Quiet Loud Power/ Blower Hot Water Heaters

[HarveyCat]

It's in a two family that I bought and my bedroom is near these - any advice on how to quiet them? They sound like jet planes when running!

 

[Twowaxhack]

Make sure the room is supplied with plenty of fresh air.

It could be a bad blower fan or the venting touching the framing transmitting noise through the structure.

You’ll need to do some checking. Maybe have service call from a pro to check for excessive noise with the equipment.

I see the walls are cement block. Those are some of the best at stopping noise transmission through a structure

 

[HarveyCat]

Make sure the room is supplied with plenty of fresh air.

It could be a bad blower fan or the venting touching the framing transmitting noise through the structure.

You’ll need to do some checking. Maybe have service call from a pro to check for excessive noise with the equipment.

I see the walls are cement block. Those are some of the best at stopping noise transmission through a structure

Thanks for input! Unfortunately, the cement block is only the first floor - the vent pipes go up through and into all wood framing and also out through all wood framing. The vent two pipes could be and likely is in contact with some of this framing. Here is a photo as the exit the outside - just above the cement block. The home was built ten years ago - and one of the hot heaters was done last year - both make the same noise. In the photo you can see the outside air vent and the doors to the mechanical room are large and louvered so they do get plenty of air. I would like to minimize the air to the outside for the winter but I've done nothing.

 

[Twowaxhack]

Poor design and execution causes problems.

Good luck

 

[HarveyCat]

Poor design and execution causes problems.

Good luck

Could I lower the pipes and go through the cement block wall - would that quiet them?

 

[Twowaxhack]

Maybe, I’m not familiar with power vent units. We don’t install them here.

You’d need to review the install manual for those units.

 

[HarveyCat]

Maybe, I’m not familiar with power vent units. We don’t install them here.

You’d need to review the install manual for those units.

Would you just add an outside double wall chimney pipe?

 

[HarveyCat]

Anyone know about power vent units?

 

[breplum]

Not likely worth the cost of coring through the walls because so much of the noise is just radiated from the blowers themselves.
Tankless condensing water heaters are far more efficient and better designed.
I know that the Navien NPE A2 units are so quiet that in one case, it is mounted on a wood framed bedroom wall exterior and the owner reports he doesn't hear it and can sleep w/o a problem.