is associated. Ideas???

 

[ruffdog]

Here is a pic of the current location. I built a platform and it is sitting on casters so it is sort of moveable (quick disconnects). I don't think this is its permanent home but it nestles in a bank of old kitchen cabinets. Eventually the cabinets will come down and I will finish the walls and ceiling with mud and paint to brighten the shop up and make it easier to clean. At that point I could see building an insulated outhouse on the other side of the wall.

View attachment 667108

No intake muffler and having the cabinets funnel the noise to the room........worse case scenario. I'm sure anything would be better.

 

[TMGT]

Thanks David! Ventilation is obviously important and I'm thinking the challenge is how you do it without the noise transmission that is associated. Ideas???

Baffles, think muffler, use a fan to pull the air through the enclosure. Using padding on the baffles with quiet it down quite a bit.

 

[downsizingnow48]

My compressor has these air filters on the intake with paper elements. Without them the noise is harsh high frequency and grating. With, it is more of a rumble. I would fit a filter/muffler as a first easy thing to do and see how it works. Easy assuming the intake port is threaded, that is.

 

[ruffdog]

My compressor has these air filters on the intake with paper elements. Without them the noise is harsh high frequency and grating. With, it is more of a rumble. I would fit a filter/muffler as a first easy thing to do and see how it works. Easy assuming the intake port is threaded, that is.

Adding those silencers many times will drop sound level 3dB and that amounts to HALVING the noise level.

Understanding the 3dB rule for controlling workplace noise levels

 

[ovrszd]

Fab up a air intake silencer for it.

I've heard that enough times to give it some merit. Never tried it.

 

[Doofy]

I just ordered a large intake silencer with the paper filter and down tube and a smaller silencer to put on the down tube and locate near the floor. It should be quieter than having them at ear level. It may be even quieter at the 10 foot ceiling level. I wish I would have known all this in '94 when I bought the compressor. All it had was a funky plastic housing with a 3/4"x3" piece of coarse foam mesh. Lousy filtering and no sound attenuation at all.

 

[ray66v]

When it comes to air compressors and air tools, their are mostly loud ones, and really loud ones. But, that's not always the case.

Loud doesn't necessarily mean better, or more powerful. And, even when it does, it's not always worth it.

Don't buy compressors, or tools without hearing them run.

If it's a screamer, throw it back. Especially, if it's a tool that is going to be running in close proximity to you. Then, you don't have to figure out how to make it quieter.

Your hearing when you get older, depends largely on how much you care about it when you are younger.

 

[dragoneggs]

No intake muffler and having the cabinets funnel the noise to the room........worse case scenario. I'm sure anything would be better.

I realize that but to be honest if I pull it out towards the center of the room it isn't noticeably better. But maybe sound absorption and maybe hanging a heavy blanket of some kind in front?

 

[Doofy]

I have finally trained myself to wear my 3M radio muffs while running the mower or other loud machines while outside. Now, to train the brain for inside garage work. I did manage to buy a new 1/2" pneumatic impact wrench that is about half as loud as the old one. Perhaps a dB meter is needed too.

 

[orezok]

My compressor is on an outside wall so I got a piece if 1” flex conduit ran it through the wall and installed a commercial intake silencer OUTSIDE! It cut the noise by at least 50% and cost next to nothing. It is actually louder outside even with the silencer than inside.

 

[Doofy]

My compressor is on an outside wall so I got a piece if 1” flex conduit ran it through the wall and installed a commercial intake silencer OUTSIDE! It cut the noise by at least 50% and cost next to nothing. It is actually louder outside even with the silencer than inside.

Not sure how that would work in the dead of winter up here? -30 or -40 air sucked in to a hot compressor? I'd be afraid the cast iron would shatter.

 

[Doofy]

My compressor is on an outside wall so I got a piece if 1 flex conduit ran it through the wall and installed a commercial intake silencer OUTSIDE! It cut the noise by at least 50% and cost next to nothing. It is actually louder outside even with the silencer than inside.

Not sure how that would work in the dead of winter up here? -30 or -40 air sucked in to a hot compressor? I'd be afraid the cast iron would shatter.

 

[ovrszd]

Not sure how that would work in the dead of winter up here? -30 or -40 air sucked in to a hot compressor? I'd be afraid the cast iron would shatter.

I always question a compressor operating in a cold room.