Have you heard someone describe noise in terms of its “decibel level”? Seeing such a number often expressed as dB, can be a little confusing when you don’t have a reference for what it means. The same goes for numbers expressed as “dbA,” which is a type of the decibel scale that relates specifically to how the human ear perceives sound.
When you begin to explore adding an air curtain to your business, one of the most normal concerns business owners have is how loud the unit will be when it operates. As you explore products and pore over spec sheets, you may notice that manufacturers such as Mars actually disclose the decibel level of their units in the paperwork, giving you an easy way to answer your own question. However, reaching that conclusion means first understanding how this scale works and gaining some perspective on the relative loudness of different noises.
Decibels Explained — How Loud is a Noise?
At its most basic, a decibel is a measure of how intense a sound is in terms of the pressure it exerts on the air and, by extension, our ears. At zero decibels on the bottom end of the scale, you would find the most whisper-quiet sounds — those barely audible to human hearing. As the numbers go up, the sounds get progressively louder. Here’s where the most crucial part of the decibel scale comes into play: it increases according to a logarithm, rather than a simple “1, 2, 3…” linear scale. In other words, each step up on the decibel scale represents a significant increase in loudness. Every ten decibels in volume represents an increase in the intensity of 10 times. Let’s put it another way: a normal conversation, which averages about 60 decibels, is one million times louder than a near-silent room at zero decibels.
The Importance of Keeping Sound Levels Reasonably Low
So why does all this matter? We’ll put some numbers in perspective for you shortly, but there are real reasons to consider how loud air curtains are, too. The obvious reason comes first: an air curtain that activates with the opening of an exterior door should not be so loud as to prove disruptive to everyone in the vicinity. It’s simply a matter of comfort and efficiency; restaurant patrons don’t want to pause their conversations every few seconds, and entrants to the building do not want to feel as though they must endure a deafening noise to cross the threshold.
While comfort and convenience matter, there is another reason to consider, too: very loud noises can prove damaging to human hearing. Sounds above 85 dB begin to cause damage that can become irreversible and cause tinnitus or hearing loss. The louder a sound is and more prolonged the exposure, the more damage it can do. While air curtains typically don’t operate quite so loudly, removing the possibility for affecting one’s hearing is important. The good news: air curtain manufacturers know this, and they work hard to keep their equipment operating as quietly as possible.
How Loud Are Air Curtains? Understanding the Options
To give you a sense of what you can expect from various air curtains, let’s look at some of the most popular hardware series produced by Mars Air. Be aware the decibel values indicated here are “A-weighted,” meaning they correspond better to how the human ear perceives sound.
- LoPro 2: A low-profile, slimline air curtain, these are intended for very customer-centric uses with frequent operation. Mars says the LoPro typically produces about 49 dBA of sound — the equivalent of a quiet conversation at home, or a little louder than typical birdsong.
- Phantom series: A recessed air curtain intended for heavier-duty usage at greater heights than a door-mounted curtain. These curtains put out sound at about 66 dBA, about as loud as the typical vacuum cleaner.
- High-Velocity series: For unusually heavy operations and with a much more powerful motor, the Mars High-Velocity curtain still only outputs at about 70 dBA. While this is close to the threshold at which sounds become annoying, brief operation and proper spacing ensure the sound is never damaging.
Even the loudest air curtains, such as the Extra Power series intended for very tall warehouse doors, tops out at 79 dBA. Again, while that is quite loud compared to the quietest curtains, it is still no louder than residential garbage disposal — and the mounting height will help to distribute that sound. Overall, finding an air curtain that operates quietly enough for your purposes should, in fact, prove a simple task.
Find a Suitably Quiet Unit for Your Business Today
While it might feel like you a degree in physics or math to grasp the nitty-gritty details of what precisely a decibel is, it’s not hard at all to understand that the louder something is, the more uncomfortable it makes a space. With advances in air curtain technology making these important units ever quieter, and with special noise reduction packages available from manufacturers such as Mars, unlocking the benefits of an air curtain doesn’t mean making a noisy trade-off. On the contrary, you can enjoy the best of both worlds these days. In fact, the new QuietPro™ series by Mars seeks to provide the same effective level of performance as other small-scale air curtains but with only half as much noise.
At Air Door Distributors, we bring years of experience in this field to the table. With a professional team and a catalog filled with leading hardware choices, we can help to balance your requirements for strong climate control solutions with the need for a more peaceful space. To find out how we can assist you in locating a quiet air curtain, contact our team today