Robert Strasser
10-02-2015, 8:59 PM
After a couple of years of putting up with noise generated by my dust collector, I decided to do something about it. It cost me around $300 and reduced the noise level by 10 dB. I did this in three steps.
First step was to build sound absorbing panels and installing them around my dust collector. This is very helpful in my case because my dust collector is set in a corner. Corners tend to project noise out into the room. I used the Home Depot Select Pine 1 by 4s, Roxul Safe and Sound insulation, and a canvas drop cloth. This step alone reduced the noise by 4 dB.
The second step was to build a muffler around the exhaust filter. I purchased an 18-inch snap-lock pipe for this. I then used 3M 77 spray glue to attach some 1/2 foam rubber to the pipe inside walls. Use some plastic gloves when working with that glue. I purchased the foam rubber (Open Cell Foam Lux-HQ) from the Foam Factory. They had reasonable prices and excellent service. You do not need to buy some kind of acoustic foam in my opinion. The muffler sits on a short stand and is not touching the dust collector. I first tried having a hole in the stand to allow air flow out the bottom. This is not a good idea. The sound flows out the bottom and bounces off the floor. But if you like those super loud bass systems that some people put in their cars, well you might like it. Anyway, I put a solid top on the stand which really made a huge difference. This step reduced the noise by an additional 5 dB.
The third step was to apply sound dampening material where I thought it would do the most good. The material I used (RAAMmat and Ensolite) came from RAAM Audio. It is similar to Dynamat, FatMat and other products used in automobiles. I first installed sound dampening to the short stand. The solid top of the stand was now acting like a drum. I applied RAAMmat BXT II on the bottom of the stand and Ensolite on top. You could substitute some thin foam rubber for the Ensolite. Next, I applied dampening material to the dust collector exhaust fitting and around the fan housing. This third step only gave me an additional 1 dB improvement.
The noise reduction of 10 dB does not tell the whole story. The sound meter does not respond to all frequencies. So there is a qualitative nature to the improvement that I cannot measure. But I am very pleased with the results.
I got the most improvement from the muffler and the wall panels. Sound dampening, especially with the automotive-type products, did not produce results that I could measure, but it definitely seemed to help. I would not change anything if I did it again.
First step was to build sound absorbing panels and installing them around my dust collector. This is very helpful in my case because my dust collector is set in a corner. Corners tend to project noise out into the room. I used the Home Depot Select Pine 1 by 4s, Roxul Safe and Sound insulation, and a canvas drop cloth. This step alone reduced the noise by 4 dB.
The second step was to build a muffler around the exhaust filter. I purchased an 18-inch snap-lock pipe for this. I then used 3M 77 spray glue to attach some 1/2 foam rubber to the pipe inside walls. Use some plastic gloves when working with that glue. I purchased the foam rubber (Open Cell Foam Lux-HQ) from the Foam Factory. They had reasonable prices and excellent service. You do not need to buy some kind of acoustic foam in my opinion. The muffler sits on a short stand and is not touching the dust collector. I first tried having a hole in the stand to allow air flow out the bottom. This is not a good idea. The sound flows out the bottom and bounces off the floor. But if you like those super loud bass systems that some people put in their cars, well you might like it. Anyway, I put a solid top on the stand which really made a huge difference. This step reduced the noise by an additional 5 dB.
The third step was to apply sound dampening material where I thought it would do the most good. The material I used (RAAMmat and Ensolite) came from RAAM Audio. It is similar to Dynamat, FatMat and other products used in automobiles. I first installed sound dampening to the short stand. The solid top of the stand was now acting like a drum. I applied RAAMmat BXT II on the bottom of the stand and Ensolite on top. You could substitute some thin foam rubber for the Ensolite. Next, I applied dampening material to the dust collector exhaust fitting and around the fan housing. This third step only gave me an additional 1 dB improvement.
The noise reduction of 10 dB does not tell the whole story. The sound meter does not respond to all frequencies. So there is a qualitative nature to the improvement that I cannot measure. But I am very pleased with the results.
I got the most improvement from the muffler and the wall panels. Sound dampening, especially with the automotive-type products, did not produce results that I could measure, but it definitely seemed to help. I would not change anything if I did it again.