Author Topic: Silence is Golden: A thread to recommend and request quieter products  (Read 6828 times)

crocheted_stache

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The thread https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/one-time-purchases-that-permanently-fix-an-annoyance/ has wandered into a discussion of products that operate quietly—soft-close drawers and toilet seats, microwaves with settings to turn off the beep—and products that don't, like stoves with fans that run constantly.

A few products, such as dishwashers, are sold with noise ratings. Most product specifications and reviews make no mention of the sound.

If you know of a product that deserves to be included in this list, or a tip to reduce noise, please post it here. If you're looking for a quieter solution, request that here, too.

crocheted_stache

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Re: Silence is Golden: A thread to recommend and request quieter products
« Reply #1 on: August 30, 2020, 12:11:12 AM »
The Panasonic Inverter microwaves series NN-SN9* and NN-SN7* have a setting to turn off the beep by pressing a certain sequence of buttons right when the microwave is first plugged in. Possibly other versions of the product do, too. My code seems to go plug in, start, start, timer. The manual describes this process.

APowers

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Re: Silence is Golden: A thread to recommend and request quieter products
« Reply #2 on: August 30, 2020, 07:43:40 AM »
Not really a product recommendation, but a thing that I found I *really* enjoyed having quiet was my bathroom vent fan. These things are normally a giant whirring noise machine in the ceiling; when I remodeled our bathroom I looked for one that was rated either the quietest or second-quietest, and boy is it so nice to poop and/or shower in peace. 10/10 recommend spending the extra to get a quiet bathroom fan.

BECABECA

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Re: Silence is Golden: A thread to recommend and request quieter products
« Reply #3 on: August 30, 2020, 10:55:42 AM »
We love our Bosch dishwasher, it cleans well and runs quietly, but it comes with an extremely annoying factory setting to beep every few minutes when it’s done... and this will go on for at least 12 hours! It caused our little dog to have a serious aversion to beeping noises.

I finally wised up and googled it and there’s a series of button combos to turn it off. Back when I did this, the internet only had listed two methods, which didn’t work for mine (and the owners manual had the incorrect button combo listed) but through a brute force trial and error I found the correct button combo after a minute. When are manufacturers going to learn to set quiet as the default?!

https://removeandreplace.com/2018/03/25/how-to-turn-off-beeping-on-bosch-dishwasher-when-cycle-complete/

crocheted_stache

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Re: Silence is Golden: A thread to recommend and request quieter products
« Reply #4 on: August 30, 2020, 11:36:44 AM »
Is there such a thing as a quieter vacuum cleaner, or do manufacturers still believe that consumers think that more noise means more power?

starbuck

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Re: Silence is Golden: A thread to recommend and request quieter products
« Reply #5 on: August 30, 2020, 01:29:49 PM »
There are lots of quiet non-electric methods of making coffee, but as I prefer drip coffee best, my very unmustachian Technivorm Moccamaster is fantastically quiet (and makes fantastic coffee.) There are no beeps, no screens, no clocks, nothing. Just a manual switch to turn on to brew, and then it clicks off when the hotplate times out. Ahhhh.

I just purchased an ultralight weight LG stick vacuum from Costco, and it is much quieter than I expected for the amount of power it packs.

Dicey

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Re: Silence is Golden: A thread to recommend and request quieter products
« Reply #6 on: August 30, 2020, 07:41:58 PM »
Ack! I hate keyboard clatter. Is there such a thing as a silent keyboard?

ixtap

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Re: Silence is Golden: A thread to recommend and request quieter products
« Reply #7 on: August 30, 2020, 07:46:16 PM »
I sometimes wear my Bose noise cancelling over the ear headphones just because life is too loud, not because I am actually listening to anything.

Kris

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Re: Silence is Golden: A thread to recommend and request quieter products
« Reply #8 on: August 30, 2020, 07:51:48 PM »
Ack! I hate keyboard clatter. Is there such a thing as a silent keyboard?

The Apple Magic Keyboard. It’s not for everyone, but I love love love how quiet it is, and I like the action.

Morning Glory

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Re: Silence is Golden: A thread to recommend and request quieter products
« Reply #9 on: August 31, 2020, 07:54:38 PM »
Ack! I hate keyboard clatter. Is there such a thing as a silent keyboard?

The Apple Magic Keyboard. It’s not for everyone, but I love love love how quiet it is, and I like the action.

We have flat wipable keyboards at my work. They are a bit more difficult to type on but they make no noise.

Morning Glory

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Re: Silence is Golden: A thread to recommend and request quieter products
« Reply #10 on: August 31, 2020, 08:05:54 PM »
Can we make a smoke detector that knows not to start beeping low batteries at 2am? Like maybe have a little light sensor in there, and only beep if the light is on? I got woken up last night so I'm rambling.

Thank you for this thread!!!!!  High pitched noises are painful to me. The worst is old television sets when they turn on and off, I am very grateful for led TVs. I really hate the truck backing up noise too. Can it be a lower pitch so it doesn't hurt? Please?

Any way to turn off the beep on the instant pot?

Public toilets with powered flush mechanisms scare my autistic son. Any way to make those quieter?  Also my Dyson vacuum is ridiculously loud and scares him t and the dog as well, I second the idea to make vacuums quieter. Sump pump is loud too but we are used to it, and it's a low pitch so not bothersome.

crocheted_stache

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Re: Silence is Golden: A thread to recommend and request quieter products
« Reply #11 on: September 01, 2020, 12:59:25 AM »
Can we make a smoke detector that knows not to start beeping low batteries at 2am? Like maybe have a little light sensor in there, and only beep if the light is on? I got woken up last night so I'm rambling.

Thank you for this thread!!!!!  High pitched noises are painful to me. The worst is old television sets when they turn on and off, I am very grateful for led TVs. I really hate the truck backing up noise too. Can it be a lower pitch so it doesn't hurt? Please?

Any way to turn off the beep on the instant pot?

Public toilets with powered flush mechanisms scare my autistic son. Any way to make those quieter?  Also my Dyson vacuum is ridiculously loud and scares him t and the dog as well, I second the idea to make vacuums quieter. Sump pump is loud too but we are used to it, and it's a low pitch so not bothersome.

For smoke detectors, the solution is not to let the battery get low. Replace it when you spring forward for daylight saving time, or put a reminder in your phone for next September. If you think there's life left in the battery you remove, use it up in some non-critical thing, like your clock radio or a flashlight, or just don't worry about it.

I'm not the only one who could hear old CRTs! I can remember sprinting past TV displays in stores while everyone else carried on as though nothing was wrong. If you'd like to be able to silence all the noises TVs still make, this is the gadget: https://www.tvbgone.com. (In the somewhat unlikely event you still have a smartphone with an IR LED, there's also an app for that.)

crocheted_stache

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Re: Silence is Golden: A thread to recommend and request quieter products
« Reply #12 on: September 01, 2020, 01:05:50 AM »
The LED shop lights from Feit Electric, as sold and occasionally discounted by Costco, do not hum, buzz, or flicker like their florescent counterparts, and so far they haven't needed bulbs replaced. They do a little bit of quiet ticking or creaking with thermal expansion, which I find vastly less irritating than the fluorescent ballast buzz.

crocheted_stache

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Re: Silence is Golden: A thread to recommend and request quieter products
« Reply #13 on: September 01, 2020, 01:13:44 AM »

Any way to turn off the beep on the instant pot?


I just searched, haven't tried it yet, but apparently there is. Maybe you can report back.
https://pressureluckcooking.com/how-to-turn-the-sound-off-on-your-instant-pot/

Kris

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Re: Silence is Golden: A thread to recommend and request quieter products
« Reply #14 on: September 01, 2020, 06:48:25 AM »
Ack! I hate keyboard clatter. Is there such a thing as a silent keyboard?

The Apple Magic Keyboard. It’s not for everyone, but I love love love how quiet it is, and I like the action.

We have flat wipable keyboards at my work. They are a bit more difficult to type on but they make no noise.

Ugh, I hate those. I’m a very fast typist and I find them impossible — the action isn’t fast enough.

The Apple Magic keyboard on the other hand, I find faster to type on than a normal keyboard.

redhead84

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Re: Silence is Golden: A thread to recommend and request quieter products
« Reply #15 on: September 01, 2020, 07:54:33 AM »

Any way to turn off the beep on the instant pot?


I just searched, haven't tried it yet, but apparently there is. Maybe you can report back.
https://pressureluckcooking.com/how-to-turn-the-sound-off-on-your-instant-pot/

Thank you for this! I will need to try it. The dog is terrified of the Instantpot beeping noise and will be very grateful to never hear it again.

ixtap

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Re: Silence is Golden: A thread to recommend and request quieter products
« Reply #16 on: September 01, 2020, 07:56:37 AM »

Any way to turn off the beep on the instant pot?


I just searched, haven't tried it yet, but apparently there is. Maybe you can report back.
https://pressureluckcooking.com/how-to-turn-the-sound-off-on-your-instant-pot/

Thank you for this! I will need to try it. The dog is terrified of the Instantpot beeping noise and will be very grateful to never hear it again.

I need to look for this for our microwave! Why does it beep every time you touch a button?!

AerynLee

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Re: Silence is Golden: A thread to recommend and request quieter products
« Reply #17 on: September 01, 2020, 08:07:42 AM »

Any way to turn off the beep on the instant pot?


I just searched, haven't tried it yet, but apparently there is. Maybe you can report back.
https://pressureluckcooking.com/how-to-turn-the-sound-off-on-your-instant-pot/

Thank you for this! I will need to try it. The dog is terrified of the Instantpot beeping noise and will be very grateful to never hear it again.

I need to look for this for our microwave! Why does it beep every time you touch a button?!
I would love it if it didn't beep for buttons, but I still need it to beep when the food is done. I'll have to do some research. We're moving in a couple of months and won't be taking our current OTR microwave so this will definitely be something to look for in a replacement

Gone Fishing

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Re: Silence is Golden: A thread to recommend and request quieter products
« Reply #18 on: September 01, 2020, 08:14:16 AM »
I debeeped my microwave by opening it up and removing the beeper.  Then I found a slightly less invasive method online that involves putting a piece of tape over the beeper to muffle it or removing the diaphram, so it is easily rebeeped if needed.  Video is good for a laugh as well!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cNZ-w5XYVZ8
« Last Edit: September 01, 2020, 08:16:24 AM by Gone Fishing »

Gone Fishing

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Re: Silence is Golden: A thread to recommend and request quieter products
« Reply #19 on: September 01, 2020, 08:21:46 AM »
Is there such a thing as a quieter vacuum cleaner, or do manufacturers still believe that consumers think that more noise means more power?

Some of the commercial units are much quieter.  You see them being used at airports.  Pricey, but perhaps you can find one used.

Just as guess, but I believe it comes down to the type of motor they use.  "Universal" motors are light, small, cheap, and powerful, but very loud.  "Induction" motors are the opposite.

ixtap

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Re: Silence is Golden: A thread to recommend and request quieter products
« Reply #20 on: September 01, 2020, 08:28:51 AM »
Is there such a thing as a quieter vacuum cleaner, or do manufacturers still believe that consumers think that more noise means more power?

Some of the commercial units are much quieter.  You see them being used at airports.  Pricey, but perhaps you can find one used.

Just as guess, but I believe it comes down to the type of motor they use.  "Universal" motors are light, small, cheap, and powerful, but very loud.  "Induction" motors are the opposite.

Pitch matters, too. We bought a stinger shop vac when we bought our boat and I cannot stand the sound. DH tried to sneak it in when I am not around, but there were occasions when I could hear it walking down the dock and would turn around and go back to shore. Now we have a Dyson boat & car to use on regular cleaning. It might be quieter, but it has a completely different pitch that doesn't hurt my brain.

Villanelle

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Re: Silence is Golden: A thread to recommend and request quieter products
« Reply #21 on: September 01, 2020, 08:37:19 AM »
Can we make a smoke detector that knows not to start beeping low batteries at 2am? Like maybe have a little light sensor in there, and only beep if the light is on? I got woken up last night so I'm rambling.

Thank you for this thread!!!!!  High pitched noises are painful to me. The worst is old television sets when they turn on and off, I am very grateful for led TVs. I really hate the truck backing up noise too. Can it be a lower pitch so it doesn't hurt? Please?

Any way to turn off the beep on the instant pot?

Public toilets with powered flush mechanisms scare my autistic son. Any way to make those quieter
?  Also my Dyson vacuum is ridiculously loud and scares him t and the dog as well, I second the idea to make vacuums quieter. Sump pump is loud too but we are used to it, and it's a low pitch so not bothersome.

It doesn't make them quieter, but I have a friend who always has a pack of small post-it notes in her purse.  She puts on over the sensor and only removes it once said child is off the toilet, dressed, and well-prepared for the sound.  Still loud, but not a surprise, especially not when the kiddo is still seated and attempting to do business. 

crocheted_stache

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Re: Silence is Golden: A thread to recommend and request quieter products
« Reply #22 on: September 01, 2020, 08:49:10 AM »
Then I found a slightly less invasive method online that involves putting a piece of tape over the beeper to muffle it

A couple I knew with little kids used to put clear packing tape over the speaker grill of any toy that made sounds. It tones things down a notch.

crocheted_stache

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Re: Silence is Golden: A thread to recommend and request quieter products
« Reply #23 on: September 01, 2020, 09:41:47 AM »
Not exactly a product, but the last time we replaced carpet, between tearing out the old and having someone install the new, we went foot by foot over the plywood underneath and put another screw in anywhere it squeaked or creaked when we stepped on it. Ten years later there are a couple new spots, but mostly there's no noise when we walk there.

Rusted Rose

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Re: Silence is Golden: A thread to recommend and request quieter products
« Reply #24 on: September 01, 2020, 09:57:27 AM »
Oh look at that...silencing the IP too, huh. I've wrestled with that idea because I do want to know right when it's done, as opposed to the microwave that I really only use for small, quick (but vital) operations. Hmm. But does the IP REALLY have to beep so many times on both ends of things?? Sigh. I can't always get to it fast enough to shut it up at the end.

However, I keep my Dyson quiet effortlessly: I only use it twice a year, whether my place needs it or not! (OK I'm mostly joking)

ETA in case anyone cares, my easily unbeepable microwave is a Toshiba EM925A-BS. Unbeeping is binary though...all on or all off, no choice to just allow "ding fries are done" beeps.
« Last Edit: September 01, 2020, 10:05:34 AM by Rusted Rose »

crocheted_stache

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Re: Silence is Golden: A thread to recommend and request quieter products
« Reply #25 on: September 01, 2020, 05:58:40 PM »
My microwave is similarly all-or-nothing. It silences the end of cook beep and even the timer. It would be nice if it were a little more context specific, but I'm not going far in the next couple minutes, and I can hear the whirring stop.

For the instant pot, you could set a phone timer to come close, starting with cook time plus 5 or 10 minutes, and then notice how much to adjust next time. At least with the phone timer, you can set the volume and choose a sound that doesn't drive everybody and the dog up the wall.
« Last Edit: September 01, 2020, 06:44:55 PM by crocheted_stache »

BlueHouse

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Re: Silence is Golden: A thread to recommend and request quieter products
« Reply #26 on: September 05, 2020, 10:01:31 AM »
my two alarm panels are extremely loud and they're set right at ear level.  I like the keypad to beep and I like the beeps when doors open/close.  But I don't need to be deafened!  One of the alarm panels is right next to the door to the garage.  So you can imagine every time I go in/out, the beep in my ear was starting to concern me.  There's no way to partially turn the chimes off.  The features are very limited.  I finally took the panel off and places packaging tape over the speaker in the circuit board.  It makes the noise bearable without me worrying about my loss of hearing.

crocheted_stache

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Re: Silence is Golden: A thread to recommend and request quieter products
« Reply #27 on: September 08, 2020, 08:23:47 PM »
my two alarm panels are extremely loud and they're set right at ear level.  I like the keypad to beep and I like the beeps when doors open/close.  But I don't need to be deafened!  One of the alarm panels is right next to the door to the garage.  So you can imagine every time I go in/out, the beep in my ear was starting to concern me.  There's no way to partially turn the chimes off.  The features are very limited.  I finally took the panel off and places packaging tape over the speaker in the circuit board.  It makes the noise bearable without me worrying about my loss of hearing.

If they're relatively recent, could you name the source, so others can steer clear or at least ask the question before buying? And have you considered posting a review or complaining to the manufacturer so they know it's bothering people?

Goldielocks

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Re: Silence is Golden: A thread to recommend and request quieter products
« Reply #28 on: September 08, 2020, 11:01:37 PM »
Is there such a thing as a quieter vacuum cleaner, or do manufacturers still believe that consumers think that more noise means more power?
I have a built in vaccuum.  The motor unit is 30ft + away from where I am and in the garage or utility room.  I only hear the hose sucking noises.

Dicey

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Re: Silence is Golden: A thread to recommend and request quieter products
« Reply #29 on: September 09, 2020, 05:58:18 AM »
Is there such a thing as a quieter vacuum cleaner, or do manufacturers still believe that consumers think that more noise means more power?
I have a built in vaccuum.  The motor unit is 30ft + away from where I am and in the garage or utility room.  I only hear the hose sucking noises.
Ditto, but if you're in the garage when someone else is vacuuming, the racket is gawdawful.

Our doors all had chime alarms. The noise was piercing, but it was absolutely necessary when my MIL w/Alzheimer's lived with us. Now that she is in a care facility, it is a sweet relief every time I open a door and nothing happens.

Goldielocks

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Re: Silence is Golden: A thread to recommend and request quieter products
« Reply #30 on: September 09, 2020, 03:23:03 PM »
Is there such a thing as a quieter vacuum cleaner, or do manufacturers still believe that consumers think that more noise means more power?
I have a built in vaccuum.  The motor unit is 30ft + away from where I am and in the garage or utility room.  I only hear the hose sucking noises.
Ditto, but if you're in the garage when someone else is vacuuming, the racket is gawdawful.

Our doors all had chime alarms. The noise was piercing, but it was absolutely necessary when my MIL w/Alzheimer's lived with us. Now that she is in a care facility, it is a sweet relief every time I open a door and nothing happens.
BWHAHAHA

I guess there actually are benefits if no one else in the house vacuums but you.

More realistically, I am likely so happy someone else is using the vacuum that the noise in the garage doesn't bother me.   It's just an excuse to stop working in the garage and go sit down with a drink.
« Last Edit: September 09, 2020, 03:24:45 PM by Goldielocks »

Dicey

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Re: Silence is Golden: A thread to recommend and request quieter products
« Reply #31 on: September 09, 2020, 05:15:10 PM »
Is there such a thing as a quieter vacuum cleaner, or do manufacturers still believe that consumers think that more noise means more power?
I have a built in vaccuum.  The motor unit is 30ft + away from where I am and in the garage or utility room.  I only hear the hose sucking noises.
Ditto, but if you're in the garage when someone else is vacuuming, the racket is gawdawful.

Our doors all had chime alarms. The noise was piercing, but it was absolutely necessary when my MIL w/Alzheimer's lived with us. Now that she is in a care facility, it is a sweet relief every time I open a door and nothing happens.
BWHAHAHA

I guess there actually are benefits if no one else in the house vacuums but you.

More realistically, I am likely so happy someone else is using the vacuum that the noise in the garage doesn't bother me.   It's just an excuse to stop working in the garage and go sit down with a drink.
BWAHAHAHA right back! Today, our cleaning team returned for the first time since March. We live in the Bay Area, where the air is wicked terrible today. DH is home from work this week, because he's trying to get the prep done before painting the house. I have demanded that no outdoor work be done today, even with his professional respirator on. We hatched a plan for the two of us and the bonus kid to work in the garage while the cleaning people are here. So there we three were, hanging out in the garage when the damn central vacuum started. And ran and ran and ran. Argh! I confess, I retreated to the laundry room, where I washed a batch of ziploc bags in preparation for re-use. Delicious irony, no?

PS - We're FI and I'm RE we can spend our money on having someone clean the house for us every damn day if we want to and it won't have a significant financial impact. I do a lot of volunteer work in my community and I'd much rather do that than clean this house. Mind you, they don't make three scratch meals a day, nor do they do laundry or make beds, but I adore having everything clean all at the same moment. Bliss!

Mighty Eyebrows

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Re: Silence is Golden: A thread to recommend and request quieter products
« Reply #32 on: September 10, 2020, 06:58:19 PM »
I debeeped my microwave by opening it up and removing the beeper. 
This. I have yet to find a device that will resist my screwdriver, wrench, and pliers.

Industrial designers who don't have sound settings on their devices all deserve to be hung upside down in a pit of malfunctioning children's electronic toys.

mrs sideways

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Re: Silence is Golden: A thread to recommend and request quieter products
« Reply #33 on: September 27, 2020, 05:32:23 PM »
We love our Bosch dishwasher, it cleans well and runs quietly, but it comes with an extremely annoying factory setting to beep every few minutes when it’s done... and this will go on for at least 12 hours! It caused our little dog to have a serious aversion to beeping noises.

I finally wised up and googled it and there’s a series of button combos to turn it off. Back when I did this, the internet only had listed two methods, which didn’t work for mine (and the owners manual had the incorrect button combo listed) but through a brute force trial and error I found the correct button combo after a minute. When are manufacturers going to learn to set quiet as the default?!

https://removeandreplace.com/2018/03/25/how-to-turn-off-beeping-on-bosch-dishwasher-when-cycle-complete/

Thanks for this! We're on the verge of getting a new Bosch dishwasher, but we also frequently time the dishwasher to run in the middle of the night (for cheapest and furthest off-peak electricity) so a ton of "I'm done!" beeping at 3am would be horrible.

okisok

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Re: Silence is Golden: A thread to recommend and request quieter products
« Reply #34 on: September 30, 2020, 05:21:50 PM »
No recommendations, but I love this thread idea! Why does modern life have to be so gol-darn noisy?? (shakes fist at kids on my lawn)


norajean

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Re: Silence is Golden: A thread to recommend and request quieter products
« Reply #35 on: October 01, 2020, 12:22:33 PM »
We have very quiet dishwashers, bathroom fans (which I replaced myself) and cars.  Miele vacuums are quiet. Our house had hot water circulation pumps which made  noise in the plumbing so I disconnected them.

jeromedawg

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Re: Silence is Golden: A thread to recommend and request quieter products
« Reply #36 on: February 08, 2021, 09:41:43 PM »
Installed a Bosch Ascenta at our old condo - I really loved that thing. It worked so well, produced clean dishes and was very quiet. In our apartment rental there's a Whirlpool - it's louder but not something that really bothers me.


Moving on: does anyone know of a way to silence a Subaru WRX STI? LOL!!! We have an obnoxious neighbor who, everytime he starts it, sits and lets it idle and rumble for a good 3-5 minutes (often as early as 7am while everyone is still asleep). Our other neighbor who drives a muscle car Challenger and parks right next to him at least has the sense to pull out and leave immediately as soon as he starts his car.

chaskavitch

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Re: Silence is Golden: A thread to recommend and request quieter products
« Reply #37 on: February 09, 2021, 06:58:49 AM »
If you're looking at Roombas, the Eufy brand vacuums are much quieter when vacuuming.   

I can't 100% recommend the cheapest model, as it has a quirk where the bearing that rotates when the brush turns is sometimes prone to collecting ground up dog hair and seizing, but overall we've really liked it.  Theoretically we've fixed this problem by disassembling the vacuum, packing the bearing with grease, and cleaning the brush every time we vacuum.  It does have a loud alarm when it gets stuck, unfortunately.  I don't know if that's changeable or not.

Moving on: does anyone know of a way to silence a Subaru WRX STI? LOL!!! We have an obnoxious neighbor who, everytime he starts it, sits and lets it idle and rumble for a good 3-5 minutes (often as early as 7am while everyone is still asleep). Our other neighbor who drives a muscle car Challenger and parks right next to him at least has the sense to pull out and leave immediately as soon as he starts his car.

I had a neighbor who did this with his giant truck with no muffler! Why do you need to let your car warm up for 15-20 minutes EVERY DAY ALL YEAR?  It's the worst.  Good luck with that, lol.

Linea_Norway

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Re: Silence is Golden: A thread to recommend and request quieter products
« Reply #38 on: February 09, 2021, 07:47:43 AM »
Moving on: does anyone know of a way to silence a Subaru WRX STI? LOL!!! We have an obnoxious neighbor who, everytime he starts it, sits and lets it idle and rumble for a good 3-5 minutes (often as early as 7am while everyone is still asleep). Our other neighbor who drives a muscle car Challenger and parks right next to him at least has the sense to pull out and leave immediately as soon as he starts his car.

I don't know this particular car, but all Subarus we have owned could be warmed up by a motor wamer and a coompartment heater. The latter makes a lot of noise inside the car, but can't be heard from inside your (neighbour's) house.

Electric cars are nice and quiet when they start and when they go idle. And when they drive, apart from normal tire sounds.

By the way, we once test drove a fancy electric car, I think it was a Jaguar. We noticed how much noise you heard inside the car while driving. The noise from the tires on the road was much louder than our own Subaru.

Mighty Eyebrows

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Re: Silence is Golden: A thread to recommend and request quieter products
« Reply #39 on: February 10, 2021, 07:20:12 PM »
We love our Bosch dishwasher, it cleans well and runs quietly, but it comes with an extremely annoying factory setting to beep every few minutes when it’s done... and this will go on for at least 12 hours! It caused our little dog to have a serious aversion to beeping noises.

We recently got a Bosch dishwasher (low-end model, Canada) and it is very quiet with no beeping. I was relieved that it did not require any special settings to be de-beeped. Our dog hates everything that beeps.

Our old dishwasher was 23 years old - not too bad a run.

Linea_Norway

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Re: Silence is Golden: A thread to recommend and request quieter products
« Reply #40 on: February 11, 2021, 01:35:16 AM »
Our mitshubishi outlander beeps very, very often. Every day we start the car and the outside temperature is under 3 degrees celcius, which it has been for months in a row, it beeps a couple of times. It also seems to have some issues with the cold, so when it is really cold, which it has been for many weeks now, it also beeps frequently to tell us that EV service is required. If there is low on windscreen fluid, it not only beeps to tell you when you are driving (which is okay just once, but only an indicator light would have been better), but it repeats the loud beeping every time you pass a hill and the remaing fluid get an angle. The car doesn't seem to understand that we cannot fill up fluid while we are driving and that one notification per trip would be enough.

Dicey

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Re: Silence is Golden: A thread to recommend and request quieter products
« Reply #41 on: February 11, 2021, 04:08:19 AM »
Not exactly a product, but the last time we replaced carpet, between tearing out the old and having someone install the new, we went foot by foot over the plywood underneath and put another screw in anywhere it squeaked or creaked when we stepped on it. Ten years later there are a couple new spots, but mostly there's no noise when we walk there.
Here's a lesson  from sad experience.  When you put the furniture back, the weight of it can create new squeaks. immediately. Solution? Replace all the nails with screws. Just adding screws without pulling the nails can still allow squeaks to remain. Sounds like a pain in the ass, because it is, but worth it.

jeromedawg

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Re: Silence is Golden: A thread to recommend and request quieter products
« Reply #42 on: February 19, 2021, 10:29:52 AM »
Moving on: does anyone know of a way to silence a Subaru WRX STI? LOL!!! We have an obnoxious neighbor who, everytime he starts it, sits and lets it idle and rumble for a good 3-5 minutes (often as early as 7am while everyone is still asleep). Our other neighbor who drives a muscle car Challenger and parks right next to him at least has the sense to pull out and leave immediately as soon as he starts his car.

I don't know this particular car, but all Subarus we have owned could be warmed up by a motor wamer and a coompartment heater. The latter makes a lot of noise inside the car, but can't be heard from inside your (neighbour's) house.

Electric cars are nice and quiet when they start and when they go idle. And when they drive, apart from normal tire sounds.

By the way, we once test drove a fancy electric car, I think it was a Jaguar. We noticed how much noise you heard inside the car while driving. The noise from the tires on the road was much louder than our own Subaru.

If you're looking at Roombas, the Eufy brand vacuums are much quieter when vacuuming.   

I can't 100% recommend the cheapest model, as it has a quirk where the bearing that rotates when the brush turns is sometimes prone to collecting ground up dog hair and seizing, but overall we've really liked it.  Theoretically we've fixed this problem by disassembling the vacuum, packing the bearing with grease, and cleaning the brush every time we vacuum.  It does have a loud alarm when it gets stuck, unfortunately.  I don't know if that's changeable or not.

Moving on: does anyone know of a way to silence a Subaru WRX STI? LOL!!! We have an obnoxious neighbor who, everytime he starts it, sits and lets it idle and rumble for a good 3-5 minutes (often as early as 7am while everyone is still asleep). Our other neighbor who drives a muscle car Challenger and parks right next to him at least has the sense to pull out and leave immediately as soon as he starts his car.

I had a neighbor who did this with his giant truck with no muffler! Why do you need to let your car warm up for 15-20 minutes EVERY DAY ALL YEAR?  It's the worst.  Good luck with that, lol.

Yea, I even asked on the NASIOC forum if there's any good reason why someone would idle in that specific card for more than 30 seconds to even a minute and the overwhelming consensus was that there is NO good reason ever. One person mentioned that the owner I described is exactly why WRX STI owners carry such a bad reputation. All of them are irritating/annoying and feel the need to rev their car everywhere they go.
I think one reason why the guy "warms" his car up is so that he can throttle it high as soon as he leaves the community - when it's early and the roads are clear I can hear him racing down the street.
Such a douchebag... I finally reported him to the management office and I also informed the local sheriff's dept about his speeding and loud excessive noise - what prompted this was a post by our local sheriff's dept advising residents that they are starting to crackdown on vehicles with modified/loud exhausts... usually when you hear cars this loud on the street, it means they are racing or speeding and there are apparently a number of cars doing this in my area.
The guys has very little regard for his neighbors.

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Re: Silence is Golden: A thread to recommend and request quieter products
« Reply #43 on: February 19, 2021, 12:05:18 PM »
Moving on: does anyone know of a way to silence a Subaru WRX STI? LOL!!! We have an obnoxious neighbor who, everytime he starts it, sits and lets it idle and rumble for a good 3-5 minutes (often as early as 7am while everyone is still asleep). Our other neighbor who drives a muscle car Challenger and parks right next to him at least has the sense to pull out and leave immediately as soon as he starts his car.

I had a neighbor who did this with his giant truck with no muffler! Why do you need to let your car warm up for 15-20 minutes EVERY DAY ALL YEAR?  It's the worst.  Good luck with that, lol.

Yea, I even asked on the NASIOC forum if there's any good reason why someone would idle in that specific card for more than 30 seconds to even a minute and the overwhelming consensus was that there is NO good reason ever.

Yup, in modern vehicles there is never any reason to idle after startup any longer than it takes to get oil pressure (probably like 5 seconds). In fact, it is typically more harmful to idle than to just drive because the longer you run the engine when the oil isn't up to temp the more wear it will cause (driving it obviously brings the temp up faster). As long as you aren't going crazy with flooring it or high revs it's better to just drive immediately. I imagine some people just want to wait for the interior to warm up/cool down but it's very wasteful and not great for the longevity of the engine.

jeromedawg

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Re: Silence is Golden: A thread to recommend and request quieter products
« Reply #44 on: March 25, 2021, 12:39:27 PM »
Moving on: does anyone know of a way to silence a Subaru WRX STI? LOL!!! We have an obnoxious neighbor who, everytime he starts it, sits and lets it idle and rumble for a good 3-5 minutes (often as early as 7am while everyone is still asleep). Our other neighbor who drives a muscle car Challenger and parks right next to him at least has the sense to pull out and leave immediately as soon as he starts his car.

I had a neighbor who did this with his giant truck with no muffler! Why do you need to let your car warm up for 15-20 minutes EVERY DAY ALL YEAR?  It's the worst.  Good luck with that, lol.

Yea, I even asked on the NASIOC forum if there's any good reason why someone would idle in that specific card for more than 30 seconds to even a minute and the overwhelming consensus was that there is NO good reason ever.

Yup, in modern vehicles there is never any reason to idle after startup any longer than it takes to get oil pressure (probably like 5 seconds). In fact, it is typically more harmful to idle than to just drive because the longer you run the engine when the oil isn't up to temp the more wear it will cause (driving it obviously brings the temp up faster). As long as you aren't going crazy with flooring it or high revs it's better to just drive immediately. I imagine some people just want to wait for the interior to warm up/cool down but it's very wasteful and not great for the longevity of the engine.


Lately the guy has been leaving at 6am still idling like he did before prior to taking off. He does drive more slowly out of the parking lot though. I think he added a muffler or something because the rumbling isn't *as* irritating as it was before but it's still irritating and loud enough to wake me up when he lets it idle for 5 minutes that early in the AM. It's also annoying every time he comes back because he backs into his spot (most people do this to not scrape the front of their cars because there's an inclined slope for drainage) and sucks at driving stick so ends up loudly revving his car at least half a dozen times just to back in. This is when there are plenty of level spaces outside that he could just park in without being annoying but he insists on parking in the covered carport (and he has a car cover too - it's currently on the car while it's parked in the carport).

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Re: Silence is Golden: A thread to recommend and request quieter products
« Reply #45 on: March 26, 2021, 12:32:08 AM »
I despise the microwave beep sound! When you think about it, there are not many technology interfaces that provide such obnoxious feedback that buttons are being pressed. Imagine if your TV remote beeped every time you pressed a button. And why does it need to beep four times when the time is complete? It's obviously complete because it is no longer making loud noise and the light has turned off.

Linea_Norway

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Re: Silence is Golden: A thread to recommend and request quieter products
« Reply #46 on: March 26, 2021, 04:54:25 AM »
Moving on: does anyone know of a way to silence a Subaru WRX STI? LOL!!! We have an obnoxious neighbor who, everytime he starts it, sits and lets it idle and rumble for a good 3-5 minutes (often as early as 7am while everyone is still asleep). Our other neighbor who drives a muscle car Challenger and parks right next to him at least has the sense to pull out and leave immediately as soon as he starts his car.

I had a neighbor who did this with his giant truck with no muffler! Why do you need to let your car warm up for 15-20 minutes EVERY DAY ALL YEAR?  It's the worst.  Good luck with that, lol.

Yea, I even asked on the NASIOC forum if there's any good reason why someone would idle in that specific card for more than 30 seconds to even a minute and the overwhelming consensus was that there is NO good reason ever.

Yup, in modern vehicles there is never any reason to idle after startup any longer than it takes to get oil pressure (probably like 5 seconds). In fact, it is typically more harmful to idle than to just drive because the longer you run the engine when the oil isn't up to temp the more wear it will cause (driving it obviously brings the temp up faster). As long as you aren't going crazy with flooring it or high revs it's better to just drive immediately. I imagine some people just want to wait for the interior to warm up/cool down but it's very wasteful and not great for the longevity of the engine.


Lately the guy has been leaving at 6am still idling like he did before prior to taking off. He does drive more slowly out of the parking lot though. I think he added a muffler or something because the rumbling isn't *as* irritating as it was before but it's still irritating and loud enough to wake me up when he lets it idle for 5 minutes that early in the AM. It's also annoying every time he comes back because he backs into his spot (most people do this to not scrape the front of their cars because there's an inclined slope for drainage) and sucks at driving stick so ends up loudly revving his car at least half a dozen times just to back in. This is when there are plenty of level spaces outside that he could just park in without being annoying but he insists on parking in the covered carport (and he has a car cover too - it's currently on the car while it's parked in the carport).

This sounds like a person who cares just too much about his car. Parking under a carport I do understand (avoiding snow, birdpoo). But covering it with a cloth sounds like a lot of extra work, and unnecessary because of the roof.

GreenSheep

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Re: Silence is Golden: A thread to recommend and request quieter products
« Reply #47 on: March 26, 2021, 05:00:14 AM »
I despise the microwave beep sound! When you think about it, there are not many technology interfaces that provide such obnoxious feedback that buttons are being pressed. Imagine if your TV remote beeped every time you pressed a button. And why does it need to beep four times when the time is complete? It's obviously complete because it is no longer making loud noise and the light has turned off.

I completely agree and have had the same questions about microwaves.

We just got a new washer/dryer, and they not only beep, they "sing" a little tune when they're done. A beep would be sufficient, but even that isn't necessary. When the machine stops making noise, or when the timer goes to "0," the cycle is done! I don't need it to sing to me! I'm sure there's a way to change it, the same way I had to fix that problem on my rice maker, but I'm irritated that I have to take time out of my day to figure it out.

RWD

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Re: Silence is Golden: A thread to recommend and request quieter products
« Reply #48 on: March 26, 2021, 09:42:52 AM »
Lately the guy has been leaving at 6am still idling like he did before prior to taking off. He does drive more slowly out of the parking lot though. I think he added a muffler or something because the rumbling isn't *as* irritating as it was before but it's still irritating and loud enough to wake me up when he lets it idle for 5 minutes that early in the AM. It's also annoying every time he comes back because he backs into his spot (most people do this to not scrape the front of their cars because there's an inclined slope for drainage) and sucks at driving stick so ends up loudly revving his car at least half a dozen times just to back in. This is when there are plenty of level spaces outside that he could just park in without being annoying but he insists on parking in the covered carport (and he has a car cover too - it's currently on the car while it's parked in the carport).

This sounds like a person who cares just too much about his car. Parking under a carport I do understand (avoiding snow, birdpoo). But covering it with a cloth sounds like a lot of extra work, and unnecessary because of the roof.

It also requires the car to have just been washed to be effective. Because if there is any dirt/dust at all the car cover will rub it in and scratch the paint. Car covers are designed for longer term storage when you don't want your car to get dusty. Wash it well once then put it away for the winter or whatever. Not really a good idea for daily use.

Morning Glory

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Re: Silence is Golden: A thread to recommend and request quieter products
« Reply #49 on: March 26, 2021, 01:38:33 PM »
My toaster oven beeps five times when it's done. Once would be plenty, or I could just look to see if the light is off. I don't usually leave the kitchen when I'm making toast.