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Neighbors with noise conpliant


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Just now, ThomasPowers said:

Hand crank blowers can be quite quiet, electrically powered ones can be very annoying!

I have been looking for a hand crank blower for a while and I can't find them in the uk. 

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On 3/21/2018 at 4:42 PM, ThomasPowers said:

Hand crank blowers can be quite quiet, electrically powered ones can be very annoying!

Funny enough, my electric blower is much quieter then my champion 400 with the bearings that sound like gravel. ( tho it is in line for an overhaul.) 

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Charles, I got my hand pump you suggest. It seems like it will work great for charcoal. Can't wait to try it out.

The bearings on some of the old blowers didnt fare well to any moisture (rust) and not easily replaceable.

I'm pretty spoiled with my electric blower but am not afraid to use a large double lung bellows. Have used one and enjoyed it.

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You can get yourself a small bounce house blower.  They sell small, 1/8 and 1/6 horsepower blowers for small yard inflatables that are very quiet and produce excellent volume and pressure.  I believe mine is from the brand Xpower.  It is all black.  It was rather cheap for something so quiet and effective.

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6 hours ago, Charles R. Stevens said:

When you are as hair brained as I am, bellows and crank blowers are a god send. I have found I like chain saw bar oil the best for the hand cranked blowers. 

Thanks for that tip Charles! My brother just happens to have a 55 gallon barrel of it!

Looks like I'm going on a raid!

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  • 1 month later...

Just resurrecting this thread as I have a similar problem. I've been forging in my back yard in a suburban area in the UK off and on over the winter and have just put up a roof to cover my anvil etc so that I'm not limited to only forging when the weather is good. Yesterday I did my first bit of work in the hot weather we've been having (I've previously only forged in colder weather). I've not had any complaints from the neighbours before, but today one of them came over to say that the noise was unbearable as, due to the hot weather, they now wanted to sit outside and have windows open. The issue isn't the anvil noise but the (admittedly very loud) little propane forge I'm using. Trouble is we're at an impasse - I can't see how I can quiet the thing down significantly and that means no forging without some seriously UPSET neighbours. I get that I could just give them two fingers and keep going until the council get involved but that's not a very productive long term approach. My forge is a single burner, open-ended setup so I'm wondering if forges with doors on are much quieter or if I need to be looking into a coal forge with a hand crank blower or something. Not that I have the money to spend at the minute. And advice or further recommendations appreciated.

 

Watch your language the way you did it is just as bad as using the word.

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Yeah, they do go away for stretches as they are a retired couple. The downside is that being retired they are always in, so if I'm about during work hours it's still a no go. Might look into coal forge plans and get an idea for what sort of costs I'm looking at.

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Think of the sound from the gas forge as a billiard ball. You have a straight shot toward their house and window. Reorient the forge 90 degrees to try to aim the sound away from the house. Set up a sound deflector at say 45* to reflect the noise from the forge UP. A hard surface will work better than a soft surface. The closer to the sound source, the smaller the reflector would need to be.

There are threads on the site about how deal with sound. These include hanging sound absorbing materials in random patterns. Thin carpeting will help and can be hung and removed between the forge and their house as you need to work. 

Take photos and sound Db measurements before and after so you can tell if your efforts are working. Take readings of no noise, when the neighbor cuts the grass, and street noise.  This is all good information to present if the council gets involved. There is a thread on the site referencing an sound app that can be added to your cell phone.

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The one claw salute is reserved for winery neighbors that are a pain in the back side, not nice retired couples you like. Personaly I agree gas’s forges sound like jet engines (they neirly are, just ad a turbocharger to the mix) sertainly a brick garden wall would work but may not be practical.

A solid fuel forge can be as simple as a box of subsoil from your garden and a bit of of gas pipe (don’t use a hair drier or vacuumed for air they are as irritating as a gas forge). Alldays and Onions forges seem to come up in boot sales on your side of the pond and The Iron Dwarf (IFI member and British) manufactures a nice small bottom blast forge as well.  

Lastly a blown gas burner might be quieter (if one can source a quiet but effective blower) 

I am certain that a willingness to try to fix the problem, a pint or two and a forged peace offering will help you reach a middle ground. 

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There are many inexpensive ways to make a coal forge. No need to spend much unless you want to. A good quiet blower might be the biggest expense. 

Dont forget to consider that coal smokes a lot whe getting it started or adding fresh coal to the fire. Consider winds and how close you are to other houses. A stack can be added even to an outside coal forge to help direct smoke up and further then it hanging lower. 

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The only way to stop noise is to build a shed around your forge. A gas forge in the open in a suburban backyard if you are close to the fence is a recipe for conflict. And if you go coal, they will complain about the smoke, hammer noise, and then the grinder noise and the rattling of the steel stock when you look for something. If you had neighbours that work during the day you wouldn't have problems. 

Another consideration is ... what are the local council rules. is your workshop considered a hobby? What is the level of noise in decibels measured from your neighbours nearest window? 

You'll find that councils have a window like 7am to 7pm for building noise and no one can say a thing about it. Same for pool pumps and aircon. Similar rules for a hobby workshop may be the case. Find out everything you know, including the real noise impact to you neighbours. Once you know where you stand, you can reason with your neighbour on the lines of ... I have the right to do what I do (If you actually do) but ... etc... and here you are the good guy. Best of luck :)

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