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Mowing is a basic task to upkeep your lawn. It must be a pleasant experience, but why are lawn mowers so annoying?
Noise pollution is the root of the problem. We will discuss this issue in detail. Our article also shares some tips to handle it. Let’s scroll down to discover!
Contents
Why Are Lawn Mowers So Annoying?
We find lawn mowers annoying because of their noise. Most engines feature cheap and low-quality mufflers on their exhaust system, which will impede gas flow.
You can blame the noise for these primary causes:
- Mufflers: In a lawn mower, the muffler is in charge of stopping a spark from firing the dead grass. It doesn’t aim to reduce noise.
- Engine: The engine in this machine is small and lightweight. It has thin castings with weak sound insulation.
- Blades: These parts even produce more annoying sounds than the engine. They must be powerful enough to cut grass, leaving the noise behind.
- Design: A lawn mower has its engine exposed to the air and does nothing to reduce the noise it generates.
- Damage: If your lawn mower has loosened, broken, or deteriorated parts, it will produce more noise than it used to.
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Lawn mowers are annoying because they produce loud sounds
How Do I Protect My Hearing While Mowing The Lawn?
It’s hard to have a noise-free grass-mowing experience. Since the noise is the most irritating to your ears, you may want to protect your hearing first.
The only way to entirely block out the awful noises coming from your lawn mower is to buy a nice set of headphones or noise-canceling earplugs.
In addition, mowing the grass might be boring. Therefore, investing in a pair of noise-canceling earphones and listening to your favorite music may speed up the time and make the job more fun and less noisy.
The NRR (Noise Reduction Ratings) show how much hearing protection an earmuff or plug offers. The higher the NRR, the better.
You should wear hearing protection because a lawn mower has sound levels that are louder than 85 decibels to prevent hearing damage.
The recommended NRR is at least 25. This rate will help lower a 90-decibel mower to around 85, which is more pleasant to your ears.
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Protect your ears while mowing your lawn
How Can I Make My Lawn Mower Less Noisy?
Aside from protecting your ears, you should also work with the lawn mower. Here are some tips to help reduce it generates while working:
Have the mower serviced
The noise may come from loose components. They will bounce around the system and make it work loudly. So once you feel annoyed with your equipment, check for these parts:
- Blades
- Rollers
- Belts
- Air filter
- Fuel caps
- Deck spindles
- Pull cords
Clean the mower
Debris and grass may get trapped in the mower, especially under the pulleys and belts. Hence, make sure you clean those areas frequently.
Invest in a better engine
The loud engine can be the source of the problem. Low-cost lawn mowers with poorly-made engines will definitely work louder than the better ones.
Lubricate the mower
The moving components of your lawn mower need some grease to avoid squealing and squeaking. Hence, remember to lubricate the bearing regularly to reduce annoying noises.
Perform some steps to minimize the noise
Do Quiet Lawn Mowers Exist?
Yes. There are two kinds of exhaust mufflers in a lawn mower. Most mowers are loud because they have absorptive mufflers. But reflective mufflers are what you need.
Reflective mufflers would be incredibly quiet in comparison to absorptive ones. Their ingenious engineering can minimize noise.
In those systems, destructive interference reduces some noise in resonating chambers when perforated baffles channel sound waves.
There is a special noise-canceling, temperature-resistant material between the exhaust casing and chambers to further reduce the noise.
You can also try electric lawn mowers, which emit noise at a low level. The next section will reveal more about these models.
Are Electric Lawn Mowers More Quiet?
Yes. Our daily conversation is about 50 decibels, and this figure for electric mowers is around 70 decibels. Meanwhile, gas mowers produce a sound that is approximately 100 decibels.
Here are the reasons why electric lawn mowers work more quietly:
- The engine of a mower contributes significantly to the noise. But electric mowers don’t have such components. Instead, they run on an electric motor.
- Electric motors will create less vibration and work more smoothly thanks to the electric motor. Hence, the blades don’t generate high-pitched sounds.
- Electric lawn mowers often have noise-dampening materials, such as foam, rubber, cork, and felt.
- Compared to gas-powered versions, electric lawn mowers typically run at slower speeds. This feature aids in noise reduction.
- You won’t have to worry much about maintenance using electric mowers. Their components won’t get damaged, broken, or loose easily. They don’t make noise as long as they are in good condition.
Electric lawn mowers are quieter
Why Aren’t Silent Lawn Mowers Commonly Used?
Electric lawn mowers seem ideal, but they have some disadvantages when compared to gas-powered models. Those drawbacks make them less popular than their competitors.
Price
Because of modern technology and noise-dampening materials, electric mowers are more expensive. If you use batteries, expect to pay for the replacement.
Power
Machines running on electricity are generally less powerful than their gas counterparts. So expect the same thing when you use electric lawn mowers.
Limited distance
If you want to save cost on batteries, you may prefer a corded mower. However, the cord will only allow you to access some corners of your lawn. It also makes storage and handling more troublesome.
Conclusion
Lawn mowers are annoying because they produce loud noise while working. You can’t reduce those high-pitched sounds in some cases. Hence, consider hearing protection while mowing your lawn.
Hopefully, we have satisfactorily answered your question. For any further information, please feel free to ask. Thank you for reading!
