Air compressor in a cabinet?

[54worker]

I have a portable 22 gal Husky brand air compressor that is loud. I am in the process of building a work bench with enclosed cabinets underneath. I made one of the cabinets large slough that I can fit the compressor inside for storage. Would I be able to use/run the compressor while it is inside the cabinet? If I can, it would hopefully make it quiet enough that my boy would not have to run and hide when it kicked on. (He is sensitive to loud noise) I will probably use some form of sound deadening material as we'll. Have any of you done something like this or have any comments or suggestions? My main concern would be heat. It's usually 80 - 90* + in the garage when working in the summer.

 

[C96]

You should be fine with the compressor running in the cabinet. Just make sure it has good cross flow ventilation. You could install an exhaust fan that will turn off and on when the compressor runs for added air flow.

 

[54worker]

Thanks. i will have it plugged into an outlet that will be on its own switch so I wont have to pull it out every time I turn it on. I will put a fan on the same outlet so that it can turn on at the same time. Any suggestions on sound deadening material? Foam, carpet, or...?

 

[Cyberbear]

You may wish to locate the source of the noise and address that issue first. I imagine some sort of muffler could be used to dampen your noise problem, and then box and insulate the a/c unit if necessary.

 

[matt01073]

If you enclose it and insulate it you arent going to get airflow unless you vent it to the outside . You are going to build up a lot of heat which will also cause a moisture / condensation issue in your tanks and lines , so if you do do this dont forget to drain the tank after using it each time

 

[CompressorPros.com]

You could use something as simple as Styrofoam on the walls and that should absorb some of the noise. As long as you are not restricting the air flow to keep the compressor cool

 

[Vegaman_Dan]

Cabinet needs to have intake and exhaust vents and air flow across the cooling fins. Be aware that the vent fans will also pull in dust so you may want a filter screen in place.

Fiberglass insulation would be my choice here over foam as the open fibers will do more to absorb noise than foam can. Foam is also good and easier to install though. Personal preference really.

Controlling the noise of the air intake will help greatly with a muffler. Any way you can vent this to the outside for an air intake will make it even quieter.