Soundproofing Tips Archives - Page 13 of 13

Your home should be a peaceful haven. Noise pollution can potentially have a negative effect on your health. At the very least, it can make it hard to enjoy conversation or quiet time. One of the biggest culprits for in-home noise is the dishwasher. You still need to clean your dishes so there's no need to throw this valuable appliance out. It's possible to soundproof a dishwasher to limit the amount of noise it produces by quite a lot. Here is how to soundproof your dishwasher in 8 easy steps. 1. Turn off the dishwasher's water source and unplug it from the power source. This step is pretty self-explanatory. For safety reasons, you always want to be sure to make sure the power source and the water source are both turned off. 2. Remove the front panel of the dishwasher. If you aren't particularly handy, this step might sound a bit overwhelming but it's easier than you might think. Open the dishwasher door. Take a Phillip's head screwdriver and remove the screws along the inside of the door. Close the door, then carefully remove the front panel. 3. Measure the front panel and purchase sound-absorbent matting. Measure the front panel's length, width, and depth. You'll want to purchase some insulation or a sound-absorbent panel that will fit in this space. You may need to cut to size. The most important number to hit is the depth. It is much harder to cut depth down to size than to cut down length and width. 4. Insert into the front panel of the dishwasher and screw the panel back in place. Carefully insert your insulation or sound-absorbent panel into the front panel of the dishwasher. Then, screw the front panel back in place. 5. Disconnect lines and pull the dishwasher out from cabinets and away from the wall. Disconnect all water lines running to the dishwasher. Carefully pull the dishwasher out from under the cabinets and away from the wall. To do this, you will most likely have to unscrew a couple of screws that hold the dishwasher in place to the countertop. Use the dishwasher door to start pulling it out from its location. 6. Remove and replace the insulating blanket around the dishwasher. There is probably an insulating blanket that goes over the top of the dishwasher and along the sides. Just like with anything else, this insulating material will age over time. The older it gets, the less effective it will be when it comes to reducing noise. The insulating blanket will be attached to the dishwasher with a rivet. You can carefully remove this with needle-nosed pliers. You'll be able to reuse this when you apply the new insulating blanket. Apply a new dishwasher insulating blanket using the rivets. You won't need a tool for this. The rivets will be easy to just push right into the frame where they will lock into place. 7. Attach soundproof matting to the rear of the dishwasher. One thing that can cause noise is when the dishwasher knocks against the back wall. Adding some soundproof matting to the rear of the dishwasher will prevent this annoying noise. You'll want to cut one small strip to run the vertical length of the dishwasher and one to run the horizontal length of the dishwasher. Attach these strips to the back of the dishwasher using any strong household adhesive, like the Dap All-Purpose Adhesive Sealant. 8. Slide dishwasher back into place and reattach the hoses. Carefully slide the dishwasher back into place. Reattach all of the hoses and plug it back into the power supply. Turn the water back on. At this point, your dishwasher is ready to start washing dishes once again but hopefully while making a bit less racket! If it's still noisier than you'd like, you can try purchasing a dishwasher basket. These will hold lightweight and smaller dishes in place. There is a surprising amount of noise generated when light dishes knock around from the force of the water. Dishwasher baskets come in a variety of sizes. It might make sense for you to have a few different baskets to use with specific kinds of objects. Dishwasher baskets are very commonly used for washing baby bottles and all of their bits and pieces. What if the dishwasher is unusually loud? If your dishwasher is bizarrely loud and especially if it makes loud banging or grinding sounds, there's a good chance that the wash pump motor is defective or is just going out. If this is the case, it might end up being cheaper to just buy a new dishwasher. Soundproofing your dishwasher is a project that you can easily accomplish in an hour or so. With just 8 easy steps, the task is even doable if you aren't particularly handy. Reducing even just a bit of the noise pollution will allow your home to be a peaceful haven once again.