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A few easy ways to have a quiet compressor. Buy a good industrial compressor like a Quincy, Ingersol Rand etc not a cheap home depot type of unit. The better compressors run quieter. If you plumb the air intake to bring air in from the outside of the equipment room most of the noise will end up outside not in the equipment room. They make several types of mufflers for compressors that go on the intake and that will quiet them down. In a pinch you could use a car muffler with welded on threads to go on the intake to suppress noise. You could also put the compressor outside if the climate you are in is not too bad. A screw compressor is very quiet but must run all the time and is more money.
I like the muffler idea---and intake outside would be good---We have put sound blankets on pumps and really try to cut down on noise----We would put air in pre soak to the auto bay when we go from dual pipe arch to single pipe-
The first thing I do after an Air Compressor is broken in is change the motor pulley to a smaller pulley. This makes the Air Compressor pump run slower. The slower they run the quieter they are, the cooler they run the longer they will last. Its heat and speed that kill a compressor. The noisy high speed oil less Air compressors that most box stores sell now are nothing more than junk and will not last in a car wash very long. Moving the air intake outside helps cut down the noise like Soapy said. I know of some operators who have put the Air Compressor up in the attic. Putting noise blankets on equipment is asking for trouble they need air circulation to keep them cool.
I am assuming that the screw air compressor that you are referring to is also called a rotary air compressor. Has anyone on the forum been successful using a rotary compressor in a self service or even in an IBA or tunnel setting or anywhere else?
One time a local compressor saleman was saying that they were in general far superior to the more common piston type. At a big Laundry Clean Show in 2007 there was a large booth that had me convinced that their rotary compressors tended to be permanently trouble free & of course ---- wonderfully quiet. They never mentioned that they had to run constantly like Soapy is saying --- they just went into the "pay more up front posture" but long term wise we would be ahead!
I have looked at rotary pumps too---they cost $3000 and up--i plan to get the vertical tank with pump on to for under $1000---ebay has new ingersaul with free ship at this pricing-High Noise is not funny---all of us here have loss of hearing and or tinnitus. The rule is if you talk in a normal voice and the other person cannot hear clearly---it,s too noisy---?
OK, I'm going to ask this- Why did you build your equipment room in a library?
Do you really spend that much time in there? And if so, is a set of earmuffs hanging at the door not a reasonable solution?
Getting back on topic- I just purchased a 5hp quincy and it's pretty quiet. It is much quieter than any IR I have owned. They make another model that has an insulated cabinet around it. They are expensive, but if the noise of the compressor is affecting the way you run your business you need to invest in one.
As Randy indicated you can slow a compressor down even further with a change in pulleys or a VFD and make it more quiet, but you may need to call your company's tech support line. Some splash-lubricated models need a certain RPM maintained to ensure proper lubrication.