Ventilation is critical for every workplace. Two of the biggest complaints about workplace ventilation are poor temperature control and excessive noise. Therefore, ventilation system noise control is important as well. High levels of noise can be distracting and prevent productivity. Loud noises can even be harmful to workers. Therefore, it’s important to consider how much noise the system will generate and what methods to use for ventilation system noise control. This should generally begin at the design phase to prevent noise issues in your workplace as well as the need for system modifications.
If you need industrial ventilation equipment or system design, contact our team today for a quote.
What is Ventilation System Noise Control?
Ventilation system noise control is basically how ventilation specialists reduce unnecessary and excessive noise coming from your industrial ventilation systems. There are many pieces of equipment in ventilation systems that can create noise. This may lead to uncomfortable or even unhealthy workplace environments for workers. Noise control practices help reduce and prevent these high noise levels to improve productivity and safety.
Potential Sources of Noise in Industrial Ventilation Systems
Noise can come from many different sources in ventilation systems. There’s a lot of equipment involved in keeping your interiors comfortable by controlling temperature, humidity, and contaminants. Excessive noise can generate from any number of sources if a ventilation system is not properly designed or installed. The most common culprits are the fans and ducting. These are not only common components for building ventilation but also for dust collectors and other extraction systems designed to improve indoor air quality.
Strategies for Ventilation System Noise Control
There are many strategies we may use for ventilation system noise control. Generally speaking, it’s best to address noises at the source, though this isn’t always possible. In these cases, we may recommend certain locations for equipment or sound absorbing equipment. Much of the ventilation system noise control starts during the design phase to prevent excessive noise in your building.
Ventilation System Noise Control at the Source
Like with many things, it’s usually best to address problems at the source. When it comes to ventilation system noise control, this means finding what’s causing the noise and taking steps to stop or reduce it. There are several different ways to do this, depending on the exact problem.
Choosing Quieter Equipment
One way to reduce noise from industrial ventilation systems is to select quieter equipment. When we design a ventilation system, the goal is to choose the quietest equipment that will still be effective at addressing the specific needs of your building.
For instance, fans usually have a sound rating in addition to other listed specifications like volume and speed. Of course, it’s critical to choose a fan with the capabilities needed to provide cooling or contaminant removal, but there may be quieter models than others that fit within those requirements.
In some cases, quieter equipment may be more expensive up front. However, keep in mind that long-term costs for noisy ventilation equipment are often much higher. First, they cost you in productivity and potential fines from OSHA for excessive noise. Also, modifying the equipment later for noise reduction is often more costly than investing in quiet equipment in the first place.
Keep Industrial Ventilation Systems in Good Condition
Another key practice for ventilation system noise control is maintaining your equipment. With age and neglect, many pieces of ventilation equipment may create more noise due to imbalances, improper lubrication, loose mounting, and other issues. Having a proactive maintenance plan not only increases the expected service life of your ventilation equipment, but can help control ventilation noise.
Ensure Equipment is Installed Correctly
Additionally, it’s necessary to choose the right team to install your ventilation systems. Not only is the design of a ventilation system important, so is the installation. Poor installation can increase noise in your facility. For instance, imagine an improperly mounted fan. The motion from the fan could cause surrounding materials to vibrate if not installed in the correct location, on the right type of material, and with the right connections. Those vibrations can create sound that can quickly become a nuisance.
Reduce the Amount of Noise Generating Equipment Used
Sometimes, less is more. You should never skimp on industrial ventilation systems. They are, after all, essential for indoor air quality and comfort. However, if you can achieve the same level of ventilation with less equipment, this means fewer potential noise sources. For example, placing fans strategically to maximize air flow and comfort in work areas often means you need fewer fans. This has the added benefit of fewer equipment and operation costs as well, so it’s a win-win. Of course, this means you need a ventilation specialist who knows how to fully optimize the use of every single piece of equipment in your building.
Reducing Fan Speeds for Ventilation System Noise Control
Sometimes, noise is from simply operating your fans at speeds that are too high. Fans operating at higher speeds tend to create more sound. In some cases, simply reducing the speed can cure a lot of your noise problems. However, if fans are too slow for their intended operations, then they may fail to exhaust harmful contaminants, increase airflow, or keep interiors cool. So, this is something to keep in mind. It’s a delicate balance, so your ventilation specialists will help you decide if slower fans are really a good option.
Designing Ducting for Easy Airflow
Ductwork is another potential source for noise. If the flow exiting the ductwork has a velocity that is too high, it can create undesirable noise. Part of ventilation system noise control during the design phase is making sure that all the ducts are optimized for airflow. This generally means making sure the outlets have a good design with acceptable velocities.
Moving Noise Generating Equipment
Whenever we can’t address noise at the source, then we may recommend moving noisy equipment as far away from the workers as possible. The farther away the noise source is, the quieter it will seem to building occupants.
In some cases, this may mean creating noisy and quiet zones. Basically, the noisy zones would contain all the noise generating equipment possible, hidden ideally behind heavy walls with good insulation to absorb the noise. The quiet zone would contain the less noisy equipment that is needed in the work area, like fans for cooling.
Sound Absorption for Ventilation System Noise Control
Another option is to absorb the sound waves before they can reach workers’ ears. There are several potential ways to do this, depending on the exact source of the noise. However, they all work in about the same way. Noise absorbing materials either redirect sound or absorb it so the sound waves become disrupted. Both can make the noise quieter in industrial ventilation systems. For noisy ducting, this usually involves lining with sound absorbing materials. For fans, this may involve fan silencers. Other equipment, particularly noise sources that create high levels of noise, may need acoustic enclosure to isolate the noise completely.
Industrial Ventilation Solutions from Eldridge
When you need ventilation solutions, contact our team at Eldridge. We specialize in industrial ventilation systems and work with a variety of applications to create successful work environments for people, products, and processes. Our team designs, installs, and maintains ventilation systems using top quality equipment from trusted manufacturers. Get in touch today to request a quote for your ventilation system needs.