Dust Collector TOO LOUD!

[Jiten Patel]

Hey folks,

I just received my dust collector - http://www.tooled-up.com/Product.asp?PID=139099&Referrer=froogle (http://www.tooled-up.com/Product.asp?PID=139099&Referrer=froogle)

and from previous conversations its very similar to the Harbour Freight?

Anyway I turned this thing on and my ears drums said to me ":eek: right that enough, first hip hop music, now this, I'm going to ring all flipping night!". So basically it's too loud to house outside which was the original plan as I live in London with neighbours in very close proximity. My workshop is being built and has a partition wall, so I was thinking of housing it in that spare space in a brick-air (maybe sound deadening material) -brick built enclosure.....do you think this would dampen the sound? Not sure what sort of lid I would put on it?

The last thing I want happening is this thing overheats and catch on fire, so any ideas on how to silence this roaring beast?!

[Frank Corker]

I have my extractor and compressor out in the garden, it's housed into a breeze block shed, 3/4" ply top which is covered with roofing felt. Only noise that you can hear is the air rushing through the outlet. It's a lot smaller than that thing that you have, but it's very quiet. I live in a residential area too and have had no complaints. ....only had to shoot 4 of the neighbours.

[Chuck Stone]

I have a similar unit, and it is inside. It's right next to the laser.
And you're right .. it's LOUD!

I built a box to fit over mine and I lined it with insulation. (don't forget to
put insulation under the unit, too) That cut the sound in half .. maybe less.
But still louder than I wanted. I think it came from the cutouts in the box
where the air hoses go. So I put more insulation on the outside of the box
too.. and it helps a lot. Now it sounds like someone is running a vacuum
cleaner in the shop.

I'd love to completely enclose it, but I'm afraid of choking off the air that
surrounds and cools the unit. (intake and exhaust are fine) If you have
a bricked in area to enclose it, you should be fine. And putting some sort
of insulation to deaden the sound will help a lot. If you use fiberglass roll
insulation, you can either install it backwards (paper to the wall) or pull
off the paper entirely. That will deaden the sound further.

[Jiten Patel]

Frank,

Believe me when I say this thing took my head off. I expected it to be loud, but this thing is a beast. Im thinking of housing it inside, as I live in a mid-terrace, so neightbours are close. Build a brreze block enclosure.

[Doug Griffith]

I also have what looks like the same unit. I took it off the little frame that it comes with and mounted it outdoors inside a 3/4" thick wooden enclosure. It is mounted on rubber insulators and the enclosure is completely sealed. As long as the access hatch on the enclosure is closed, it is not very loud at all. The air is louder than the motor. Open the door, and it is very loud. I've ran it for 12 hours straight without it overheating.

I also house the air supply pump in the same enclosure. Even though the enclosure is sealed, the pump still manages to pull air in from around the hatch. Computer fans blow air across the compressors cooling fins.

Oh, and it is in a residential area. My neighbor's bedroom window is about 10 feet away. He has no complaints.

[Jim Coffee]

My blower is a very quiet one. I use a squirrel cage type that came from a furnace. Lot's of airflow...and quiet. I used to have a Harbor Freight type of blower. It is such a relief to not have to listen to that thing anymore.

[Dave Russell Smith]

only had to shoot 4 of the neighbours.

Only 4 Frank what are you a bad shot :)

[Bill Cunningham]

My blower is a very quiet one. I use a squirrel cage type that came from a furnace. Lot's of airflow...and quiet. I used to have a Harbor Freight type of blower. It is such a relief to not have to listen to that thing anymore.

I have a squirrel cage type in my woodshop built into a filter box, just to filter sawdust out of the air.. Are you sure you get enough airflow through that thing to cool the laser tube, as well as suck out the garbage? I have a 750cfm (similar to the H.F.) on my TT and even with that, the tube gets pretty warm to the touch on long cutting jobs ..

[Jim Coffee]

Hi Bill...

A couple of different perspectives to my answer:

I attended a laser seminar abouit two years ago. The technician there said that a good measure of proper airflow was to place a piece of paper over the grill at the front of the macine while the fan is running. If it sticks there and does not fall to the floor there is enough airflow.
My cavity is staying clean. There is good airflow over the work and out the back.
Mirrors and optics stay clean.
I just replaced my tube after 7 years. I think I got a good run out of it.
We place a thermometer in the cavity and tend to not engrave above 85 degrees.

I'm very satisfied with the airflow. The squirrel cage is mounted in the base that the laser sits on. The air exits out the wall immediately. The only ducting is about 18" from the back of the machine to the base.

And I love the quiet!

[Bill Cunningham]

Hmmm 7 years is a good amount of time on the TT tube, so it must be working for you.. The one in my woodshop is about the same size, driven by a belt drive 1/4hp. It just didn't seem to be anywhere close to what I needed for the laser, but never hooked it up to try it.

[Alick Ford]

Jit,

I bought this model also! I think you remarked on a previous post of mine!

I've finally got my laser set up the way I want and it's great.

when I first turned on that extractor I thought it was way way to loud, but then I attached a hose to the inlet and outlet and that cut the noise a good bit. I then set about making a housing to put around it to cut the noise on a very tight budget! and I promise as soon as you house the sealey fan it's not that loud at all! way quieter than a dyson hoover!

I'll post some pic's of my set up for you to have a look at!

Alick

[Alick Ford]

I've used a toilet pan connector from homebase to connect to the outlet of the laser. £5

The hose is a semi-flexible aluminium hose from B&Q. £6

I used a old beside cabinet lined with carpet underlay to hose the fan, with a good few layers below the fan.

The outlet goes straight outside via a small piece of down pipe.

I used duct tape to widen the outlet of the fan from 90mm to 100mm for a snug fit, then a jubilee clip to finish!

All together the extraction set up cost me about £120, not bad!

Hope this helps Jit

Alick

[Dan Hintz]

Ha ha, I love it using the old drawer cabinet to house the blower...

[Jiten Patel]

Cheers guys. Thats a great relief.

Alick, its great what people can knock up. Bedside cabinet...genious.

Well I did connect some ducting and you're right, the noise dropped massively. Once I house in inside the brick enclosure, im sure I wont hear a peep.

Phew! :D

[Emily Wilson]

I used to have the Harbor Freight model but got a new Grizzley. Still loud
but could now hear the finish beep now when the laser completes the cut .

Cannot wait to get a used bedside cabinet for housing ! My indoor operation
will be certainly upgraded now. My extended newbie status is gradually fading.......... Thanks to everyone !

[Robert Walters]

This is an untested idea I was working on (I've since gone a different route to accommodate my needs) but may work for others.

It combines an air scrubber / sound deadening enclosure for the dust collector. I have the same red HF dust collector as Jiten has.

NOTICE The area containing the dust collector does NOT have any air flow through it. This could cause the dust collector to overheat and/or become a potential fire hazard.

You could vent the the lid some I suppose, but untested. One thought would be to place the HEPA filter in the same area as the DC is, then vent the lid for exhaust. That would allow air flow, but also increase the sound level too.


http://i54.tinypic.com/2qkm3gw.jpg

Larger image: http://i34.tinypic.com/2irrr52.jpg

I hope most of it is self-explanatory, but I'll give some details...

The trash can is the Rubbermaid "BRUTE", as it has thicker walls that can withstand a vacuum being applied without collapsing. You can also buy a rolling stand that the can just twists on to as well.

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xr5/R-100644109/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

The reason for the 44 gallon size is to potentially fit the DC (dust collector) and a 5 gallon paint bucket in the same container. Note: I have NOT actually tried this to see if they both fit.

I HAVE tossed the DC into a 34 gallon Rubbermaid Brute trash can sitting on top of a piece of carpet, and the sound level has DRAMATICALLY dropped to within a reasonable level to comfortably work in the same room while it's running. I'd guess it to be about the same sound level as a cheap 20" box fan running on high.

My DC vibrates a bit, so I suspect that if I mounted it to the MDF using dampeners, the sound level would be even less, instead of the plastic acting like a resonator for the vibration.

What is missing in the drawing is an HVAC Filter.
Instead of having the bucket in the center of the trash can, offset it and insert an HVAC filter between the intake PVC pipe and the bucket, making the height of the filter to touch the bottom of the MDF just primarily to grab solids that might get sucked in.

The reason for the 5 gal bucket is to easily change out the activated charcoal as needed, feel free to change to any other inner container as you see fit.

You are only placing holes in the LIDS of the trash can and bucket. so you can always use them for something else down the road, or even use a piece of MDF in place of the lids if you desire..

If you use MDF, apply one or two coats of Polyurethane to it, especially the cut edges. This will help prevent and moisture from damaging it.

The filter sock could be cheese cloth that's been attached to the 4" PVC using a wire-tie, it's just to help keep the activated charcoal in the bucket.

Some WET/DRY HEPA filters are reusable, just clean by rinsing with the garden hose and let completely dry. Check the package of yours for details.



Almost forgot...

Airflow + Plastic = Static Charge

Be sure to run a bare copper wire through the air flow areas and connect one end to an earth ground.
This will help dissipate any static build up.