Exhaust sound and how to mitigate?

[pdobrien]

I saw this posted on Facebook: http://www.instructables.com/id/Fume-Coffin-Laser-Cutter-Exhaust-Vent-Filter/

You may be able to use the same principles (an external blower + baffles) to quiet down the exhaust noise.

[mpipes]

@Sawa

They are pretty thin. If tapestry is the way to go, I’ll be a bit disappointed, it’d be difficult to tastefully intermingle wall scrolls and tapestry together, so the scrolls will have to go.

How about acoustical tile then? Or hang vertical panels of egg crate foam from the ceiling. You could arrange them so they form a paintball or laser tag obstacle field. LOL.

[dan]

@Sawa

The aluminum piping extends about a foot past the birch ply board duct taped to the window.

That’s likely the reason - using aluminum pipes instead of the included exhaust will dramatically increase the volume of the sound.

[Sawa]

I apologize for any misunderstanding or confusion, the aluminum piping I’m talking about is the flexpipe that came with it.

As shown here:

[PFI-Guy]

@lairdknox

Or use the 4" and just replace the existing hose.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/4-in-x-25-ft-Insulated-Flexible-Duct-R6-Silver-Jacket-F6IFD4X300/100396934

My concern is that the internal part of the insulated may not react well will the exhaust fumes/gases/materials and it is cheaper to replace the 4" dryer flex (and gives more damping capacity by multiple layers of material).

[lairdknox]

@PFI-Guy

@lairdknox

Or use the 4" and just replace the existing hose.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/4-in-x-25-ft-Insulated-Flexible-Duct-R6-Silver-Jacket-F6IFD4X300/100396934

My concern is that the internal part of the insulated may not react well will the exhaust fumes/gases/materials and it is cheaper to replace the 4" dryer flex (and gives more damping capacity by multiple layers of material).

There is that.

[dan]

@Sawa

I apologize for any misunderstanding or confusion, the aluminum piping I’m talking about is the flexpipe that came with it.

Ah! Sorry I misunderstood.

[Duality]

@dan, how does the noise of the unit with & without the GF filter compare?

[dan]

The noise without varies tremendously depending on how you position your exhaust vent, so it’s hard to say - can be louder or quieter, depending.

[Duality]

So I added the filter partially because it was sold as an odour solution inside a common office environment. But obviously if the thing sounds like a jumbo jet it will be unsuitable for an office environment.

Q1. Is the filtered GF deemed suitable for a typical open plan office environment?

Q2. Are there any dba specs?

[rpegg]

Looked at old posts to see whether you were close to a production or pre-release unit so that you could at least hear the Basic unit. South Africa? yeah, that’s not going to work. Sorry.

[palmercr]

I am guessing the noise would be loud enough to be irritating in a shared office. Similar to a vacuum cleaner. It would depend on how often it is used and the tolerance of the office members.

[dan]

We use it in an open office plan environment - it’s in the vacuum level of noise range. No dba specs, since it depends entirely on the speed at which the fans are run. That is one of the last system tuning tasks before we ship them (and will depend on things like materials being used etc).

[jrnelson]

in fairness, though, i think you guys probably make allowances automatically for laser noise

[Duality]

I have to admit, that’s a bit disappointing.
I plan to use our GF in the office next to the 3D printers. But the neighbours would want to know why we keep vacuuming…

I guess the engineering challenge is the noise created by drawing air through the filter. I asked before about having extract together with the filter. Perhaps there could be a future solution where there is a slim filter on the machine with an extraction duct where we could place the fan outside. It would not solve the problem completely but it might help. Or, even better, have a complete filter unit fixed to an external wall perhaps? There might be a fire hazard here, I don’t know.

Perhaps we coud build an attenuation box for it. But that won’t be easy.

[Duality]

Thanks @rpegg, yeah we’re out of orbit here…

[jrnelson]

@Duality

But the neighbours would want to know why we keep vacuuming…

really? i’ve lived in some thin-walled places but i don’t think something that sounds like a vacuum would bother my neighbors all the time.

[Duality]

In my experience as an architect I have found that sound is the single most perpetuating issue with respect to adjacent tenancies in both residential and office environments.

The other issue is of course working with vacuum in the room.

Sound is a challenge.

[jrnelson]

i don’t disagree, it’s just a lot of people seem to be posting about freaking out and disturbing the neighbors, but no one has bothered to ask the neighbors if it’s a problem. all i’m saying is to start there before anyone goes and spends a substantial sum in an attempt to abate the noise.

[Duality]

This might be because noise is relatively new information. The marketing of the filter unit is that it allows users the benefit of using their GF on a desk right in their office. And it’s well designed so that it can be proudly used in an office.

Now that more people are receiving their units, the sound issue seems to be surfacing.

We have 2 3D printers in the office and their noise levels are such that we can run them simultaneously without causing a nuisance.

If one uses the GF as infrequently as one’s vacuum cleaner, it may not be a problem. But we plan to use it a lot. GF are still fine-tuning noise levels apparently and have not published figures, but if the unit is too noisy, we’ll have to find a different home for it. In that case it will not be trivial for a lot of folk here.