Sound Insulation for Compressor Closet

[sbarton]

I have my 80gal compressor in a closet in my garage. I would like to further reduce the noise by adding sound insulation/deadening material.
I'd like to do it on the cheap side.

Any suggestions on what I can use for cheap sound insulation/deadening?
The white closed foam insulation I have now doesn't do ****.
Anything else I can do to reduce the noise?

-Scott

 

[Square]

I would add sound insulation material to all surfaces, not just the doors.

I would start by putting some carpet down on the floor. I would try to get some scraps from a store and I would also try to get something with a decent fire rating. You could nail/staple/glue the carpet to the walls and shelves, and I think that would make a considerable difference.

 

[nonhog]

Hows your tank mounted ? Maybe add a rubber matt or individual cushions .

 

[boiler7904]

Soft surfaces are your friend.

Sound attenuation batt insulation on the walls. Regular fiberglass insulation would probably work too.

Dynamat would probably work on the doors but would be pricey.

Might consider installing a weatherstrip around the perimeter of the doors.

Keep in mind that the closet needs to have some air movement for intake and cooling of the compressor. A baffled intake would allow airflow but would reduce noise transmitted to the rest of the shop.

 

[smooth72]

Most of your sound comes from your intake. I have seen some pipe the intake to outside or attic. Some install bigger intake filters. In mine I also used egg create padding that they sale for beds, as a sound adsorbent on the inside. Along with sound damping for the feet. With sound you either absorb it, block it or move it.

 

[Mikea57]

Mass kills sound. Layer up the walls and doors with blue insulating foam, and plywood/MDF/OSB (your choice, not all of them unless you really want to!!!) and you'll kill the sound. The Dynamat suggestion was a good one but yes, it is pricey. A rubber mat or rubber pads under the feet of the compressor can't hurt either. Don't forget to vent for heat/air transfer, preferably out the back wall (which hopefully is an exterior wall?).

 

[sbarton]

Thanks guys. I'm wondering if Dynamat will actually work for this particular problem. I've read that it is more for reducing vibrations.

BTW, there is a cheaper alternative to Dynamat called Peel & Seal. It is an asphalt roofing product that is basically the same as Dynamat. Other cheaper alternatives are FatMat and eDead.


I am thinking of adding 1/4" rubber pads to the compressor feet, and either lining the walls with Dynamat or eggcrate foam. I'd like to do both if I can find them super cheap.

Anyone know where to find super cheap open cell eggcrate foam? Links?

What can be done (cheap and easy) to muffle the intake?

-Scott

 

[4x4mike]

I'd be interested in seeing some intake mods as well. How far would be too far to extend it? I think in the OP'ers case insulation for the entire closet would make the biggest difference.

 

[Ray-CA]

"Anyone know where to find super cheap open cell eggcrate foam?"
-Scott

Is there a Mervin's (Department store) near you? They are having a 40%-80% off sale. You should be able to find some of the "egg-crate" style mattress pads really cheap there.

Ray

 

[fotoflojoe]

"Anyone know where to find super cheap open cell eggcrate foam?"
-Scott

Is there a Mervin's (Department store) near you? They are having a 40%-80% off sale. You should be able to find some of the "egg-crate" style mattress pads really cheap there.

Ray

Also, if there's a "Linens 'n Things" in your area, they're going out of business and currently have everything at 30% ~ 60% off.

Of course, when my wife sent me there last week for a turkey platter, the one near me was already picked clean.

 

[sbarton]

I think I'm going to try the Dynamat on just the doors, and cheap eggcrate foam on the walls.


Still looking for ideas/methods to muffle/quiet the intake.

-Scott

 

[shepherd]

go get 6 hockey packs, and drill a hole through them and attach to the feet...cheap and easy, makes a big difference!

 

[smooth72]

I think I'm going to try the Dynamat on just the doors, and cheap eggcrate foam on the walls.


Still looking for ideas/methods to muffle/quiet the intake.

-Scott

Dynamat is a loading system design to eliminate vibration. If something on your compressor vibrates you can stick some on that area. If you want to use the car stereo sound proofing you would be better off with second skin's luxury linear. In my car I used 3 different types of sound proofing. There is not one solution for sound. I think you would be better off with egg crate all the way around or if you have the money to spend check into Sonex sound wall proofing. That is what I use in my audio booth. Looks allot like the egg crate just design to absorb as much sound as possible.

 

[Thomarann]

I used a combination of blue foam, sound insulation caulk, and stuffed in pipnk insulation very tightly (not good for heat insulation but great for sound), as well as an insulated (outside) door to prevent sound transmission.

Seems to have worked well.

Marc

 

[checkthisout]

I think I'm going to try the Dynamat on just the doors, and cheap eggcrate foam on the walls.


Still looking for ideas/methods to muffle/quiet the intake.

-Scott

Offset 2x4 studs from the existing ones and weave fiberglass batting in between them then put a layer of sheetrock on the outside or inside or both.

Dynamat costs too much. That reflective closed-cell foam works just as good and is much cheaper if that's all you're going to use and can be installed with simple push-pins.

Your intake noise can be cut down by screwing in some thread pipe with holes in it then wrapping it with some good quality foam.

The object of insulation weather it's for sound-deadening or heat-retention is to trap air.

 

[88thunder]

As I am trying to quiet my compressor as well, I was wondering if you guys had ever seen/any experience with "Sound Board." Lowes sells 4x8 sheets about 1/2" thick. It's not finished like white ceiling tiles, as I believe it is meant to be behind surfaces....would this be a good sound deadener for a closet as such described by the OP? At $10 a sheet, it would be less to double up than buying any soft foam (unless a good deal from a closeout store). Your thoughts?

 

[Torque1st]

Enclosing your compressor is asking for problems with overheating it and excess moisture in your air lines. By the time you have adequate vent openings in your enclosure a large quantity of the sound can escape. Leave the compressor in the open where it can remain cool and pipe the inlet outside or somewhere else. I have designed and manufactured all kinds of enclosures for machinery and attacking the source of the sound is the most efficient and avoids problematic side effects.

 

[nissan_crawler]

I was thinking the same. We had a central vac system in our house back home, with two pump/motor units in a 3'x5' closet. The closet had never had a door on it, and when we finished the basement, we put a door on. You could run the vacuum for about 10 minutes and it would die, due to the thermal switch on the motors.

We ended up boring a 4" hole in the top and bottom of the door, and putting a muffin fan on the door for the top hole to solve the problem.

 

[88thunder]

In my case, it's in the corner of my garage with a work bench right next to it. I'm just looking to muffle/take the edge off the loudness and am curious how much I could actually reduce by insulating it on three sides and the floor. I'm not trying to barge in on this post...I'm just interested in stuff like this for some reason and I think it could benefit other members to explore all the materials and experience out there. In the next week, I think I'll try out the "sound board" as well as some sort of rubber mat on the floor and report back with my results. Sorry again, i'm really not trying to hijack this thread.

 

[Torque1st]

In my case, it's in the corner of my garage with a work bench right next to it. I'm just looking to muffle/take the edge off the loudness and am curious how much I could actually reduce by insulating it on three sides and the floor. I'm not trying to barge in on this post...I'm just interested in stuff like this for some reason and I think it could benefit other members to explore all the materials and experience out there. In the next week, I think I'll try out the "sound board" as well as some sort of rubber mat on the floor and report back with my results. Sorry again, i'm really not trying to hijack this thread.

Pipe the inlet away somewhere. There are a few threads here on how.

 

[porschedude996TT]

I was thinking of using Hockey Pucks for the isolators on my air compressor. Cheap, good shape to fit. I was thinking a stud in the floor, Hockey Puck with a hole drilled in it, then the foot of the compressor and a then a engine valve spring, washer, and double nut.

???

 

[sbarton]

Well I added 2 layers of the asphalt roofing stuff (similar to Dynomat) to the doors. I don't think it did much. Although now it sounds like the sound is louder from the sides then from the front doors.

I think I'm really going to have to attack this.
Next step is 1/4" rubber pads under the compressor. Then I'll put sound deadening material on all of the walls, then 2.5" eggcrate sound insulation foam, and then finally route the intake to outside the garage, and possibly try to muffle it. Sheesh! I was hoping to spend under $100, but it looks like it'll be closer to $200.

-Scott

 

[Torque1st]

Spend $25 and fix the intake like I told you.

 

[sbarton]

How do I fix it? Just route it outside? What else can be done?

BTW, I covered the intake just to see what it would sound like and it didn't really reduce the noise. The sound seems to be coming from the compressor cylinders on top.

-Scott

 

[Torque1st]

Take a look in this thread:
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=305605
There are a few others I have also listed the info in. They can be found with a google search:
"Garage journal" torque1st intake

The intake treatment won't make all the sound go away but it will considerably reduce it. Iron compressors are quieter than the aluminum ones.

 

[cyclopsblown34]

My thinking is to reroute the intake or maybe build an enclosure for the inlet to deaden the noise from it. Mine is loud as heck since I removed the factory filter and replaced it with a large diameter chrome car air filter.

 

[Torque1st]

My thinking is to reroute the intake or maybe build an enclosure for the inlet to deaden the noise from it. Mine is loud as heck since I removed the factory filter and replaced it with a large diameter chrome car air filter.

That tin pan cover acts like a speaker cone. Without a couple of elbows in the pipe it acts like an amplifier.

 

[carrerakid]

First isolate the compressor from the floor using rubber mountings. No need for anything else on the floor. Caulk all the cracks in the closet and weatherstrip the doors. To reduce low frequency transmission Dynamat or other high density material applied to the walls. Next use fiber glass insulation to finish covering the walls to control mid-range frequency. High density duct-board would work best but is hard to find (HVAC contractor may have some). Batts will also work. The egg-crate stuff is for absorption not transmission. It will make the closet great for recording music but it will not significantly reduce sound transmission to the outside.

 

[Mikea57]

carrerakid,
You're right, the eggcrate foam won't do %*^@. It absorbs high frequencies but doesn't kill sound at all. Caulk and weatherstrip like one of the other posters suggested and then build up the wall in layers inside the cabinet. This will make it harder for the sound to get out. If you can route the intake and outake vents outside do that (taking into account the possibility of adding more moisture to the air - that's not my area of expertise.).

Mike

 

[fourfeathers]

Our Quincy compressor quieted down quite a bit just by loosening the bolts to the floor and using nylocks to keep it from walking, and using a muffler on the intake. Mine was a store-bought Craftsman muffler, but I think they are not available anymore from Cman.

 

[LoRollinLS]

if your going on the cheap order, find a way to pipe your intake outside somehow, that will also get some cooler air for your compressor to breathe in, second buy some eggshell foam and line your entire inner closet with it...period.

 

[SUPERFORD]

FWIW, it might not be super cheap, but when they insulated my garage with blown/sprayed cellulose (recycled paper) the garage became silent inside like a tomb.

for those building a "closet" or enclosure, if you frame it with 2x4s that would allow for nearly 4 inches of sound absorbing cellulose.

it might be cost prohibitive to have a cellulose spray company come out just to spray such a small area, but if you are building the enclosure, you might be able to transport the form or the walls of the "closet" to a nearby jobsite and have the spray installed for next to nothing as a "piggyback" onto an existing job.

this stuff really does absorb sound well!

also, i've googled this compressor enclosures and sound deadening in the past and found a guy who designed maze like baffled wooden intake and exhaust "mufflers" with reportedly good results. he used small electric fans on both intake and exhaust sides of the enclosure to ensure adequate airflow for cooling etc.

here's his link:
http://www.cianperez.com/Photo/Expo...ssor_Enclosure/Pages/Compressor_Enclosure.htm

when I do my compressor, i plan to build a "closet/enclosure" around it, use insulating feet, spray cellulose, and either a baffled intake and exhaust as shown above, or relocated intake & exhaust locations.

my question is, could you relocate the intake and exhaust locations straight up into an attic space? or would heat be an issue?

good luck.

chris

 

[woodbutcher]

carpet pad will work nice in layers [ ask a crpet guy for scraps imo.

and for the well to do they have quiet rock available at 110 a sheet no kidding i had to buy 3 sheets i look at the invoice and nearly died. i have enough left over for my compressor lol

 

[sbarton]

Update: I put 1/4" rubber under the feet. That made a difference but still not nearly quiet as I would like. I wish my anchors were longer so I could put another layer of rubber down.
I then routed the intake outside. That didn't really make a difference at all.

-Scott

 

[Torque1st]

The air intake made a big difference when I have done it. But it has to be done correctly.

The labyrinth type sound baffles also work if the source of the noise can't be found.

6" walls with offset 2x4 studs and insulation also help. Check out the wall construction for sound studios.

 

[sbarton]

go get 6 hockey packs, and drill a hole through them and attach to the feet...cheap and easy, makes a big difference!

Just an update. I finally got my compressor closet quiet enough to be able to have a normal volume conversation even standing next to it.

Here are the steps I took in chronolocial order

1) Anchored the compressor to the concrete with Wej-It type anchors.
- Compressor was so loud that even with doors closed on closet you could yell as loud as you could and still not be understood. Ears rang afterwards.

2) Placed 1/4" rubber pads under compressor.
- Did a little but not enough.

3) Routed intake outside.
- No Difference

4) Used sound deadening material on all surfaces of the inside of the closet. The key is to make it air tight. Had to cover all the corners with sound deadening so there no cracks, and use weather stripping on the sides and bottom of the doors to prevent air/sound escaping.
- Reduced noise level by half, but still not quiet enough.

5) Added hockey pucks in addition to the 1/4" rubber pads under compressor feet.
- HUGE difference. Can now have a normal conversation. Even isn't so bad with doors open. This should be the FIRST step in quieting down a compressor. It's also the cheapest and easiest.


-Scott

p.s. I have since re-routed the intake back inside since I was getting rust in the pipes after the filter. After moving it back inside, I noticed no increase in the sound volume of the compressor.

 

[c5golfguy]

15 years ago I worked in a HiFI Buys car audio shop. Tweeter for some of you in other parts of the country. We built a cabinet for the air compressor and layered it with dynamat after putting fiberglass resin on the wood. The resin hardens the wood (great way to build speaker boxes too). Then we carpeted the outside (inside the doors for you) and it worked great. Could hardly hear it.

 

[Falcon67]

Interesting thread. My compressor is a CH, exactly like the model pictured except blue and doesn't say CRAFTSMAN - LOL. Anyway, my CH has the same intake "filter". Just putting my thumb over the little snoot on the intake cuts a lot of noise down on the compressor. It just sits in a corner and it's loud, but not overwhelmingly so, maybe 25% more than the old portable oil bath compressor I have. It sits on three 4" square pieces of horse stall blanket. No anchors and it never moves. I do have a safety loop on it should it decide to take a walk. I was just going to get a 1/2" elbow and a 1/2 - 1" adapter and run some 1" up into the attic and stick a filter on it up there. I figure a 30~40% reduction in noise from just that. Strange that the compressor in this thread didn't respond to a similar treatment. The main noise from the unit seems to be the "pop-pop-pop" of the valves in the compressor head.

 

[Mr_fixit]

Spend $25 and fix the intake like I told you.

I agree!!!!!!

 

[Falcon67]

Here's some new info on the air intake for y'all to chew on.

I fetched a 3' piece of 1" pipe and a nice big $5 mower muffler from Lowes. Topped that muffler with a cutsey little 9" air cleaner from O'Reilly's to keep the dirt out. Stuck the pipe/filter combo up in the attic above the ceiling/insulation, connected the lower end of the pipe to the compressor inlet with 3/4" hose to isolate any vibration. Pic to follow in a bit.

Ran a sound test with a dB iPhone app, before with the stock little can filter and with the new remote air intake.

Stock:
10' - 15' - 20'
81dB - 77dB - 75dB

Remote:
10' - 15' - 20'
81dB - 77dB - 75dB

That's right - zero difference. Sticking a piece of thin paneling in front of the compressor making sure it didn't lean against it cut sound by 2dB at 15'.