how to quiet down air compressor

[gixer007]

Hey
I have been searching have have gone threw tons of pages and have not found any thing yet.
The question is I have to put my compressor on an inside wall. I need to build some thing around it to quite it down some. Any ideas on what I can use that wont take up to much room either?
I would move the intake out side so heat wont affect it.
Thanks for any ideas.

 

[kbs2244]

Re: how to quite down air compressor

Two, even three, layer of drywall will help.
Most od the noise is from the intake.
A small engine muffler plumbed into the intake will help a lot.

 

[K'ledgeBldr]

Re: how to quite down air compressor

Start with one of these (depending on size):
http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/in...s/ecatalog/N-c9jZ1z11zn0?op=search&sst=subset

Solberg filters and silencers are probably the best on the market.
The major drawback of using sound enclosures with air compressors is the fact that they are air-cooled. The compressor pulley is also the fan that forces air around the pump. With that in mind- a sound enclosure WITH an air supply and return would solve the heat problem- but loose a lot of the sound abatement qualities.
I used to work for a plastic equipment manufacturer and we built sound enclosures for some of the equipment. This is what we used for the interior of the cabinet-
http://www.soundproofcow.com/pdfs/quiet_barrier_specialty_composite_pds.pdf

I have also used it for the engine compartments of my boats. It's also the same stuff that is used for the sound cabinet of the genset (which is water-cooled). There is a version that has a peel-n-stick side. Maybe you could use it on the wall to surpress the noise.

 

[rodm1]

Re: how to quite down air compressor

You could make a wall of fiberboard. I'm thinking of making some hinged panels out of fiberboard then hanging them from the ceiling.

 

[mitymouse]

Re: how to quite down air compressor

acoustical foam, or Ive used dynamat. however I have heard they have a sound deadning drywall out now that has a material sandwiched in the center of the gypsum,( I guess its used in dividing walls of apartments). I also would recommend providing your compressor room with a fresh air vent, or even an exhaust fan to pull the heat out of the room. if your gonna use the fan make sure the room has some sort of make up air low on a side wall so your pulling in cooler air.
also put your feet on some isolation (rubber) pads. available at any hvac supplier.
If your compressor is plumbed with hard pipe have a flexable connection made

 

[Torque1st]

Re: how to quite down air compressor

What type of compressor do you have?

 

[Racecarl]

Here are a few pics of my 5 hp 23 cfm compressor. The legs are 2 3/8" oilfield pipe. The two outer legs are secured to anchor bolts in the concrete stem wall. The leg in the corner is lagged into the sill plate and corner of the building. The top of the stand is lagged to the 2X6 stud in the wall between the outer and corner legs. There is a piece of John Deere round baler belting between the wall and the stand. The bottom of the stand is almost 6' off the floor. A one inch hydraulic hose about 4' long gets the air to the copper air lines that run the perimeter of the shop.

The compressor sits on 4 valve springs from a John Deere 619 diesel engine. Inside the spring is a piece of rubber hose that is the same length as the unloaded spring. A 7/16 bolt goes through the frame and is double nutted on the top of the leg. These bolts are tightened just enough to preload the spring. I had the compressor running and experimented around with various tensions and found that just preloading the spring worked the best. There is also a small piece of baler belt on top of the leg foot, between the leg and the washer beneath the nut.

I took the air filter off the compressor head and ran a 6' length of hose into the attic and attached the filter assembly to the hose. This made a HUGE difference in noise. The pump turns around 790 rpm and I can carry on a conversation while the pump is running.

 

[socapots]

thats a pretty cool setup right there.

 

[camarotoolman]

Put it out back so the neighors get listen to it!

 

[gixer007]

I have an IR 5hp single stage portable unit.
It sits on wheels and some rubber stops. The issue I have it where it sits in my attached garage is right by a hall that has stairs and sound just travels up towards the baby’s bedroom. I just need to quiet it down some without killing to much room in the garage. It does not run a ton but it always seems to kick on at the wrong times. Lol So I just want to muffle the sound some.

 

[piston farmer]

Mines in my old well pump house behind my garage, the pump house is a concrete structure sunk into the ground with only the top two feet of wall and a roof above ground level. No one can beat me for how quite it is running, i can use it in the middle of the night with pretty much no one even knowing its running. Not an option for you but i had to throw it out there.

 

[Falcon67]

Put it out back so the neighors get listen to it!

Since the back neighbor's wiener dog is always out of their fence barking at me and trying to bite everyone, I've thought about doing that. And maybe adding a bull horn pointed at their back door that keys up when the compressor comes on.

There are several threads on this in here, might be hard to find in a search. Look for compressor enclosure, compressor noise, etc. Several people have had good luck modifying the compressor intake. I moved the intake on mine into the attic and a dB reading showed no difference in sound levels around the compressor. It was in a corner with hard walls, so YMMV. However, hanging just a chunk of paneling in front of the corner where it was mounted cut noise quite a bit. So, a combination of things would reduce the noise. "Stall blankets" or pieces of high density rubber make for good mounting/isolation pads for the feet. In the new shop, I'll be putting it in a "closet" centered between walls with some insulation hung inside to kill some of the noise.

 

[KMinAF]

The thing that made the biggest difference for me was insulating where the compresser mounts to the concrete slab with rubber pads made from an old conveyor belt. The motor and such is still noisey but the drone and vibration are gone.

 

[GarageEnvy]

I just bought a Chicago Pneumatic Quiet Performance series compressor. Basically they took the regular compressor and put the sound deadening foam mentioned in the post above in it. There are intake slits and a 220v "squirrel cage" type fan exhausting air out the top. It's very quiet.

 

[Eddie's GTS]

Check these products out to put inside your housing. I am currently doing the same thing with my compressor only outside. Roxul Acoustical Fire Batt and Bonded logic Ultra touch acoustic insulation. Route your intake and exhaust pipe with a bend. I plan to use a fan to draw in air from the bottom through a 4" tube. Make sure there are no leaks in your housing.

 

[fireguy]

Re: how to quite down air compressor

http://www.soundproofcow.com/pdfs/quiet_barrier_specialty_composite_pds.pdf[/url]

QUOTE]

I used that in my StepVan to deaden the noise from my gen-set. But I used a glue on pin with a large washer to hold on the pads, along with the glue. A large washer was pushed onto the pin. Ten years later, the insulation was still in place. Good product.

 

[K'ledgeBldr]

I have an IR 5hp single stage portable unit.
It sits on wheels and some rubber stops. The issue I have it where it sits in my attached garage is right by a hall that has stairs and sound just travels up towards the baby’s bedroom. I just need to quiet it down some without killing to much room in the garage. It does not run a ton but it always seems to kick on at the wrong times. Lol So I just want to muffle the sound some.

In that case- just go with the Solberg filter/silencer. It'll make a lot of difference.

 

[Jazz]

I have a similar issue and this seems really useful. The compressor is going to be in the garage on a wall opposite of my living room inside the house. I have planned to put a second layer of drywall there on 1" furring strips to reduce the noise. I'll definitely look into the inlet filter / silencer too!

 

[Falcon67]

I have a similar issue and this seems really useful. The compressor is going to be in the garage on a wall opposite of my living room inside the house. I have planned to put a second layer of drywall there on 1" furring strips to reduce the noise. I'll definitely look into the inlet filter / silencer too!

http://soundproofing.org/infopages/channel.htm
Maybe some QuietRock and resilient channel would be a good idea.

 

[Air_Cooled_Nut]

Re: how to quite down air compressor

...
I used to work for a plastic equipment manufacturer and we built sound enclosures for some of the equipment. This is what we used for the interior of the cabinet-
http://www.soundproofcow.com/pdfs/quiet_barrier_specialty_composite_pds.pdf

...

Wow, neat site! Thanks!! Bookmarked in my Delicious for future reference.

To the OP: http://www.soundproofcow.com/garage-soundproofing.html
or http://www.soundproofcow.com/equipment-enclosure-soundproofing.html

 

[GN4WHLN]

I have an oilless that is pretty noisy so I built a square tube and plywood enclosure, vented it, lined it with sound deadener, and used a bathroom ventilation fan to carry away heat. It cut the noise to the point I can have a conversation and hear the stereo just fine. Mine is mounted to the wall, however, I am planning to move it because the wall creates a harmonic when it's running that you can hear in the house. I think I am going to build a free standing cabinet sitting on a rubber mat with some baffling of the air vent, or I'll move the air inlet and exhaust to the outside. I have it wired to the switch panel so I can turn it on and off easily. After I move it I just want to keep it on all the time. Right now, that little harmonic is enough to wake my wife (light sleeper) if it kicks on in the middle of the night.

 

[KCarGuy]

Oil-less Compressors are Just Plain Loud.
Putting in another location is best...Upstairs, downstairs, outside, in a shed, anywhere but where you are working.

Oil-Filled Compressors can be made to run Quitier, by;
"A"...reducing Vibration.
(rubber feet, springs, soft wood blocks)
"B"...Better but less obstructive Intake.
(Silencers, Extending Intake, Relocating intake Filter)

I really Made Mine Quiter, but adding Rubber Feet and Extending both Intakes
Runs Great and It really wasnt too bad in the first Place.

My 1954 Kellogg American is Super Quit and it inside a Room built just for the Compressor, so it is almost un-noticed during its use.

 

[debiketuner]

gn4whln, you got any pics of your enclosure,

 

[L Magg]

Found this site looking for ideas for a stand for my air compressor. It is an older Sears 5hp, plan to put it on stilts and anchor to the wall using rubber insulators to reduce noise. Just for the record- my old, improvised, compressor just gave out, it was an AC compressor from a 1973 Chevy Vega. Made a large plywood pulley for it, then mounted it with the motor, switch, etc. The great thing about it was it doubled as a vacuum pump- very handy at times.

 

[fiveohpatrol]

it was an AC compressor from a 1973 Chevy Vega. Made a large plywood pulley for it, then mounted it with the motor, switch, etc. The great thing about it was it doubled as a vacuum pump- very handy at times.

we HAVE to see a picture of this thing!

 

[crerus75]

we HAVE to see a picture of this thing!

+1, I want to see it too. FWIW I made a vacuum pump out of an old dehumidifier compressor. It worked as a low-pressure, low-volume compressor too, but I mostly used it to vacuum-bleed brakes and pull vacuum on A/C systems.

To the OP, I agree with what others have said, especially extending the intake and mounting it further away from you with a silencer. Here is one idea that others have already pointed out:

http://www.frets.com/HomeShopTech/Shop/AirCompMuffler/aircompmuffler.html

BTW, the owner of this site, Frank Ford, is a luthier that branched off into machining so he could make tools, jigs, and fixtures. His site is well worth a view.

 

[Dick in Wisconsin]

I took the air filter off the compressor head and ran a 6' length of hose into the attic and attached the filter assembly to the hose. This made a HUGE difference in noise. The pump turns around 790 rpm and I can carry on a conversation while the pump is running.

What size (diameter) hose did you use?

Any concerns about pulling hot and/or cold and/or humid air out of the attic?

I live in Wisconsin.

 

[Norcal]

Cast iron pumps will be quieter then cast aluminum.

 

[Vernmotor]

This is what I did. click on the link for more pics.



http://s241.photobucket.com/user/vernmotor/library/compressor shed?sort=3&page=1

 

[JohnMcD348]

looking at the grainger link for the Solberg mufflers, I was wondering what I should get for both of my compressors. Aside from the NPT size, I'm wondering what CFM I should look for and figure to get for each one. Would just going with the highest CFM be best or would going too big negate any actual muffler benefit from it? Should I figure how much the motors pull and get one that closely matches or just plan on going BIG for less restriction of intake air flow?

 

[mdbeck1]

looking at the grainger link for the Solberg mufflers, I was wondering what I should get for both of my compressors. Aside from the NPT size, I'm wondering what CFM I should look for and figure to get for each one. Would just going with the highest CFM be best or would going too big negate any actual muffler benefit from it? Should I figure how much the motors pull and get one that closely matches or just plan on going BIG for less restriction of intake air flow?

If they still sell your compressor it's pretty easy to look up the CFM rating.

If you still have or can find the owner's manual online you can look up the CFM rating.

I seem to remember someone posting a link h ere (and the process) to calculate your CFM.


That being said.. my compressor came with two air intake mufflers. One of them got damaged so I ran the compressor without one until the replacement came in. Having the intake muffler made a HUGE difference in the sound level.

 

[brucer]

If you dont want the compressor outside, build an enclosure and insulate the enclosure with rockwool insulation.

 

[bczygan]

Direct the sound up.
A box outside with sound deadening on all the walls, but the top open will do this, and also ventilate it.
Still need to waterproof the equipment without closing the top.

On an inside install, I would like to figure out how to use the heat generated, without getting the noise.

 

[Xicaque]

Vern!

very interesting build up!

Cretus, thanks for sharing that site. I think I will take a stab at lengthening the intake with black iron.

 

[MFolks]

At the company I worked at years ago in California, we built a wooden, 3 sided box around the compressor, lining it with sound absorbing foam, having the intake air run through a filter, deadening the sound.

 

[finn]

I put mine in the corner and built a closet with a 36" wide door around it, big enough to hang my work clothes and store a few tools. The door has enough air gap at the bottom to control temperature buildup and the 2 layers of dywall provide enough sound deadening. I considered insulating the wall, but it wasn't necessary to achieve a satisfactory noise level in my case.

My ceiling is 12'6" so I had enough space for a second level to store rarely used items.
I'm a little concerned that I may end up with an oil film on everything from blowby emitted through the crankcase breather, but so far so good.

My compressor is an old 5hp IR with an 80 gallon tank.

A side benefit is that I actually gained some useable wall space.

 

[bfr57]

I read somewhere a guy made an enclosure lined with styrofoam cups and it really cut down the noise......

 

[LX-Markham]

Before: 90-93 dB.

After: 85-87 dB.

I installed a pair of Solberg air filter/silencers and it made about a 5 dB reduction in the noise level. I measured the before and after with an iPhone app from about 4' away. The ambient noise was around 37-40 dB.

It made a noticeable difference. Next step is I have some isolator mounts on order. Hopefully it will remove some of the vibration noise.

 

[Sims5]

Vernmotor, how does the compressor room not get hot?

 

[Pinz73]

Vernmotor,

Could you tell us more about the fan and the side panel set up?

(My first post!)