Lawn mowers can be very noisy machines. The engines are often fairly loud, as only a small muffler is attached to each engine’s exhaust port.
They’re not contained, as car engines are, but the small muffler should at least help keep an engine’s noise at a tolerable level. However, over time, the muffler may crack, or the gasket seal will become useless at muffling the air blowing out of the engine’s exhaust port. This, in turn, will cause the engine to get louder.
With that being said, here are five ways in which you can make your lawn mower run more quietly.
How to Make a Lawn Mower Quieter
1. Check the Muffler For Defects
Most of the noise a lawn mower makes usually comes from the blade or engine itself, and there isn’t much you can do about that, unless you want to invest in a new engine. However, there are lots of other issues that could also be causing the unwanted noise.
You can start by inspecting the muffler. After a period of time, you can expect your lawn mower’s muffler to get dirty, become worn out, and crack. While I was inspecting my lawn mowers, I came across a muffler that was cracked at the pinch seam.
This isn’t a huge problem and is often quite easy to fix, depending on the size of the crack. The only thing you’ll need to do is weld the affected area or cover it by using some high-temperature spray paint. I suggest that you check out this type of paint, which is available at an affordable price.
If the level of damage is too high, then the best thing you can do is replace the existing muffler with a new one. I personally recommend getting this Briggs and Stratton muffler. The price isn’t that expensive, but before you buy one, you’ll also need to determine whether it suits your lawn mower’s model.
If you’re a handyman, you can try making your own custom muffler by using a tin can and some screws. I don’t suggest doing this, though, as they probably won’t last long and you’ll end up replacing the muffler all over again.
Installing a New Muffler
This is quite an easy project that’s definitely worth completing, even if it reduces the overall noise level by only 15 percent. What it entails is adding an additional muffler onto your lawn mower. You can start by attaching one in the position of your current muffler, and installing the other one on the air inlet. Once you’re finished, you should have both ends covered.
2. Quiet the Deck
Despite not having many options for silencing the deck, this will help reduce vibrations, the sounds made by rock pings and the noise coming from the blades. The best way to solve this problem is to cover the deck with sound-deadening material that’s similar to what we use when we’re soundproofing vehicles.
The material I recommend using is FatMat. You might find it a bit expensive, in comparison to other products, but it’s quite effective, so it’s worth the investment. It’s also a self-adhesive material, so you won’t have to use an additional spray adhesive to attach it to the deck.
You can start by simply cutting it down to size. Next, cover the deck with the material and your job is done!
You might even consider using Dynamat instead of FatMat, but that’s not necessary, as it costs more and you wouldn’t really notice any difference between the two materials. Either way, the level of sound reduction will be the same.
3. Use Ear Protection
Even after you’ve followed each step above and have properly quieted your lawn mower down, it’ll still produce a considerable amount of noise when you’re using it or standing next to it.
The noise coming from your lawn mower isn’t good for your eardrums. I know many people who are half deaf, partially because of loud machinery noise. To prevent this from happening to you, you can use either earplugs or earmuffs. I highly suggest using earmuffs, because they cover a person’s ears in their entirety and provide more substantial noise reduction results.
I’m not a huge fan of earplugs, maybe because I don’t like having plugs stuck in my ears, and I find them very uncomfortable to sleep in.
You may want to check these earmuffs out, as they’re quite effective at muffling sound, and are pretty tough as well. I highly recommend them for long-term use.
4. Buy a Quiet Electric Lawn Mower
There are a lot of different lawn mower models on the market, so I recommend that you get a quieter lawn mower. As you should know by now, some lawn mowers are much quieter than others.
An electric lawn mower is definitely quieter than one that’s powered by gas. Furthermore, mowers with smaller engines are much quieter than those with bigger ones. So if you don’t mind spending some money, it’s best to replace your existing lawn mower with a smaller electric one, if none of the other methods mentioned above has worked for you.
A couple of months ago, I decided to exchange one of my older lawn mowers for a new electric one. I went with the Black & Decker Electric Mower, and I must admit that it’s so much quieter. I’m not sure about the decibel level of this electric mower, but I think it’s around 70 dB, while standard gas mowers have a decibel level that’s around 90 dB.
Conclusion
Now, you should know a few ways in which you can make your lawn mower a little bit quieter. As you can see, there aren’t many ways to quiet a lawnmower. The two most effective solutions include replacing it with a new, quieter one or adding an additional muffler.
For the blades, you’ll need to cover them by using sound-deadening materials. If you’re the one who’s going to be using the lawn mower, you should definitely obtain some earmuffs, because the mower is still going to be fairly loud and losing your hearing over time is possible.
If you have any questions about this article or soundproofing in general, let us know by leaving a comment down below.
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