How loud is your stoker?

 
Qtown1835
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Post by Qtown1835 » Fri. Mar. 23, 2018 7:13 pm

StokerDon wrote:
Fri. Mar. 23, 2018 6:23 pm
The EFM is the quietest of the stokers that I have. I'm surprised how loud the Van Wert is, it's probably just as loud as an oil burner and not to far behind the Axeman.

-Don
Wonder if you could dampen the noise by insulating the feed pipe. Maybe fiberglass or some sort of rubber undercoating like linex or rhinoliner


 
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McGiever
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Post by McGiever » Fri. Mar. 23, 2018 9:42 pm

Qtown1835 wrote:
Fri. Mar. 23, 2018 7:13 pm
Wonder if you could dampen the noise by insulating the feed pipe. Maybe fiberglass or some sort of rubber undercoating like linex or rhinoliner
It has been done before...

Here is the video:
AA-130 Mods Video

Here is the thread:
Post by mr1precision - AA-130 Mods Video

 
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coaledsweat
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Post by coaledsweat » Fri. Mar. 23, 2018 10:01 pm

I wouldn't want to mute my Axeman, I can barely hear it and it sounds like cash register music! :D

 
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StokerDon
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Post by StokerDon » Sat. Mar. 24, 2018 11:30 am

Today I got a new reading on the Axeman Anderson 130M running on Rice coal. It came up with 72dB, slightly quieter than the Van Wert but louder than the EFM. It turns out that the 130M is actually a quiet running machine when the auger is muffled.

The results are:
Axeman Anderson 130M on Pea coal= 79dB
Van Wert VA-600 = 74dB
Axeman Anderson 130M on Rice coal= 72dB
Gentleman Janitor GJ-671SU with EFM S-15 stoker = 63dB

I added this result to the playlist.


-Don

 
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Sat. Mar. 24, 2018 12:15 pm

Thanks Don. Very thorough.

I did not check my EFM with the stoker cover removed, but I will - curious to see how close my number is yours.

 
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StokerDon
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Post by StokerDon » Sat. Mar. 24, 2018 6:36 pm

Rob R. wrote:
Sat. Mar. 24, 2018 12:15 pm
Thanks Don. Very thorough.

I did not check my EFM with the stoker cover removed, but I will - curious to see how close my number is yours.
Your welcome.

Today I was able to talk CoalKirk into helping our cause. We did the first sound check on his EFM DF-520 and the sound level was 69dB, not exactly quiet. We ended up replacing the coupler. Then we got 62dB. I am including the bad coupler sound level just for reference, in case someone doesn't know what they sound like.
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.
After that we figured, What the heck?, we'll check the oil boiler too. Bunham NPO-147 = 76dB. Just about as loud as the Axeman Anderson on Pea coal.

.



So now we have;
Axeman Anderson 130M on Pea coal= 79dB
Bunham NPO-147 = 76dB
Van Wert VA-600 = 74dB
Axeman Anderson 130M on Rice coal= 72dB
EFM DF-520 with bad coupler = 69dB
Gentleman Janitor GJ-671SU with EFM S-15 stoker = 63dB
EFM DF-520 with NEW coupler = 62dB

-Don

 
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Sat. Mar. 24, 2018 6:52 pm

Wow! That coupler was sure making a lot of noise.

I just checked my EFM with the stoker cover removed. 50 db.


 
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StokerDon
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Post by StokerDon » Sat. Mar. 24, 2018 6:57 pm

Rob R. wrote:
Sat. Mar. 24, 2018 6:52 pm
Wow! That coupler was sure making a lot of noise.
And if you thought your oil boiler made a lot of noise, you are correct, they do! :lol:

-Don

 
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CoalJockey
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Post by CoalJockey » Sat. Mar. 24, 2018 7:42 pm

Rob R. wrote:
Sat. Mar. 24, 2018 6:52 pm
Wow! That coupler was sure making a lot of noise.

I just checked my EFM with the stoker cover removed. 50 db.
The proof Is in the pudding right there Rob. My hearing is rather poor for my age and until now I just thought the Sid Harvey’s motor was noisier. Now we know for sure since your measurement without the cover. The Sid Harvey’s still seems like a very heavy and robust motor though and if I do replace it with a Marathon, it will make a fantastic spare.

 
k-2
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Post by k-2 » Sun. Mar. 25, 2018 4:51 pm

oliver power wrote:
Wed. Mar. 21, 2018 9:33 pm
My Kaa-2 boiler is very quiet. When stoking coal, I can hear a very slight crackle IF I standing next to the boiler. The combustion air fan is also very quiet, other than a once in a while squealing fit. The squealing comes, and goes. It's replacement fan is 20 steps away, if that. All in all, I would say the Kaa-2 stoker is whisper quiet.
I bought a spare replacement fan and it sat around for 16 yrs before the old one finally took a dump.
The pusher motor on the other hand only last 4 to 5 years. Its very small. Only noise at all is a slight hum from the fan.

 
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oliver power
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Post by oliver power » Sun. Mar. 25, 2018 9:26 pm

k-2 wrote:
Sun. Mar. 25, 2018 4:51 pm
I bought a spare replacement fan and it sat around for 16 yrs before the old one finally took a dump.
The pusher motor on the other hand only last 4 to 5 years. Its very small. Only noise at all is a slight hum from the fan.
Ya know K-2, you may be right. All this time I'm thinking it's the combustion fan. Just yesterday, I went down cellar, and heard the very slight fan noise. Timing was perfect, as about that time, the stoker started up. Instant squealing! The good part is; I have a spare stoker motor setting next to the spare fan. :)

 
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Post by Scottscoaled » Mon. Mar. 26, 2018 5:00 am

Just checked my Gentleman Janitor and it is pretty quiet at 54 Db. I think the motor is a bit loud and needs changing because it was grinding a little when it was getting assembled. Runs fine though.

 
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McGiever
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Post by McGiever » Mon. Mar. 26, 2018 9:42 am

StokerDon, Just for 'giggles', what reading do you get for your AA firing with the twisted belt for the auger removed.
Then some simple math will show how much sound the auger turning contributes. :idea:

 
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StokerDon
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Coal Size/Type: Rice, Chestnut and whatever will fit through the door on the Harman
Other Heating: Noth'in but COAL! Well, Maybe a little tiny bit of wood

Post by StokerDon » Mon. Mar. 26, 2018 7:10 pm

McGiever wrote:
Mon. Mar. 26, 2018 9:42 am
StokerDon, Just for 'giggles', what reading do you get for your AA firing with the twisted belt for the auger removed.
Then some simple math will show how much sound the auger turning contributes. :idea:
Good idea!
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Looks like about 72.5dB with the auger belt removed. Not really any improvement.

So now we have;
Axeman Anderson 130M on Pea coal= 79dB
Bunham NPO-147 = 76dB
Van Wert VA-600 = 74dB
Axeman Anderson 130M on Rice coal= 72dB
EFM DF-520 with bad coupler = 69dB
Gentleman Janitor GJ-671SU with EFM S-15 stoker = 63dB
EFM DF-520 with NEW coupler = 62dB

It looks to me as though the cell phone apps are coming up with much lower readings than the Sound Level Meter. I have an explanation for this. The Sound Level Meter has a flat frequency response form 32Hz to 10,000Hz. The microphone in a cell phone is probably around 500Hz to 8,000Hz. This leaves out a large part of the lower frequencies and probably a lot of mechanical noise.

-Don

 
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StokerDon
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Coal Size/Type: Rice, Chestnut and whatever will fit through the door on the Harman
Other Heating: Noth'in but COAL! Well, Maybe a little tiny bit of wood

Post by StokerDon » Thu. Feb. 21, 2019 7:19 pm

Since my 1959 Axeman Anderson 130M now has an auger speed of 1.7RPM rather than the factory 8 RPM, it is much quieter. I decided to do another sound level check. Still running on Pea coal, just slower.

It came out to 72dB. Since I have a separate auger motor with a switch now, I shut the auger motor off and got a 68dB reading.

So now we have;
Axeman Anderson 130M on Pea coal= 79dB
Bunham NPO-147 = 76dB
Van Wert VA-600 = 74dB
Axeman Anderson 130M on Rice coal = 72dB
Axeman Anderson 130M with a slow, 1.7 RPM auger on Pea coal = 72dB
EFM DF-520 with bad coupler = 69dB
Axeman Anderson 130M with the auger motor turned off = 68dB
Gentleman Janitor GJ-671SU with EFM S-15 stoker = 63dB
EFM DF-520 with NEW coupler = 62dB

So far the EFM is the quietest.

-Don


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