Premium garbage disposals often come with noise insulations, and they cost more. Standard, wallet-friendly garbage disposals do not have such noise insulations to reduce their costs. But is there any way to make a disposal quieter?
Let’s identify where these noises come from a garbage disposal. The main sources of noise are;
- Motor
- Sound of grinding food waste
- Vibrations
Here’s how to reduce noises from these sources;
1. Cover with sound insulation foam paddings
You can find many noise insulation foam paddings on amazon. Here is a good one:
Egg Crate Foam Cushion 2″ Thick 18″W x24″L Acoustic Panels Sound Proof Foam Padding, Foam Sheets, Foam Pad, Dampening Foam, Convoluted Packing Foam
The sound of the motor contributes to the overall noise from the garbage disposal. This can be muffled by wrapping a noise insulation foam around the garbage disposal. This is very simple to do. Just cut the foam to the size of the garbage disposal and wrap it around with duct tape. You can cut a hole for the drain pipes or wrap the foam around it in pieces, it doesn’t have to be perfect. This is a simple job, and you can finish this within 15 minutes; you don’t even have to disconnect the disposal or any piping.
The downside is that your garbage disposal will look ugly. But since it is hidden under the sink, I really don’t think it matters at all!
This simple technique can reduce the noise from your garbage disposal to a good extent.
2. Muffle the noise with a sink baffle
The main source of noise from a garbage disposal is the grinding noise of food waste. The motor’s sound is actually not that loud; it is the grinding noises that contribute the lion’s share of the overall noise. A major share of this grinding noise comes out through the sinkhole. This noise can be muffled by using a good, noise-insulating sink baffle. Here is a good one:
Sink Baffle QCB-AM , Replacement for Evolution Series, Garbage Disposal Splash Guards, Quite Collar, Drain Plugs, Disposer Accessories 3.25 Inch
It is suitable for all brands of garbage disposals, and using it can reduce the noise by 70%. It works just like the QuietCollar sink baffle on some InSinkErator garbage disposals; by blocking the sound with a layer of water.
You don’t need this if you are using a batch feed-type garbage disposal. The magnetic cover used to close it muffles the sounds just like a sink baffle.
3. Reduce vibrations by tightening the disposal
The bolts used to keep your garbage disposal to the kitchen sink can get loose over time. This will cause the disposal to vibrate, and when used with a stainless steel sink, these vibrations can cause much noise. The simple solution is to tighten the screws of the mounting assembly so that the disposal is connected firmly to the sink, thus eliminating any vibrations.
You can also use flexible piping to reduce the vibrations of the pipes.
