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Ideas to silence an Air Compressor?

Marty57

PATRON
Nipomo, Ca
I just finished wiring and plumbing a new Ingersoll Rand 60g 5hp compressor. It's in my shop/garage and currently located next to water heater but not bolted to the floor yet. I'm some what limited regarding the location but can move it around some at current location. It runs great and provides the needed pressure for spraying, my main need for the new rig. The issue with the compressor (and previous one for that matter) is the noise level. I teach covering and painting seminars for Stewart Systems in my shop and with the compressor running, it's pretty much impossible to talk in the spray booth. Moving the compressor outside would be ideal but not very practical as that would require extensive electrical and plumbing modifications and not in the cards at this time (may build a new shop in the future). For now, I need to come up with some way to reduce the noise without restricting the heat and air flow needed around the compressor.

Anyone out there have any ideas, resources, or pictures of a workable solution? I'm sure this is an issue for many who have a loud compressor in the shop have to deal with so I bet there are great ideas out there.

Thanks,
Marty

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The older ones have a pleasant "falump-falump" sound. The newer ones go. BRAAAAA! I hate that sound. Install it in an out building about 50 feet away, put anechoic foam in the out building, and a moisture trap in the line in your hangar.
 
The older ones have a pleasant "falump-falump" sound. The newer ones go. BRAAAAA! I hate that sound. Install it in an out building about 50 feet away, put anechoic foam in the out building, and a moisture trap in the line in your hangar.
I would love to do an out building but by time I run power, build the building, and plumb for air I would have way too much $$ invested just to make it quiet. I'm kind of stuck with the current location until I build a new shop or hangar.

Thanks,
Marty
 
Perhaps...move the compressor and place it under the air drier. Enclose the space. Install sound dampening foam. Install a ventilation inlet and outlet. Johnson supply and others sell louvres with either squirrel cage or standard fans to push air. Purchase one fan driven to exhaust hot air from the space. Another louvre that opens with air flow. You can either operate the exhaust fan with control voltage from the compressor or air temperature within the space. If the space is on an exterior wall...that is.

If not... through the attic space to an exterior wall or through the roof with appropriate hood type vents...use 8” duct that is very similar to a cloths drier vent line. Fantec sells the ducting, and round ceiling vents. Then install an 8” diameter duct fan in one of the ducts.
Personally I’d go with an air temperature sensor to supply control voltage to a size zero full voltage stater or a relay rated for the load.


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Perhaps...move the compressor and place it under the air drier. Enclose the space. Install sound dampening foam. Install a ventilation inlet and outlet. Johnson supply and others sell louvres with either squirrel cage or standard fans to push air. Purchase one fan driven to exhaust hot air from the space. Another louvre that opens with air flow. You can either operate the exhaust fan with control voltage from the compressor or air temperature within the space. If the space is on an exterior wall...that is.

If not... through the attic space to an exterior wall or through the roof with appropriate hood type vents...use 8” duct that is very similar to a cloths drier vent line. Fantec sells the ducting, and round ceiling vents. Then install an 8” diameter duct fan in one of the ducts.
Personally I’d go with an air temperature sensor to supply control voltage to a size zero full voltage stater or a relay rated for the load.


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Good idea. Also remember, compressors and dryers make heat so put in some ventilation to the outside (maybe high and low that you can block off if necessary in the winter). Sound wise, a 2x4 wall construction with multiple thickness of sheet rock (2 layers or 5/8" on one and 1/2" on the other with one layer separated from the studs by a hat channel really helps and put batt insulation in the annular space of the wall and you'll be amazed for not a lot of bucks. For access at the door put sheet rock over it on each side of a hollow core door.
 
Could you just build a plywood or aluminum box (ventilated) with some insulation (it’d be ugly) to mount on the metal platform your pump is on and enclose the noisy bits?
 
Most of the noise is probably coming from the intake. Routing that outside should help. Talk to ingersol rand.
 
I sent an email to soundproofing.org and will contact Ingersoll Rand, thanks. A couple of videos I came across mentioned the intake; something I would never have thought was causing the noise. Thanks guys. The more ideas the better.
Marty
 
The intake filter contraption is where much of the sound comes from. I have that same compressor but have never tried to make it quiet. I'm so deaf now that I can barely hear it anyway.
 
I should read the previous posts before giving my opinion, but I am as stubborn as I am deaf.

So there......
 
I have the same compressor, It works well. Get it up on rubber feet and run the intake outdoors. Make sure the filter has a good rain shield around it once it is on the side of the building.
 
Mine is right outside of my main fusebox. Left two sides open because it gets rather warm here. It probably annoyed Tom when he was living in the brick apartment when Clifford and I started work early on Saturday morning but not to noisy in the shop.
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Marty,

I added a large pancake felt filter to the intake on my similar 5hp unit and it cut the noise considerably. I had to make an adapter plate and braze a pipe fitting to the plate it cause the filter was way too large. I searched for a filter like it online but, seems they have mostly gone to paper elements now. P_20150706_135647 (2).jpg



I found this on youtube
that shows a muffler similar to those used on central vacs in addition to a filter. Seems to cut the noise a lot. With your skills, it shouldn't be too difficult to fabricate. I also used hockey pucks under the feet with a metal disc between the pucks and compressor. I drilled through them and added a carriage bolt to hold everything in place.

Wayne

PS does anyone know how to wrap text around pics?
 

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That monster compressor got quieter when I cut 6" tire treads out of an old tire and put them under the feet. Stopped the building from vibrating also

Glenn
 
Great ideas so far. I do have isolators to put under the feet when I get the exact location figured out, that will help. I might possibly be able to move the intake outside but it would be a 20' run along side to the front of garage. Intrigued by reducing the intake air sound as an option. I would love to move it outside completely but one side of shop is parking for our motorhome (guest room and doubles as shop rest room), back side is our hot tub and patio, other side is the living room so no options close to the house at all. So, inside it will likely remain.

I did move the compressor some from the previous picture and now, it could be surrounded by an enclosure of some type.

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I need to move a few things off the back wall than I'll cover the two existing walls and ceiling with Rock Wool Sound barrier insulation to reduce some of the sound into the house. I'll move the dryer on the shelf above the compressor over to the right some so I can put up a wall between the compressor and the water heater and insulate that with Rock Wool also. Maybe a sound curtain in front of the compressor? I came across this yesterday, looks interesting. https://www.enoisecontrol.com/products/sound-curtains/

Anyone have any experience with this idea? Their web site shows some interesting ways to vent an enclosure; allowing air flow but controlling the sound. If I do completely enclose the compressor it would be easy enough to have a temp probe inside and an alarm of some type if temps get too high inside.

I'm sure I'm not the only guy stuck with this set up so I'm determined to reduce the noise to a tolerable level. Keep coming with the ideas.

Thanks,
Marty
 

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Build a box around it with 2" foam insulation, foil tape the front, 2 sides and top together and a couple pieces of Velcro to hold it to foam board on the back wall. Pull 3 sided box away from wall to service.

Glenn
 
Marty, I think you said your laundry room is just inside the door to the garage. You could move your compressor in there and put the dryer in the garage. Much quieter that way and you wouldn't have to build a separate enclosure.. :roll:
 
Here's where it stands today. The closet is 48" deep and about 34" inside, 78" high. Back wall is insulated with rock wool over the existing drywall. I had to work around some existing pluming on that wall. Sides have OSB on the outside, and will have rock wool between the studs, and covered inside with Sound Stop Fiber board. Top will be same as the sides and the dryer will be on top, outside of the box. I will need to figure out how the copper tube will exit through the top as it's very hot coming off the pump. Front will be similar and hinged so I can open to turn on compressor. I'll use a squirrel cage fan to force air in through a sound deadening baffle; outflow will be the same. I'll work on it more next week; off to the Copperstate Fly-In on Wednesday to do some covering workshops.

Thanks for all the advice, lots of it used here. Will report more when it's finished.

Marty

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Here's where it stands today. The closet is 48" deep and about 34" inside, 78" high. Back wall is insulated with rock wool over the existing drywall. I had to work around some existing pluming on that wall. Sides have OSB on the outside, and will have rock wool between the studs, and covered inside with Sound Stop Fiber board. Top will be same as the sides and the dryer will be on top, outside of the box. I will need to figure out how the copper tube will exit through the top as it's very hot coming off the pump. Front will be similar and hinged so I can open to turn on compressor. I'll use a squirrel cage fan to force air in through a sound deadening baffle; outflow will be the same. I'll work on it more next week; off to the Copperstate Fly-In on Wednesday to do some covering workshops.

Thanks for all the advice, lots of it used here. Will report more when it's finished.

Marty

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Looks too close to wall, it will have a spec for flywheel side to wall for cooling properly.... or turn it around...
 
Looks too close to wall, it will have a spec for flywheel side to wall for cooling properly.... or turn it around...
Picture is kind of deceptive. Flywheel to wall spec is 12"; the compressor flywheel is currently sitting about 19" out from the rear wall. Picture really doesn't show depth very well. It's out that far due to some plumbing on back wall. I need to make it some what easy to remove in case I have to get to the plumbing down the line. Thanks for the look Mike.

Marty
 
At the risk of sending this thread a bit sideways, has anyone compared the loudness of the IR vs Quincy air compressors? I spoke to Bill Rusk about his choice of compressors and he feels Quincy is the way to go. I am planning to install one or the other in my newly remodeled hangar. Marty57, thanks for initiating this thread. It is my guess that the same challenges will be present whether IR or Quincy.

Randy
 
That's about how mine is, against the wall in my upstairs loft above the shop bathroom. Good point about air flow, it would be easy enough to get a 240 VAC squirrel fan to kick on with the compressor. This outfit has things like that, cheap, been using them for decades. www.surpluscenter.com Something like this maybe: https://www.surpluscenter.com/Elect...80-Reverse-Curved-Impeller-Blower-16-1462.axd I do know that if one is on the can in the bathroom below when it unexpectedly kicks on, it will expedite the process. It's loud and creates a low frequency rumble of the entire room. Bolted to the floor with no give is why, not worth changing it as it does keep me regular.
 
At the risk of sending this thread a bit sideways, has anyone compared the loudness of the IR vs Quincy air compressors? I spoke to Bill Rusk about his choice of compressors and he feels Quincy is the way to go. I am planning to install one or the other in my newly remodeled hangar. Marty57, thanks for initiating this thread. It is my guess that the same challenges will be present whether IR or Quincy.

Randy
What did Bill say they weighed :lol:.
 
On the IR VS Quincy question, my personal opinion is Quincy on all counts, but for me unfortunately for me due to economic reasons I bought an IR upright three years back. The IR is a perfectly fine unit but having had a Quincy in a shop a few decades back they are a top end unit. Not the only top end one though.
 
On the IR VS Quincy question, my personal opinion is Quincy on all counts, but for me unfortunately for me due to economic reasons I bought an IR upright three years back. The IR is a perfectly fine unit but having had a Quincy in a shop a few decades back they are a top end unit. Not the only top end one though.
Thanks, Charlie!

Randy
 
You can't beat the price of the IR and the performance seems up to the task at hand. I'm using the compressor primarily for painting and using it during the Stewart Systems seminars I hold in my shop. The HVLP gun needs minimum of 13 CFM to operate and needs to maintain 23psi at the gun with the trigger pulled and material flowing. My olde compressor was marginal at best and would not maintain the 23 very well during running of the compressor; the lower pressure leads to orange peel. The IR maintains the 23psi at the gun with the regulator on the gun turned back a bunch. There are times when more gun pressure is needed and the IR had no issues at all going higher as I adjusted it up. I was only testing the set up before taking things apart to work on the noise. I think with the sound addressed, the compressor should work great and is a good, economical compressor for someone setting up a shop to paint using an HVLP gun. Oh .... and the weight is 300 lbs :)

Marty
 
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