How to silence an industrial fan

If a fan installed in your production unit is particularly noisy, in order to silence it, you should first try to understand the exact cause. An industrial fan may be extremely noisy, because of its age or because it has not been looked after in the right way. 

In the first case, the fan most likely uses outdated technology, and to reduce its noise the only thing to do would be to replace it with a more modern solution. Modern brushless fans, for example, optimize efficiency and minimize vibrations, making the entire industrial fan much quieter. Latest generation asynchronous fans also have systems that significantly reduce their noise, and specialist technicians can carefully assess which exact model is the most suitable for your needs. 

If the noise problem is caused by poor maintenance, however, the intervention of specialist technicians can be decisive in cleaning blades, lubricating bearings, and reducing air vibrations. Carrying out periodic maintenance on the fans will allow you to keep the structure clean, thus preventing dust from increasing friction and making the movements of the blades less fluid and noisier.

Sound-insulating an industrial fan

If, despite regular cleaning and maintenance, the noise level remains high, one solution is to sound-insulate the fan structure. 

The noise of an industrial fan is generally by the impeller, which is located inside a housing. If the housing and flanges connected to it are not insulated, the noise can easily spread and get dramatically worse, even to the point of making the environment unbearable for workers. 

In addition to insulation, the fan should be equipped with a silencer, which blocks out the noise generated by the impeller and prevents vibrations from propagating through the system. If this element was not foreseen during the initial installation, or if it has worn out over time, and no longer works as it should, the work environment can become truly unbearable. 

Again, an inspection by a qualified technician is highly recommended, in order to verify the presence and integrity of the silencer, and intervene accordingly to make the fan quieter. 

At CMC, our experts work every day to design and create silent fans that improve the working environment of the production departments where they are installed. In our AMCA 210/ISO 5810 certified test chamber, to guarantee optimal solutions, we measure air flow rate, static and total pressure and decibels (db(A)) emitted by the unit, as well as its energy consumption. We also carry out maintenance interventions to keep fans working efficiently over time.