Sound Barrier Curtains for Dust Collector noise

[Mark R Webster]

Has anyone looked into Noise Barrier Quilted Curtains as a solution for controlling noise. I have a large air compressor and a 3 hp Jet dust collector (in my opinion very noisy) next to each other in my shop in a corner. I can’t make an external room and since space in the shop is at a premium and access is important I don’t want to build a permanent wall with a door or doors. I was looking into noise barrier quilted curtains as a possible solution. In theory they would allow me to surround the two tools floor to ceiling, minimize the footprint, and allow access when needed. Have any of you tried this sort of solution with success. The curtains are on the expensive side and I don’t want to find out after they are installed that they were not as effective as I had hoped. Thanks

[David Kumm]

I use those but only around the filters and not to the floor. I think they- along with foam on the wall behind the filters- help but haven't measured how much. Mine are extremely heavy so an 8' one must weigh a ton. Dave

[Jim Becker]

As long as you can get the quilted curtain from ceiling to floor, it's going to help, at least with high frequencies and knock down the direct noise a bit. it's not going to be anywhere close to true isolation, however. Do remember that the tools generate heat so that has to be attended to a bit.

[James Biddle]

We're also going to look at sound curtains. A 10hp Oneida hanging in the corner is really loud. We're going to just try a moving blanket first to get an idea of what to expect, improvement-wise. We're using a curtain from Goff's to close off the finishing area when needed, so we'll give them a look for sound curtains as well.

[Jamie Buxton]

Sound will come through gaps in sound containment. Be sure that the curtains seal to the walls, ceiling, and floor.

[James Biddle]

Jamie, I'm not sure about the OP, but we're not trying to contain the noise, only attenuate it some. One of the problems in dealing with DC noise is the air has to return to the shop. We're hoping that by interrupting the noise to ear path and maybe some major reflections, we can take off the hearing protection and dust masks long enough to have a conversation. All of the other tools make enough noise where we'll still wear our protection, but man does that DC make a lot of noise.

[Van Huskey]

One of the big issues with cyclones is they have the most output in the mid-bass frequencies. The lower the frequency the harder it is to attenuate the sound without isolation. The very large length of the mid-bass waves are the reason you can hear the thump of a kick bass being played much farther away than higher frequencies even if they are played at the same volume. If you are looking at a commercial sound absorption product you should be able to find the NRC number as well as the data for the individual frequencies (usually reported by octave starting at 63 or 125hz). You should be able to reduce the higher frequencies by a good amount but the sound below the Schroeder frequency of the room (probably between 150 and 200hz) is going to be much tougher to control. The good thing is the human ear is less sensitive at lower frequencies and lower frequencies are less annoying and less likely to cause hearing damage.

[Mark R Webster]

Thanks guys helpful info

[John K Jordan]

Thanks guys helpful info

Before I installed my cyclone I did a lot of reading about noise reduction on the ClearVue and other forums. (I ended up building a closet for the cyclone and big air compressor, both 5hp machines.) Apparently much of the noise in a cyclone comes from the exhaust. Some reported significant sound reduction with insulation around the exhaust.

Based on my experience, though, I'd still try to squeeze a closet into the shop. I built one bigger than I needed, 4x8, but when running I can hear a whisper in the shop. (That's when the blast gates are closed - the rush of air at the machines is the the loudest noise!) Maybe have a closet double as storage space for extra jigs or clamps or something.

JKJ

[Mark R Webster]

Thanks John for the input, I appreciate the response!

[Patrick McCarthy]

Van, nice to see you post again. Always impressed with the breath of your knowledge base. Patrick