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4 WAYS TO QUIET A NOISY MACHINE
Product Testing & Information
Treat the Room
- Maximum Noise Reduction: 6-9 decibels (30-40% decrease in loudness)
- Advantages: No inconvenience to workers
- Disadvantages: Almost all of the room must be treated regardless of the size of the noise source.
- “QFA” – Quilted Fiberglass Sound Absorption Products (like the Insul-Quilt Sound Absorbing Blanket), Polyvinyl Hanging Acoustic Baffles, or Sanitary Acoustic Baffles, depending upon specifics of application.
Treat the Wall Behind the Noise
- Maximum Noise Reduction: 1-2 decibels if noise source sprays noise out into room, 4-6 decibels if noise is sprayed directly onto wall (such as noisy vent on the back of a machine).
- Advantages: No inconvenience to workers
- How much QFA? Treat the wall behind the machine with about twice the square footage of the “noise shadow” of the machine on the wall.
Build a Barrier or Partial Enclosure
- Maximum Noise Reduction: 6-15 decibels
- Advantages: Very good noise reduction
- Concerns: May have to incorporate view windows for visibility and/or sliding panels for access.
- What Size? At a minimum, 8′ high. Typically they should be double the height of the noise source.
- “BSC” or “BBC” sound absorption/noise barrier composites
Build a Complete Noise Enclosure
- Noise Reduction: Up to 20-30 decibels
- Advantages: Maximum noise reduction
- Concerns: May have to incorporate view windows for visibility and/or sliding panels for access as well as ventilation baffle(s) for air flow.
- “BSC” or “BBC” sound absorption/noise barrier composites.
