Vibration Isolators - Spring vs. LDS Rubber?

[Handyandy23]

Wondering if anyone has any thoughts or input on different types of vibration isolators, namely spring-style versus LDS rubber.

I just installed a Modine Hot Dawg heater in my garage, which was 'hard' installed by the metal housing to 2x4's mounted to the ceiling studs. My son's bedroom is directly above the garage, and there is a small amount of vibration noise transferring through. The heater seems fairly well balanced and it's not an extreme vibration by any means, but I do believe it's causing a bit more of a low frequency resonance upstairs than it needs to.

I found some threads on here with vibration isolators for heaters, which look like they'd do the job, but I'm finding both spring-type and rubber mount isolators. The rubber ones are about half the price, which is already inflated because I'm in Canada. The spring ones advertise more deflection, but since this is a very slight vibration, my initial thought is I don't need a lot of deflection.

Any experiences with either style, or thoughts on the deflection aspect of it, would be very helpful. Thanks in advance.

 

[bwringer]

Rubber should have more of a damping effect, so that's what I would go with for vibration. Springs are more for transient shocks.

If you punch in "rubber isolator" into McMaster-Carr, you'll see a bazillion types for all sorts of loads. You'll also notice different levels of hardness are available -- you'll want to go as soft as you can while still within the load rating.

Also, pay some mind to what might happen if the rubber deteriorates years from now so it doesn't fall or screw up an exhaust duct or something.

 

[D45]

Can you add threaded rod and drop it down an inch or so???

Hard mounted onto the ceiling works is definitely the issue with vibration transferring

 

[Handyandy23]

From what I've read on here in other threads, even suspending it with a solid threaded rod won't help much because it still has a solid mount to the joists. These spring isolators mount on threaded rod, but decouple the heater from the house through the springs or rubber. Like the one in the link below:

https://www.grainger.com/product/5C141?cm_mmc=PPC:+Google+PLA&s_kwcid=AL!2966!3!166592448177!!!s!71841871039!&ef_id=VqpF2QAAAbTvPDB1:20171207143901:s&kwid=productads-adid^166592448177-device^c-plaid^71841871039-sku^5C141-adType^PLA

Either way it's going to be a bit of a PIA because the gas line is hard-plumbed, as well as the exhaust vent, so I don't really want to change the hanging height. If the 2x4's take up 1.5" of space to the drywall, but the vibrational mounts are 4+" tall, I'm going to have to go above the drywall.

 

[Jackfre]

Be aware that on many vibration isolators, the rubber pads need to be "loaded" in order to operate properly. I once put a lot of pad under a unit and got small results. The guy I was doing the job for was an acoustic engineer. That job was such a pita. Anyway, I removed probably 755 of the material and it quieted things down.

 

[BukitCase]

Google "hat channel" and "RSIC clips" - remove those flat 2x4's and replace with the channel and clips.

The channel and clips will give isolation, and should just about EQUAL the current mount thickness... Steve

 

[kspwski]

I bet something like this would work well and only drop the heater by minimal amount. The rubber washer would go in between the heater bracket and the drywall, the rubber "stud" would go through heater bracket. They have different load ratings based on your heater weight.

 

[apollo11]

I thought this was gonna be about reducing a woman's teeth chattering

 

[Lelandwelds]

The rubber durometer and spring's wire diameter change the frequency they dampen at. My former employer used to get agitated when an existing dampener became unavailable. It meant more testing.

I have had good luck leaving existing parts in place and adding convenient rubber sheet with longer bolts.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

Combo spring and rubber work really well for around living spaces:

https://www.grainger.com/product/GRAINGER-APPROVED-Hanger-Mount-Vibration-Isolator-48PW81

Tommy

 

[mrramsey]

I just installed these on my Hot Dawg 45

https://m.grainger.com/product/MASON-Hanger-Mount-Vibration-Isolator-2LVR8?breadcrumbCatId=2223

$9 each

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

 

[peter2772000]

We suspend commercial ventilation equipment from ceilings and install equipment on rooftops often. As previously mentioned, springs and rubber have always been our modus operandi. That and flexible canvas joints on ductwork & flexible TrakPipe gas line connection. Unless something is either out-of-balance or over-revving, we've never had a problem.