quieting a compressor down some

H

harborbill

Guest
I mentioned in another post that I mounted my air compressor in an ice chest, well I thought I would post some info and some pics.
I have a craftsman 1hp oiled compressor, it was loud being it is in the same small room that I airbrush in. I checked out alot of other methods for quieting down a compressor with an enclosure on the internet. That got me thinkinng and came up with a way of quieting down my compressor by about half. It's not real quiet but it is a whole lot better than without an enclosure.
So anyway, I used an ice chest that I got at Kmart. I started by bolting the lid to a 4 wheeled platform that I made. I moved the hinges of the chest to the narrow side of the chest. The chest it self hinges up from the lid. (picture an upside down ice chest)
On the bottom of the chest, I cut out 2 holes, one 4" for the intake and one 3" for the exhaust fan. The exhaust fan is a 110 volt computer fan, I believe it puts out 65cfm.
For the air intake, I tape a 12" squair furnace filter on top of the opening. The exhaust fan is mounted over the exhaust opening.
I removed the air compressor from the airtank and bolted the compressor to the lid. I made cutouts in the side of the chest for the air lines to exit the chest. I also mounted the airtank to the wheeled platform. I lined the inside of the chest with egg crate foam to help absorb some noise.
Next I sectioned off an area under my bench to house this setup. I lined the inside of this area with egg carton foam and carpeting. The front of the opening has a peice of carpet that is fastened with a screw to my bench post. If I need to do maintinence on the compressor I just take the screw out and swing the carpet away and pull out the compressor. With the carpet over the front, I left an opening so that the area could get fresh air. And that is my setup. I have a second 3 gallon airtank mounted on the other side of this area under the bench giving me 6 gallons of air capacity.
Here are the pic to go along with the description. Sorry the pics are not in order.
 

Attachments

  • comp6F.jpg
    comp6F.jpg
    124.5 KB · Views: 105
  • comp1F.jpg
    comp1F.jpg
    158.6 KB · Views: 109
  • comp2F.jpg
    comp2F.jpg
    148.8 KB · Views: 113
  • comp3F.jpg
    comp3F.jpg
    136.2 KB · Views: 106
  • comp4F.jpg
    comp4F.jpg
    161.6 KB · Views: 102
  • comp5F.jpg
    comp5F.jpg
    199.5 KB · Views: 89
Thanks airbrushtutor and stranger. After I made it, someone told me that I should look for an old ice chest, he told me the insulation they used to put between the layers of plastic was much better than what they use today. Made sense to me, alot of things were made better back then.
 
You are welcome :) . And yes it is true, the motto nowadays is build the stuff cheap and sell it expensive lol.
 
That is a pretty good idea right there. I have been wanting to try and muffle mine a little so when it does come on I can still hear the radio. It used to not bother me to much, but lately it seems to kick on when Alice Cooper is doing his freaky facts on his radio show. Haaa! Might give this one a go. Thanks for the info and pics.
 
Good idea m8, not only can you quieten down your compressor but you can store bourban at the same time...mmmm two of my greatest loves LOL
 
Ha, that's pretty sweet!!! My gears are already turning :) looks like I know what I'll be doing this weekend, lol!!


Josh
 
Glad I could inspire someone. Like I said, it cuts the noise by about half but hey, half the noise is better than all the noise.
If anyone has any questions, don't hesitate to ask. If I can help, I will. Or even if someone has a way to improve my setup, don't be afraid to speak up.
 
yep my campbells and hausfield , when it starts blow my mind and makes me want to to toss the airbrush and grab the brush again.. lol thanks to my diaphargm compresseor it is more quiet but thanks to you , i might have to engineer it with my know how and and add a resivor to it,,, knew it was possible but hell, i might give it a try now,,thanks
 
Great well thought out construction! Don't forget to turn it off when you're done airbrushing, lol!
 
Thanks everyone. Ignis, actually, I leave it on all the time. I have practicly no air leakage in the system. So even if I don't airbrush for 2 or 3 days, the compressor will only kick on once maybe twice and with all my different connections, I have maybe 25-30 feet of 1/4" air line.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thank you for the idea and explanation on how to create such a thing. Right now, as I am typing, I am not a very happy camper. Getting ready to airbrush and the GF starts yelling at me cause she trying to go to sleep. The noise from the compressor is not loud in the bedroom, as it's on the other side of the house. The STUPID dog however does not like the compressor and whines, shakes, and scratches at the door. She is a proud owner of a very special, weak, mamma's boy type of dog. I need to figure something out, because I enjoy airbrushing in the evening when I am trying to relax. I guess it's the cooler trick or the shotgun. Whatever silences the dog. <--- Just kidding. Good idea on the cooler , will give it a try.
 
Back
Top