Restaurant extractor fan audible from garden

Phil3822

If it really sounds like and as loud as a lawnmower there may be a fault with it which you could bring to the restaurants attention. Others suggest that I see too. 

I live in the middle of nowhere and just went outside to measure my ambient decibels which resulted in around 46/47. Mostly birds and a breeze. A lawn mower is around 90 decibels and a normal conversation as mentioned is around 60. If that reading is accurate the environment health are unlikely to do anything about it as it’s in a normal range. Sound is an environmental issue. I would however very much go and have a friendly conversation with the restaurant and also speak with neighbours. Maybe if it’s a fault it’s not always been like that. Or maybe the neighbours tried addressing with no avail and finally maybe the neighbours are all ok with and used to it. I repeat a fair bit of what’s been said but good luck. 

bolwin1

lapaillade90 said:

bolwin1 said:

Let's get this right - you move close to a restaurant with a normal commercial extract fan & then complain that you are close to a restaurant with an extractor fan. 

I think the other responders are being very polite with you.

Have you just not read any of this thread? I know restaurants need extractor fans. The point of this thread is to ask whether a restaurant having an extractor fan which sounds like a lawnmower three properties down is normal.

I read all of the thread. You said you measured the sound at around 50dB. Average conversation is 60dB & given the logarithmic nature of decibels, you are complaining about something that is one tenth as loud as a normal conversation.

lapaillade90

bolwin1 said:

lapaillade90 said:

bolwin1 said:

Let's get this right - you move close to a restaurant with a normal commercial extract fan & then complain that you are close to a restaurant with an extractor fan. 

I think the other responders are being very polite with you.

Have you just not read any of this thread? I know restaurants need extractor fans. The point of this thread is to ask whether a restaurant having an extractor fan which sounds like a lawnmower three properties down is normal.

I read all of the thread. You said you measured the sound at around 50dB. Average conversation is 60dB & given the logarithmic nature of decibels, you are complaining about something that is one tenth as loud as a normal conversation.

Not going to get into the science of this but I can assure you it is not one tenth as annoying as a normal conversation

coffeehound

Are you measuring it with a phone app?

Annisele

lapaillade90 said:

You'd think it would be possible to install a quieter fan though, no? I can't say I've ever previously walked past a takeaway and thought someone is mowing a lawn in there...

Me neither - but then I've never cared about a takeaway's fan as much as you (quite understandably) care about this one.

Maybe take a walk around your local neighbourhood and use whatever app you used on three-doors-down to measure the noise levels of other takeaways' fans from a similar distance? And see if you can have a look at the external appearance of the fan while you're at it?

That may well get you a reputation as the local idiot. But if you do find that all the other fans are making a similar amount of noise, it's extremely unlikely that all of them are faulty - so you'll likely have to live with the noise. But if the other fans are all quieter, that would suggest quieter is possible. And if it's half and half, I'd want to see if I could work out the difference - eg if the quiet ones are from manufacturer X and the loud ones are from Y, I might offer to buy three-doors-down one from X.

lapaillade90

coffeehound said:

Are you measuring it with a phone app?

Yes. Where are you going with that question, out of interest?

Barny1979

lapaillade90 said:

coffeehound said:

Are you measuring it with a phone app?

Yes. Where are you going with that question, out of interest?

Presumably that it won't be as accurate as dedicated sound recording devices.

Weathergirl_76

I would ask the neighbours first, if the noise is always at this level, or if it’s louder than usual. I don’t know about fans, but could it be louder because it needs repairing or something needs looking at and it needs maintenance. If it’s a sit down restaurant, perhaps their air con has been on recently with the hot weather which creates more noise than usual. 

I would start with neighbours first and go from there. 

niceguyed

Some quick Googling. In order to be certain about the noise emissions from an extraction system a BS4142 noise survey would need to be commissioned. You're wasting your time with phone sound apps.

An extraction system noise survey is usually a requirement when a planning application is being submitted to a local authority.

I suppose this leaves a few options. Convince the council to do one by hassling them. Commission your own which may/may not show current noise contravenes local policy/planning.

Or appeal to the better nature of the take-away and stump up some cash for an improved extraction system.

amyr

As someone who has worked in restaurants - all fans will work overtime during the summer months. Even the quietest fans will make a racket in a kitchen environment, particularly on the hottest days of the year. Kitchens are often significantly hotter than the outdoors.

You say it's three houses away, how close is that in meters? If we're talking three wide gardens then you could be right about it being faulty. If it's only a matter of 10 meters or so, I'd expect to be able to hear it.