joes79

I've been searching online for a compressor that won't bother my neighbors or wake up my family when in my garage at night. What are you using and how quiet is it?

Twin_Turbo

the hydrovanes are quiet but for the price it's cheaper to buy the neighbourhood some earmuffs

I would just get a ncie big piston type multi cylinder one so that it doesn't have to run as long to pressurize the tank and at lower rpm, then build a nice insulation booth around it and be done with it. The cast iron ones are the best, the aluminium ones are junk IMO, they tend to wear out quite rapidly. Eaton has some very nice ones.

Jughead

Quiet air compressor....that's an oxy-moron.

mrvette

TT is correct there if you have the bux/need for a compound/multi cyl compressor, but damn few of us have need for an 80 gallon tank either.....
and a grand worth of expense....

get a belt driven 5 hp...30 gallon, and build a shed for it with foam insulation, and a door for cooling aide when run extensively...

GENE

Jclgodale3

with sound deading foam board on the back and walls...
even quiet on yourself which is "more" important

Twin_Turbo

I like big tanks and multi cilinders, my tank is about 130 gallon with a v twin on top (it's all in the name ) and I still think it's too small, if you use a lot of air tools you'll need the biggest compressor and tank you can find, I may get an auxilary tank and put that in the attic and either get another compressor pump or put another one next to this one (have grooves left on the motor pulley) This one is running at the edge of safety valve pop off pressure, it sometimes opens a tad and you can hear it hiss

mayberg

I got this one because it was quiet, or quieter than most.

vetteboy1976kr

I have a 5hp 60 gallon Cambell Hausfeld from Lowes that I paid $425 for two years ago. I keep it in the back corner of my detached garage with no sound deadening around it. My house is about 35ft away and when it runs with the garage door shut, all I hear is a low hum. My closest neighbor is about 50ft away, and he says he never hears it. The only time it bothers me is if I am in the garage and it is running. Then I put in the earplugs!

Don't buy a 110v unit. I have yet to see one that can put out more than 8 cfm for long periods of time and last more than two years. TT is right about the aluminum one also. For the money I am very satisfied with what I got and can even run my sandblaster on it without any issues.

CA-Legal-Vette

TT is right. I had one of the rotary compressors that I inherited from a company that I worked for when it closed. When it ran, it was much quieter than my A/C unit. It did, however, need a separate storage tank and took up a fair bit of space. It also needed a separate drier. I had to get rid of them because my house power demands were exceeded. Sold them on EBay for a couple of grand years ago. Very expensive and not very common.

SanDiegoPaul

Yea they are noisey. Mine is a Sears 30 Gallon 5.5HP and even though I have it OUTSIDE the garage, I hate the noise. I know a guy who has an 80Gallon 2-cylinder compressor, belt driven that only makes half the noise mine does. His is inside his garage and doesnt' bother anyone.

Tom454

If you are going to do any serious work with it, you can't box the compressor head in.... it will self destruct due to the heat generated.
If I were going to box it in, I would set up a cooling fan to come on automatically with the compressor control. I media-blast with mine, and just had to tear it down for a rebuild. They get extremely hot when you run them continuously.

As posted above, stick with cast iron cylinders.
The oil-less units are the noisiest... even the current generation, relative to a belt-driven cylinder type.

Two things have helped for me...

Use a metal coffee can & some foam filters to fabricate an air intake filter box... this will cut down on some noise, and keep dust out of the intake.

You can remove the compressor head and relocate it somewhere away from the tank.... this allows you to place the compressor in a remote location where the noise may be less intrusive. However.... the (copper) line between the compressor and the tank will get VERY hot.... hot enough to melt the insulation off electrical wire, so be careful with your installation. Bought heavy gage (#10) rubber chord wire, maleable (soft) copper tubing from Home Depot & some fittings, lumber, and carriage bolts/nuts etc.

I mounted the compressor head (and a 220V 30 amp shut off switch) on 2 x 6's and put it in a chamber under a set of cinderblock/masonry stairs... where the tank will not fit... about 15 feet away from the tank & lines.... cut down on a lot of noise.

Jay M

I have that one also... And I chose it for how quiet it is.

The sales guy at Sears actually knew something about compressors the day I went to look at them. He plugged in several of them for me to listen to. That model is significantly quieter then the others they had.

I keep it in the garage and try not to run it past 9:30 at night. Our houses are very close together.

~Jay

Twin_Turbo

cooling fan? doesn't your compressor have the fan incorporated in the pulley? mine has, the big pulley/fan moves a whole lot of air.

68vertible

I have an Ingersol-Rand T30 80 gallon vertical tank. 7 hp 220V motor running a cast iron V-twin. It's noisy like many commercial compressors are, but you can cut down on the noise a bit by installing some sound deadening foam on adjacent walls and ceiling surfaces. Just be sure you leave plenty of space for cooling because things get hot. If you can't find any sheet foam, you can get some heavy movers blankets and hang them on the walls adjacent to the unit. Not as efficient, but anything that absorbs some of the reflected sound waves will help.

Tom454

The cooling fins on the compressor drive wheel/pulley are not anywhere near enough when you use the compressor "industrially".

When I took my Campbell/Hausfeld 7hp unit apart a few weeks ago, it was blowing "chunks" which plugged the unloader valve on the control, which proceeded to continuously drain the tank when it was shut off.
It would do this intermittently for quite a while. Finally, it would do it each time the compressor cycled. Each time it did it, I had to disconnect the lines to the unloader valve, remove & soak the valve in lacquer thinner, and clean out the chunks with a q-tip. On the compressor, I got away with replacing the head gasket, but it was a huge mess inside.... all from heat.

The head was so plugged up with carbon/burnt oil that it looked like somebody poured epoxy inside.

That little fan on the pulley is only good for "looks".... it should have been chromed.

Tom454

Did he show you any "cylinder type" compressors? Or, is that one a "cylinder" type?

The last time I was at Sears, they did not have any "Oiled" type compressors on display.... only "Oilless".

Those are noisy compared to the "Oiled" type, regardless. I have heard them side by side.

Here is some more comparison info... the difference between a noisy (oiless) compressor and a less noisy (oiled) one...


**************************************** ************************
Typical "Oil-less" compressor-

Sears item #00916732000 Mfr. model #16732
Fulll Product Description:
No assembly required
Sears Exclusive

Specs:

SCFM Delivery At 40 psi 8.6 SCFM
SCFM Delivery At 90 psi 6.4 SCFM
Compressor Tank Capacity 33 gal.
Maximum Compressor psi 150 psi
Compressor Regulator Yes
Compressor Tank Type Vertical portable
Amps 15.0
Horsepower 2 hp
Horsepower, Maximum Developed 2 hp
Wheel Number 2
Setup Fully assembled
Pressure Gauge Yes
**************************************** ************************

Typical "Oiled" compressor-

Sears item #00916625000 Mfr. model #C1071080VMS

Fulll Product Description:

A powerful industrial grade air compressor is the perfect addition to your shop
Dependable and long lasting belt-drive design
Heavy duty crankcase, crankshaft and cylinders provide long life even under rugged use
Large external fan for cooler operation
Two stage pump compressors air in 2 steps for more efficient and cooler operation

Specs:

Portability Stationary
Power Option Powered
Item Weight 552.0 lbs.
SCFM Delivery At 175 psi 25.1 SCFM
SCFM Delivery At 90 psi 27.2 SCFM
Compressor Tank Capacity 80 gal.
Maximum Compressor psi 125 psi
Compressor Tank Pump Style Oil Lube
Compressor Tank Type Vertical
Horsepower 7-1/2 hp
Type Electric
Cooling Fan Yes
Cooling Fan Type Internal
Cylinder Liner Cast iron
Electric Start Yes
Overall Color Blue
Electric Rating 220-240V AC
Cord Option Cordeduirements:
Setup Assembly may be required