Fan Noise Dampening with Rubber Washers

[bladedwing]

Have any of you tried using rubber washers (like the ones you get at home depot for plumbing and stuff) to use as a silencer for fans? I want to make mine quieter as they are louder that I would like...

I know that you can buy those fan dampener kits from Vantec or such, but I cant seem to find those at any retailer where I live... and I would rather not spend all the extra $$$ shipping from Newegg.

 

[Binky]

You'll need something softer than normal black rubber washers. Find something made of a softer silicone rubber.

These are onlly $5 shipped. It's enough for two fans. They work pretty well.
http://www.svc.com/afm02b-8.html

 

[Zap]

Have any of you tried using rubber washers (like the ones you get at home depot for plumbing and stuff) to use as a silencer for fans? I want to make mine quieter as they are louder that I would like...

Is your fan noisy from vibration, or from the whooshing of air? Soft mounting the fan only fixes the vibrational noise. You can tell which kind it is by holding on to the fan cage while it is running, to dampen it. If it gets much quieter, then it is vibrational noise.

 

[zagood]

Also, using a rubber washer inbetween a fan and case while using stock metal fan screws won't make much of a difference (vibrations are still transferred to case via the screws). You can either use zip-ties, or go the extra mile and get silicon fan mounts like these: http://www.endpcnoise.com/cgi-bin/e/std/sku=nexus_fan_mounts

My favorites are the Noctuas but I don't believe you can buy them seperately from their fans.

Another mod that I'm going to probably do on my next case is using grommets like these: http://www.mnpctech.com/FanGrommet.html. You drill out a larger fan mount hole and mount directly to these instead of the case.

 

[ehume]

Also, using a rubber washer inbetween a fan and case while using stock metal fan screws won't make much of a difference (vibrations are still transferred to case via the screws). You can either use zip-ties, or go the extra mile and get silicon fan mounts like these: http://www.endpcnoise.com/cgi-bin/e/std/sku=nexus_fan_mounts

My favorites are the Noctuas but I don't believe you can buy them seperately from their fans.

I tried the rubber washers. The screws just transmit the vibes. So, far, the Nexus isolators are the best I have found - I ordered a set of all I could find so I could compare them.

Doubt the grommets will be as helpful as the isolators, but if you try them please let us know the results.

I have seen zip ties + foam. That looks really good.

Also, don't forget to put damping materials on your side panels. It makes a big difference.

 

[bladedwing]

You'll need something softer than normal black rubber washers. Find something made of a softer silicone rubber.

These are onlly $5 shipped. It's enough for two fans. They work pretty well.
http://www.svc.com/afm02b-8.html

I was looking for something similar where I live also... unfortunately the place you mentioned doesn't ship to Canada. Fortunately, I did find a writing pad/gluing pad laying around the house made of a flexible silicone rubber... I'm going to cut a "fan gasket" or "fan corners/grommets" out of it and see what happens.

Is your fan noisy from vibration, or from the whooshing of air? Soft mounting the fan only fixes the vibrational noise. You can tell which kind it is by holding on to the fan cage while it is running, to dampen it. If it gets much quieter, then it is vibrational noise.

Basically it's a combination. If the fan is not attached to the case when it is on it is, i'd say, about 1/2 as noisy. But basically the idea is to reduce it as much as possible.

Also, using a rubber washer inbetween a fan and case while using stock metal fan screws won't make much of a difference (vibrations are still transferred to case via the screws). You can either use zip-ties, or go the extra mile and get silicon fan mounts like these: http://www.endpcnoise.com/cgi-bin/e/std/sku=nexus_fan_mounts

My favorites are the Noctuas but I don't believe you can buy them seperately from their fans.

Another mod that I'm going to probably do on my next case is using grommets like these: http://www.mnpctech.com/FanGrommet.html. You drill out a larger fan mount hole and mount directly to these instead of the case.

Let me know how that goes.... basically my idea was to take a hot gluing pad that is made of silicone rubber (very flimsy and soft, so it might work), cut some fan gaskets out of it, drill a hole for the screws, and cushion them both where the fan contacts the inside of case and where the case contacts the screw on the outside of case.

 

[zagood]

I don't have any new projects planned so it would be a while before I'd use those.

As long as a standard metal screw uses the case threads, vibration will be transferred. You need to decouple the fan from the case as much as possible. So if you're drilling out the mounting holes themselves so the screw uses pressure instead of threads to hold everything steady you'll be fine.

An old member, Galvanized Yankee taught me this ghetto "silent" mount, it went like this...

Ziptie > washer > rubber > fan > rubber > case > rubber > washer > cutoff end of another ziptie.

The washers are optional, just spreads out the pressure between the ziptie ends and the rubber. First time I did it, I cut out some neoprene from a trashed wetsuit for the rubber. Works very well, not very elegant but cheap and easily replaceable.

 

[Antec1200]

i'm a beginning enthusiast. Thanx guys... ehume i recently noticed your posts at forums. I respect your knowledgable input. Anandtech forums rock!

Question: I will be buying this fan controller http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811999230 to use with these fans http://jab-tech.com/Scythe-Gentle-Typhoon-120mm-x-25mm-Fan-3000-RPM-D1225C12B7AP-29-pr-4785.html#

Do I still need this http://www.svc.com/4to3ad.html ?

Thank you much

 

[stahlhart]

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catal...x&cPath=60_325

I've had good luck with the Lamptron set with open chassis fans and the Nexus ones for closed fans.

 

[Antec1200]

also, I just bought these http://www.jab-tech.com/Nexus-Ultra-Soft-Silicon-Fan-Mounts-pr-3778.html

Do people usually also install fan gaskets? I figure the screw vibrations will be taken care of. Now I wanna reduce vibrations between the fans & the case. Anyone know if they sell 200mm fan gaskets for my Antec1200 top fan? Please advise. Thank you

 

[gevorg]

The rubber mounts reduce only the noise caused by fan assembly vibration to the metal case/etc, if there is any. The rubber mounts do *not* (or just barely) reduce the actual fan noise, which actually gives most of the noise. So to reduce fan noise, you need to lower the RPM or get a quieter fan (or combination of both). You can also add case damping, increase fan size so you can lower RPM, use PWM fans, etc. For more info, see:

http://www.silentpcreview.com

 

[EarthwormJim]

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catal...x&cPath=60_325

I've had good luck with the Lamptron set with open chassis fans and the Nexus ones for closed fans.

Those rubber mounts have failed on me after a couple years of use. The rubber hardens and they shrink. I've had two fans fall right on my GPU from using those things.

 

[stahlhart]

Those rubber mounts have failed on me after a couple years of use. The rubber hardens and they shrink. I've had two fans fall right on my GPU from using those things.

Which ones -- the Akust or the Lamptron? I want to know where to cup my hands inside the case and get ready for it.

 

[EarthwormJim]

Which ones -- the Akust or the Lamptron? I want to know where to cup my hands inside the case and get ready for it.

The Akust style ones did not last long for me.

If I remember correctly, the Lamptron ones are less rubbery and are more durable. I still wouldn't use them though.

A better system would be to stick a grommet in the fan screw hole in the case. This will then support the fan screw, kind of like how Lian Li does it on the A05NB's fans.

http://www.mnpctech.com/Grommet.html

 

[Interitus]

An old member, Galvanized Yankee taught me this ghetto "silent" mount, it went like this...

Ziptie > washer > rubber > fan > rubber > case > rubber > washer > cutoff end of another ziptie.

The washers are optional, just spreads out the pressure between the ziptie ends and the rubber. First time I did it, I cut out some neoprene from a trashed wetsuit for the rubber. Works very well, not very elegant but cheap and easily replaceable.

I use this on many systems. Especially for friends and family that want cheap silence.

However, I typically use vacuum hose from the auto parts store. If you just take some small zipties to the counter and ask them for some vacuum hose that will fit over the tie but not over the head, you can then use a hobby knife or any razor blade to make washers for the fans. The hose isn't extremely soft, but it's usually soft enough for this purpose, especially when cut thin enough.

If memory serves me, you can usually get a foot long section of hose for a few bucks and a 100ct bag of zip ties from the hardware store for a buck or two. Should come out to about $5 total and you can do a ton of fans. I typically get about 20'ish fans before I run out of hose, if I'm using thick sections for washers. Thin it out and that number obviously goes up.

 

[Interitus]

Forgot to mention that I also used the Lamptron mounts in my recent build. They are very durable, but if you're a true silence freak you probably won't be happy with their performance.

With my Yate Loon mediums at around 1100-1200rpm, there's still a bit of vibration transfer to my case (it's aluminum but very thick, so probably closer to steel in terms of picking up vibration). They were also noticeably more difficult to pull through the fan holes than other types. Actually broke a few of them, but the case fan holes in my M8 are smaller than normal so that might have something to do with that, lol.

 

[stahlhart]

Forgot to mention that I also used the Lamptron mounts in my recent build. They are very durable, but if you're a true silence freak you probably won't be happy with their performance.

With my Yate Loon mediums at around 1100-1200rpm, there's still a bit of vibration transfer to my case (it's aluminum but very thick, so probably closer to steel in terms of picking up vibration). They were also noticeably more difficult to pull through the fan holes than other types. Actually broke a few of them, but the case fan holes in my M8 are smaller than normal so that might have something to do with that, lol.

I might not be noticing it as much as I'm using them with the stock 120mm fans for a CM 690 II, which I think are lower in RPM. I'm probably not a true silence freak, either.

They are more difficult to get into holes, and they're also an absolute bear to take out without damaging the pins, once they've been installed (a couple of the fans needed some bearing greasing). I've figured out how to do this very slowly and carefully with a pair of diagonal pliers, but I'm at a point now where everything with the fans is okay and I'm not going to mess with it again (unless the rubber deteriorates down the road, as was indicated above).

I like the grommet solution, provided the screws to be used with them stay in place and don't add too much height.