How Noisy Are They?

[wyaple]

So I saw a thread in which members were discussing the sounds their cleaners make. I decided to measure my small collection. Measurements were taken at the 5 foot level to accommodate a range of human heights.

Notice that my oldest vacuum (Lux - 1980) is the quietest with a hose attached, while my most powerful vacuum (G4 - 1996) is the loudest (and sounds unpleasant with just the hose attached). Using their respective power nozzles, the Lux and Kirby H2L are the quietest (and most pleasant), while the loudest (and most unpleasant) is the newest and least expensive (Hoover).

Also notice how some machines get louder by switching to a power nozzle versus some getting quieter. Enjoy!

Bill

 

[suckolux]

I think its not just the loud but the type of noise too maybe? High pitch screamers drive me nuts

 

[sptyks]

I wish you could measure my Royal Everlast 8300 with 10 amp motor. It is perhaps the most powerful upright vacuum there is and the loudest as well. It definitely falls into the screamer category.


 

 

[human]

The "Canned Ham" Eureka Princess I used to have would make one helluva high-pitched scream for the first second or two until the motor spun up to full speed. It was fine after that, but it would scare the hell out of my cat. She'd go hide under a bed and not come out for at least two hours after the machine was shut off.

 

[rainbowd4c]

My Rainbow D4C has the perfect sound and pitch. When I worked at the casino the first thing I would do when I got home would be to turn the vacuum on. It helped to kill the sounds stuck in my head from the slot machines and the general noise that you would hear. My Kirby was just God awful loud and that was one of the reasons why I really didn't like it.

 

[sebo4me]

I did own a Kirby once. I wore ear defenders when using it.
Did a very good job though. Just found it a bit impractical.
Purchased a Sebo X4 and have never looked back.

 

[delaneymeegan]

I wonder how a Filter queen would rate.

I tried a Sears Cleanmore Carpet cleaner WITH the elecrified revolving brush. It was AWFUL. It had to be over 100. It was unbearable.

Someone mentioned a Eureka compact canister. I recently acquired 2 of those, of different years. It seemed pretty quiet. Well they are both under 2 h.p.

The sadest experience would be a 1983 Kenmore near TOL 3.9 h.p. canister. Too much power and too loud.

(picture is another members vac. Thank-you for sharing.)

 

[sebo_fan]

All this criteria might be useful to yourself.

However I borrowed a decibel meter from work and found some rather unusual data. For starters, claimed DBL levels from German brands such as SEBO or Miele don't appear to give the same ratings when I have tested my vacs in a corner of my home which is deadly quiet.

Secondly it seems that decibel meters are extremely sensitive, at times picking up its own measurement from the components inside. Thirdly even if you do test your own vacuums, you'll never get a really accurate reading until the room in which you test mirrors a soundproofed lab - and even then you'll need connections to a computer outside of the room to test and collect the findings.

 

[wyaple]

How to test is simple

I placed my vacs in the center of my carpeted family room. While the "absolute values" will definitely be different per room tested, the relative differences are the most important to most people. For example, you can see that there is a marked difference between just using a hose and a power nozzle place correctly on the carpet.

I hear you though regarding absolute value sound level readings. For best results, an omni directional microphone(s) should be used as well as the flatter "C" weighing curve. Testing any noise generating device in an "anechoic" chamber is pointless unless it is used in an anechoic chamber.

BTW, what readings did you obtain with what vacuums? I'd love to know...

Bill

 

[delaneymeegan]

It might be helpful to use other common sounds as a benchmark for measuring the vacs. Things like refrigerator running, washer in spin, computer with hard drive and fans, a window AC on slow speed, a car driving past your house, etc. Thing people can relate with.

[this post was last edited: 12/7/2015-00:01]

 

[sebo_fan]

Ive gone past testing my vacuums on noise levels - its like filtration where even HEPA filters claim to seal back pet hair odour - in reality if the hoses etc haven't been cleaned out a HEPA filter is only going to be able to do so much.

 

[sebo_fan]

I think that whilst its great to see members adding their own data, its all very individual. There may be some similarities in data collected but end of the day if the labs are testing vacs for noise, its all to do with the selling process rather than actual ownership convenience. Lets not forget noise in a home is determined by the insulation factors and the space between ground and ceiling. So its all very variable.

 

[turbo500]

Good point Nar, and even then it varies! For example, ALL of my vacuums sound loud when I'm vacuuming the hallway as the noise echo's up the house. But in the living room, they're much quieter as the sound is obstructed by the smaller room and furniture.

Noise ratings kind of go out the window in those instances.

 

[wyaple]

Relative Noise Differences

Are probably the most valuable to most people. With my chart, one can easily tell that a vacuum which is 10dB quieter than the loudest one will be quieter in almost any room. Whilst a vacuum used in a carpeted room will get louder in a hallway and/or a room with more hard surfaces.

BTW, a 10dB difference represents a doubling (or halving) of loudness. So any noise maker that runs at 77dB, rather than 87dB will sound half as loud, which is quite significant.

I'd love to see more members posting all kinds of measurements (sound, power, airflow, weight, etc.)

Bill

 

[sebo_fan]

As a musician I can assure you it is not just the difference of flooring that makes a difference but also the height, width and floor surface area that determines noise levels. Then there's the ambient noise that factors in, not to mention the pedals and controls that can make noise difference levels. Its a bit more to shoving a microphone at the motor exhaust area, or handles/hose.

I dont know if members are going to go to the bother of adding what you suggest. I know personally that the few things that matter to me in this day and age isn't noise levels or even suction power, because as a bagged fan I know there will always be a dip in suction to some extent as the bag gets fuller, and I also know that the data will change dependent on the kind of dirt picked up as well as unable to judge on average the usage of dust bags or when they need to be replaced.

For me, the most important thing is weight. I haven't found much of a difference when weighing some of my vacuums to the official data posted online. What I have found which is seldom posted online is the weight of the floor head, length of the tubes and length of the hose - three areas that badly need to be considered in Europe and UK in the light of the new EU law that sees motors being lowered to a more energy efficient level. Because of it, some brands are shortening the hoses and tubes with a heavier floor head to compensate for the lack of suction where previously a 2300 or more watt motor has now been replaced with 500 to 1200 watts. Some new eco tagged vacs have 1600 watts.

 

[wyaple]

Please enlighten me as to why weight

Is your number #1 factor.

I understand that some people are physically unable to push something that weighs more than a few pounds, but if that isn't the reason, I would be very interested as to why weight is your number #1 factor.

Bill

 

[sebo_fan]

Seriously?

Well not all canisters weigh the same even when empty or heavy with dust bags. For starters I need something lightweight to push around carpets, lift out to the car (in the UK we don't have "garage vacs" that you staple to a wall with a long hose, though they are available they're not cheap to buy) lift up stairs to clean stairs because sometimes the hose just isn't enough for stretch.

I'm also 6ft tall, so a good stretch of hose and long tubes on cylinder/ canister vacs are very important to me. I can't be done with stooping and I cant abide short hosed cylinder vacs where the machine bumps into my ankles.

Similarly if the tubes are far too heavy (hello Miele Triscopic) and also with floor heads that are too heavy to plough and scar carpets rather than deep clean, I just won't bother.

In light of the EU law to reduce vacuum motor power, brands have been making heavier floor heads to compensate for the lack of pull. Miele is an example but there are others. I dont bother using the "AirTeq" branded double pedal suction combis because they're just a bit too heavy for me to push. Much prefer the standard Miele floor tools for example - they're just as effective in my experience.

My uprights are suitable enough for me to use without being overly heavy, too.

 

[wyaple]

That explains a lot...

Thanks for the reply, sebo_fan. I had no idea you only used un-powered nozzles to clean your carpets (correct me if I'm wrong here).

Based on what you've posted, the maximum difference is 771-650=121g or 0.266 lbs. Does about 1/4 of a pound make that much difference? Please understand that across the pond, the vast majority of people only use powered floor nozzles for carpet. I use unpowered nozzles, but only for concrete and linoleum floors.

Didn't mean to step on a nerve...

Bill

 

[sebo_fan]

Oh you haven’t stepped on a nerve, don’t worry.

Yes whilst in the UK not many homes have power nozzle canisters, it still doesn’t make much of a difference. See, I did have a PN canister - the canister in question has a very light main body weight and even the power head sees service on an upright vac. Even the hose is a touch heavier but not enough to feel like it was bulky.

That weight ratio between body and stretch hose WITH light tubes makes all the difference. With the PN the weight of pushing is virtually eliminated because a feeling of self driven mechanism is automatically felt - of course it is going to make a huge difference when you don’t have to push much, but rather, exert more steering control.

But then when it comes to dealing with all of these messes outside the home, the heavy weight of the PN alone, plus associated tubes and hoses just becomes a bit of a faff. Surely one machine should be able to provide all?

The 1/4 pound can make a difference when the vacuum suction is set at its lowest with combi suction floor heads. More force means more ploughing with MOST combi floor heads, or so I find. Im not that typical owner where high power means fastest suction or even strongest suction all of the time and also I dont like my carpets to get a roller brush bar each time they need vacuuming - I have wool loop so its delicate and it can't always use a brush roll.

My Miele S8 Ecoline has a 1200 watt motor. I never use it past the third or forth setting. There simply isn’t any need for me to use the highest power because the floor heads are so efficient in their pick up performance.

When I discovered Dyson products moons ago I wore out carpets by vacuuming too much. You can get lost in that world of what is actually clean and what you are destroying in your carpet when you analyse the dirt - one of the beauties I guess of owning a bagless vac with a clear bin lol

But then I also realised years ago that even over vacuuming with a bagged vacuum can still destroy carpet instead of cleaning it.

Buyers and eventual owners get trapped in the idea that the highest suction means best performance. Helped along of course by endless claims from the brands. But I was brought up with classic Hoover uprights like the Junior / Lark in the U.S and the Senior / Convertible in the U.S - they didn’t have the best suction, but they had the best pick up when compared to others that my relatives owned. They weren’t all that heavy either compared to rivals but they did a great job on carpets and that’s what matters for most of Scotland in UK at least.

 

[kirbysthebest]

A good study

Some of the variables will be your sound field quality.  Sound field quality is why your voice always sounds better in the shower or small bathroom than  over a large auditorium. 


But it also has an effect on scientific measures.  Ex, background noise and fixtures in the room will altar or dampen the sound in the room.  This is why sound suites are sound treated in an attempt to measure without these variables. 


 


"So any noise maker that runs at 77dB, rather than 87dB will sound half as loud, which is quite significant. " 


Decibel dB levels are in fact logarithmic, but you are measuring the Sound Pressure Level (SPL) not the loudness.    87dB is at  a level that experts would recommend hearing protection while using.  "Most experts agree that continual exposure to more than 85 decibels is dangerous."


 


Though somewhat correct when making scientific measures one wants to be aware and avoid psychoacoustic terms "loudness" "perception" when making measurements. 


 


 This would be for example when someone says a certain power nozzle is nosier than another, when in fact the perception may be that it is nosier, but in fact when measured it is the same or quieter as the listener is perceiving the increased loudness because the reference machine it is attached to is quieter hence making the power nozzle sound louder. 


 


Here is a chart that may give some reference to other household items. 


 


<span style="font-family: Arial;">Sound sources (noise)
Examples with distance</span>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span> <span style="font-family: Arial;">   Sound pressure   
Level </span><span style="font-family: Times;">L</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">_{<span style="font-size: small;">p</span>} dB SPL</span>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span> <span style="font-family: Arial;"> Jet aircraft, 50 m away</span> <span style="font-family: Arial;">140</span> <span style="font-family: Arial;"> Threshold of pain</span> <span style="font-family: Arial;">130</span> <span style="font-family: Arial;"> Threshold of discomfort</span> <span style="font-family: Arial;">120</span> <span style="font-family: Arial;"> Chainsaw, 1 m distance</span> <span style="font-family: Arial;">110</span> <span style="font-family: Arial;"> Disco, 1 m from speaker</span> <span style="font-family: Arial;">100</span> <span style="font-family: Arial;"> Diesel truck, 10 m away</span> <span style="font-family: Arial;">90</span> <span style="font-family: Arial;"> Kerbside of busy road, 5 m</span> <span style="font-family: Arial;">80</span> <span style="font-family: Arial;"> Vacuum cleaner, distance 1 m </span> <span style="font-family: Arial;">70</span> <span style="font-family: Arial;"> Conversational speech, 1 m</span> <span style="font-family: Arial;">60</span> <span style="font-family: Arial;"> Average home</span> <span style="font-family: Arial;">50</span> <span style="font-family: Arial;"> Quiet library</span> <span style="font-family: Arial;">40</span> <span style="font-family: Arial;"> Quiet bedroom at night</span> <span style="font-family: Arial;">30</span> <span style="font-family: Arial;"> Background in TV studio</span> <span style="font-family: Arial;">20</span> <span style="font-family: Arial;"> Rustling leaves in the distance</span> <span style="font-family: Arial;">10</span> <span style="font-family: Arial;"> Hearing threshold</span> <span style="font-family: Arial;"> 0</span>


 


I do commend you and taking the time to do this study.  It would be interesting if you had access to a sound suite where you did not have competing ambient noise in your measures.


 


 Sorry, the chart's formatting fell apart when it was pasted to this post.


 



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

 

[durango159]

I don't even think a Hoover Tempo is that loud!!

I find it interesting that the loudest vacuum on this test is a Hoover Tempo Widepath and to me that machine is not loud!!

I'd want to know if for these uprights if the brush roll was touching the carpet or if the handle was in the upright position with brush roll up. As we all know, machines are louder with brush rolls raised above the floor!

Also that being said, I'd like to have a Eureka Powerline/ Bravo Boss style tested or a Dirt Devil Vision Turbo!! Those are loud machines.

For me tone is a big thing. Decibel wise my Hoover Celebrity canister is probably loud especially if it's sitting on a bare floor as opposed to a carpet. But tone wise it's pleasant to my ears. In contrast a Eureka Maxima upright probably is not as loud decibel wise compared to other machines on the market but the sound is full of high pitched sounds and air rushing leaks almost. It's a very unpleasant combination that makes it harder for me to bear compared to some others!!

 

[wyaple]

All Tests Were Performed With Spinning Brushrolls

Durango159,

All my tests were performed "live" as it were, with all power nozzles properly adjusted and spinning on medium pile carpet. The handles were "engaged" as if a typical person was actually vacuuming. As far as the Hoover Widepath goes on bare floors, it is much louder. I'll have to measure it and post back in this thread soon.

I can say this, after 20-30 minutes using the Widepath on carpet, my ears do ring slightly for a while after I am finished.

Bill

 

[durango159]

On a barefloor I could definitely see it being much louder. I only use a canister vac with bare floor brush for hard floors. Or a separate extra long hose system to attach to hose on an upright for bare floors.

My experience of seeing uprights with brush rolls turning on a bare floor leads to terribly scratched and sometimes broken baseplates, significant wear on brush rolls, floor damage to linoleum or a waxed tile, only larger dirt is removed, not finer dust.

If a Hoover Tempo Widepath makes your ears ring, I highly recommend the use of ear protection should you ever try an Oreck upright or any lightweight 8/ 9 pound upright, Eureka Bravo, Boss type unit and just about any Dirt Devil bagless.

I'm not sure which is louder or if they're about the same but a Bissell PowerForce Bagged vs. Hoover Tempo Widepath?? Most of the Bissells sound the same, so if you had a reading of the 2 most popular: Bagged or Bagless PowerForce from Walmart then you'll be prepared to hear most other Bissell uprights with exception of a slight few like the Lift Off which with the dual motor system, it is pleasant sounding.

Thanks for the info!!

 

[wyaple]

Test Results For Tempo Widepath On Hard Surfaces...

is about 88-89 dBC using the brushroll in a large bathroom. Using the tools in the same bathroom (handle upright and locked), I saw peaks of 90-91 dBC. Yup, it's a screamer!

That Hoover does a great job cleaning, especially when you consider the price (still sells for about $75), but should come with a loudness warning or a set of earplugs in the box.

Bill

 

[wyaple]

Collection Has Grown So Here's More Tests

From 6 to 15 machines now. Of note is the 2012 Simplicity. It is now tied with my two oldest vacs for the quietest floor nozzle operation. Rounding out the loudest group is both of my Hoover canisters (1988 & 2003).

Bill

 

[vacerator]

Eureka Oxygen

(Electrolux) model 6997; 72 decibels minus power head.

 

[wyaple]

Yay! Somebody else posted their measurements!

Say, was that 72 dB, dBA or dBC? If it was "A", please tell me what the "C" reading was...

Anyway, sounds (ha!) like your machine is pretty quiet.

Bill

 

[wyaple]

Adding 14 More Entries to This Table

Up to 20 tested machines now...

The green shade indicates quietest and the red shade indicates loudest in the noise columns.

Bill

 

[kloveland]

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">I remember my aunt (my great-grandmothers sister) in Kansas City, complaining about the noise</span> of newer vacuums. She said her daughter Sharon brought over her new Hoover and my aunt commented on how loud it was.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">When I was about five or six. I remember using my aunt’s 69 or 70. I can’t remember exactly what model it was but it had to be one of those.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Later, when I went back to visit her she had a u4003. Sharon (her daughter) thinks the 69 or 70 is in her garage. Chad and I need to go get that from her. It would be nice to be re-united with the vacuum I used when I was young.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>
 


<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Yes, some of the modern ones are screamers and not very pleasant to use. Thanks for positing. I'll know not to pick up the screamers on the list if I see them, lol!</p>