Roundup of stoves by db?

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Status
Not open for further replies.
WayneCoBurner said:
I dont think i'm going to buy another stove this year. What I would like is one of the hearth trade groups do a review of there stove standards so the public can make an informed dicision.

Maybe you can take it from here. Do to the fact that I am gramiticly chalanged and it tends to piss people off.

Consumer reports did a field study on pellet stove a while bad. Maybe some one can post the info or a link. Not sure if they measured the noise levels.

If you want I can inquire the db levels from a contact at Enviro I have? As long as you promise to except the readings they provide. I really don't think anyone in the NE area is willing to just go out and do field studys on stoves. Most local dealers don't have every stove set up and it would also require extensive travel. I don't have the time or equipment to do it.

Is there anyone out there with the equipement to this type of study? I am sure there are several, but you probably will not see that done for free. We have an outside contractor do the noise studies in the factory I work at. Its usually done on a yearly basis and required by Osha to have it done. I can tell you it isn't cheap to have done.

Here is an interesting article if you like to read.

http://www.avlelec.com/epa_noise.html
 
jtakeman said:
WayneCoBurner said:
I dont think i'm going to buy another stove this year. What I would like is one of the hearth trade groups do a review of there stove standards so the public can make an informed dicision.

Maybe you can take it from here. Do to the fact that I am gramiticly chalanged and it tends to piss people off.

Consumer reports did a field study on pellet stove a while bad. Maybe some one can post the info or a link. Not sure if they measured the noise levels.

The Consumer reports article is completely worthless. if you're on this site, you already know more than they do

The problem with doing noise measurement in a dealer show room is that there has to be no other source of noise:
no other stoves running,
no telephone ringing
no traffic going by outside

as to noise - using the chart that was posted, if I had to guess, I would say that my Harmon accentra insert, running fult tilt, is somewhere in the low 60's
 
Anton Smirnov said:
WayneCoBurner said:
Here is one way to go about it.

This is the CF in the Bixby

74 dba

http://www.ebmpapst.us/allpdfs/R2E220.PDF

Uhm, isn't that above the threshold for hearing loss?
seems to me that that stove should not be placed in a frequently used room.

No. 70dB is nowhere near the threshold of hearing loss (I dont know where the previous poster came up with this number). see here:

http://www.sengpielaudio.com/TableOfSoundPressureLevels.htm
 
BJN644 said:
HopeItBurns said:
Honda Gnerator EU2000i at 59 dbA at ordinary conversation.

Just my 2 cents...

I love my Honda generator, but it doesn't throw as much heat as the Harman and stinks up the living room.

I love my EU2000i also but plan on using it to POWER my Harman Advance when Edison screws up. Unfortunately the power only went out for 2 minutes today. ;)

I do wish stove makers posted their db readings. Decibels are not a linear scale, 60 may be 10 TIMES louder than 50.
Keep burning, Jay
 
I used a db meter at 6 ft. away from front of stove. Running on 4 (medium output) 55db on my US Stove insert. Not to sure what wayne county was trying to measure with the CF data from fan most of the noise is from RF and the way it routes through discharge passages of stove.

Schoondog
 
WayneCoBurner said:
Hi folks

I have a bixby an its just to loud for me. I love the stove it works great, but before I purchase another stove I was wondering if we could get together an get some db readings.

I thinking Omega or M55 an kicking the bixby to the barn.

Here are some EPA recommendation's.

Inside buildings yearly Ldn levels protect public health and welfare if they do not exceed 45 dB.

Most pellet stoves (all the ones I`ve seen and heard) are not as noisey as my oil furnace. Yeah, in the beginning they can be a little annoying but after a while the noise becomes tolerable and you actually get accustomed to it. It become a normal ambient noise and you do adjust to it.
However , if this Bixby is too much for you the simple solution is to sell it. Use the proceeds to get something else that makes less noise.
If noise is a primary concern you are going to have to use your own ears . Compling a list of db ratings on pellet stoves isn`t going to be a quick or easy task.
 
I should buy a db meter. Would be interesting to use in our showroom. I'll give you the rundown based on "perception" on the products we sell and burn.
1. Europa. I can't even tell it's running from my desk which is about 20 feet away unless it's on setting 5 which I never use
2. Magnum Countryside. A little bit of a shocker here. The stove is not overly impressive as far as technology goes, but it is quiter than all stoves we run except the Europa
3. St Croix Hastings
4. Regency GF-55 (made by enviro) Pretty darn loud
5. Enerzone Bio-45 (Same as drolet and osbourne) Verrrry loud
 
schoondog said:
I used a db meter at 6 ft. away from front of stove. Running on 4 (medium output) 55db on my US Stove insert. Not to sure what wayne county was trying to measure with the CF data from fan most of the noise is from RF and the way it routes through discharge passages of stove.

Schoondog

When I would build computers an overclock them I used the manufacture specs on there fans to get an idea of how loud the computer would be. As a rule of thumb the computer wouldn't be any louder then the heat sink fan. An the db's would drop as soon as you closed the computer case.
 
MichaelG said:
Anton Smirnov said:
WayneCoBurner said:
Here is one way to go about it.

This is the CF in the Bixby

74 dba

http://www.ebmpapst.us/allpdfs/R2E220.PDF

Uhm, isn't that above the threshold for hearing loss?
seems to me that that stove should not be placed in a frequently used room.

No. 70dB is nowhere near the threshold of hearing loss (I dont know where the previous poster came up with this number). see here:

http://www.sengpielaudio.com/TableOfSoundPressureLevels.htm


Your information just confirms mine.

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/epa-protective-noise-level-d_720.html
 
Years ago when i was in a rock band we had to have our record mastered. We went to a studio and sat in a room that was shaped like an egg. If you clapped your hands behind your back you could feel it but could hardly hear it. Freaky. When we left the studio 20 hrs later the sound of a car going down the street was enough to shake you out of your skin.

If you want a very quite stove you are going to have to pay for it. It may be cheaper and easier to create some sound baffling with art work, carpet and furniture. Be sure that anything made with stampled metal on the outer skin will rattle somewhat over time. I think Ecoteck is ceramic. I watched one of these stove for an hour and was really impressed.
 
We have owned an Earth Stove (Traditions) (WP50) a Quad 1000 and now have the Whitfield Prodigy and the Advantage II T

The Quad is noisy, no other way to say it.

The Earth stove was fairly quiet until you cranked up the dual room air blowers.

The Little Whitfield Prodigy is fairly quiet as is the Advantage II

Keeping noise down to a minimum is a matter of sound deadening materials being installed in the cabinet to dampen the motor noise.

Likely the largest amount of noise is going to come from the room air blower/s and the exhaust/draft fans.

The auger motors make very little noise.


The Pellet furnace like the Quads I think make the most noise. The small stoves tend to make the least.


As was mentioned, go to a deal/dealers and listen to them while they run.

Anytime you run fans you are going to have noise.

The cabinet construction can add to or detract from the noise level by how well it is insulated.

There is also the tendency for the sheet metal panels to resonate and or vibrate from the internal components.

Take 10 stoves of the same make and model. One will be very quiet, one will be very noisy and the others will be scattered out between.

Move a stove after it has been run for a few seasons and hook it up at your house and it may sound all together different than it was originally.

Placing a stove hearth over the carpet and pad goes a long way in damping out stove noises.

Placing the hearth on a hard floor can allow vibrations to telegraph through the structure of the house.

I have been around many makes and models of pellet stoves and have not heard any that I felt were way too noisy.

If you want absolute silence, I doubt that you will find it.



Good luck

Snowy
 
What would be nice is the make model and serial # or DB readings from the convection fan.
 
When I was shopping for an insert last Fall, a quiet stove was the most important feature, next to reliability. The Accentra insert was too loud, but in fairness, it is a very big insert. I found it to be louder than the Mt. Vernon. I didn't need 40,000+ BTUS so I focused on the Castile /Santa Fe and the Enviro Empress/Milan. From my primitive showroom testing, I could not determine which of those four was the quietest and would have chosen on pricing and looks. I then brought my wife to view all four, up and running (not an easy task) and she fell in love with the look of the Santa Fe (my least fav. style) and it just happened to be the least expensive (on sale) by several hundred $$. We purchased the Santa Fe and installed it before Thanksgiving. Noise has been a non factor. Sometimes, there is a rattling which when given a tap, goes away, but the fan noise has never been an issue. The blower fan has 3 settings. High, Med., Low. Here are the Db readings from exactly 10ft, sitting on a couch , directly in front of the insert @ 3' high.

Low--- 54

Med.--- 59

High--- 62

Btw she says it's the best purchase I've ever made.
 
Now if we could get the specs on the convection fan, from that we would have an idea how much the db's drop when it's placed in the stove. 6 or 7 more, then we can start drawing some conclusion just by look at the specs of the convection fans. Then maybe we could make some informed decessions.

Thanks for the info.
 
If you're that curious get a db meter and go to a dealer that sells several brands. They will run them for you and you can measure the levels yourself. Or could just listen to them and see if they're too loud for you.
 
I guess the thought of gathering information an posting on site dedicated to stoves about stoves is to much for people to grasp, why dont we just sit hear an chit chat. Lets not concern are selfs with things like BTU's, DB's and efficiency. Lets concern are self's with moving are decor around to make are stoves quieter.
 
WayneCoBurner said:
I guess the thought of gathering information an posting on site dedicated to stoves about stoves is to much for people to grasp, why dont we just sit hear an chit chat. Lets not concern are selfs with things like BTU's, DB's and efficiency. Lets concern are self's with moving are decor around to make are stoves quieter.
I believe there is some possible solutions listed here http://forum.iburncorn.com/viewtopic.php?t=12383&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
 
Status
Not open for further replies.