Quiet. The Neighbors Can Hear You (Sound Control Thread)

J

Jason Hadley

New Member
What about the lack of airflow to the unit and keeping it in such a confined space? Do you find you have overheating issues? They make a silence for these that keeps them pretty quiet.

one2threeBUDS4 said:
one thing i have had recent problems with was an inline fan that shakes or vibrates. this can cause hoses connected to your lights to shake loose or even rip, eventually causing an air leak which will defeat the purpose of having an air cooled system. it can also cause loud vibrations which is the reason i created a housing for the fan;


this is pretty much what it will look like when it is done. the bungees help reduce the sound by 200% so if you can hang it you will be much happier. :clap:

first start by measuring the fans height and add an inch or two then cut the wood for the box. if you are using 6" hose then cut a hole on two of the boards that are 7" in diameter, these boards will be the end boards.

next set the fan on one of the boards and mark where the holes are on it, then drill them and mount the fan to the board (do it now, makes it much easier).

once you have done all of above go ahead and connect the hoses.

also you need to cut or drill a "V" in the side of the board where you want the power cord to go through.

after that you can go ahead and put together the last couple sides and you have a brand new silencer box for your inline fan.

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daybreaker

daybreaker

Well-Known Member
best sound cover is a radio.put it on the same timer to a jazz station.AND the plants love it.HEavy Metal might work...but only for indicas..;)
 
Rrog

Rrog

Well-Known Member
Best budget door is a simple insulated steel door. It's kind of heavy, and kind of sealed. You want pro-level isolation? Install a second door to make an air lock. Like between two motel rooms.

You'll find filling a hollow core door fruitless. They're not exactly hollow.
 
S

shotc4ll3r

New Member
JointOperation said:
we built a box.. and used a exhaust fan.. to get rid of the heat.. works great.. and the buzzing isnt loud at all anymore.. before u could hear the room was there running.. now.. NOTHING and ontop of that.. the ballast heat. is now not incorporated into the lung room. so the entire grow dropped 3-5 degrees just like that.!
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thats cool bro... all tho i never even kept my ballast in the same room anyways...
 
J

jinxjj

Member
A few things i have noticed/learned since i am working on my ventilation system right now:

- The two main enemies that create sounds are vibration and airflow obstructions. Running the fan at higher RPMs will create more vibration and noise. Having a lot of bends in your duct run will also create airflow disruptions which will create noise (although not as intense as vibration noise).

- Don't have an elbow/bend right at the exhaust of the fan, try to keep at least a 2' straight run from the exhaust of your fan to prevent noise from air turbulence. Every bend in your duct run (usually 45-90* elbows) is equivalent to about 15ft of straight duct.

- Duct materials in order from best to worst sound wise: Rigid metal ducting > Semi Rigid Metal ducting > Flex ducting .

- Go BIG with your fan and run it at 50% power or less. I went with the 6"Hyper fan and a 6"x24" 550CFM Phresh filter for my 10'x3'x7' total grow area. I can run it on the lowest setting (35%) and still maintain a negative pressure in my tent, the fan is practically silent until you get up around 40-50% power. By getting a bigger fan than you need and running it at reduced power not only do you deal with the sound issue, you save money on your power bill! (some speed controllers may not actually reduce input voltage to the fan so beware of that...) If you need a 6" fan for your setup, upgrade to an 8" and run it on lower power.

- If you are going to use a Phresh filter, i would recommend the Hyper fan since its a perfect fit with the filter and a very compact and quiet unit (and it comes with a built in speed controller). I believe Phresh makes the Hyper fan so that would explain why they fit together so well. I did research on fans for weeks before making a decision and the Hyper was the best bang for the buck in the short and long run IMO.

- The "duct silencer" from Phresh appears to just be a piece of egg crate foam padding inside of a piece of ducting. I am sure you can build one for a hell of a lot cheaper with some ducting and 2 reducers from home depot. For a 6" duct you would probably want to buy a section of 8" duct, attach some egg crate foam inside, and then rivet/tape a 8" to 6" reduction joint onto each end, Bam you have a duct silencer for a lot less than retail. If noise becomes a problem for me, i may end up building one of these and I'll throw up some instructions.

- Insulation around the ducting and fan will help with noise. Heat is not really much of a concern because the airflow from the fan will cool itself. Unless you are pulling really hot air non-stop i doubt you will have any overheating issues with a wrapped up fan/duct. Pretty sure most of these fans are rated to operate at 120*F since they are mainly used in heating ducts.
 
DabberDan

DabberDan

Member
Try using some egg cartons(the cardboard ones) and place them around the units that make the most noise. Should reflect and disburse some of the sounds your getting or if you are having a serious issue with it being too loud, get professional quality sound dampeners from guitar center.:bigjoint:
 
Rrog

Rrog

Well-Known Member
Dabber- super cool that you are helping, and the egg carton thought is common on the web.

The egg carton deal won't stop / reduce noise, however. It will reflect and diffuse the sound waves, just as you said.
 
FreedomFighter2014

FreedomFighter2014

Well-Known Member
I have a problem with the sound of the air being moved through the fan. I have a 450 CFM and standing on the other side of the wall it sounds like a dryer vent.
 
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