How loud is a lawnmower? Ah, what a beautiful morning! You’re in bed, trying to regain strength after surviving a hard week… You just need a few extra minutes of sleep.
Suddenly, you wake up in dread as you hear the most obnoxious sound in the morning. It is a roaring lawnmower.
How loud is this thing? Maybe you have a lawnmower yourself and are curious to find out. Well, then this article is for you. How many decibels does a lawnmower make and why is it so loud?
Table of Contents
How can we measure sound intensity?
Sound level is measured in decibels. The decibel scale covers a wide range of values, from the faintest sounds to extremely loud ones.
Decibels (dB) are measured using sound level meters or analyzers.
These devices measure sound pressure levels, sound power levels, or other quantities and convert them into decibels.
Gladly for you, no apps or devices are needed to measure how loud is a lawn mover. Their noise level was many times recorded and represented on many sound charts.
Lawn mower decibels
The general decibel level of a lawnmower is between 70 to 90 decibels. The level can vary depending on the specific model and its operating conditions.
Is 70 decibels considered loud? Well, let’s compare by examining other loud sounds.
Comparing noise levels
Here’s the list of noises you often hear and their sound frequency levels:
- Whispering: 20-30 dB
- Normal conversation: 60-70 dB
- Office environment: 40-60 dB
- Busy city traffic: 70-85 dB
- Vacuum cleaner: 70-80 dB
- Hairdryer: 80-90 dB
- Blender: 80-95 dB
- Lawn mower: 70-90 dB
- Motorcycle: 80-100 dB
- Rock concert: 100-120 dB
- Fireworks: 140-160 dB
70 dB is quite loud. The acceptable sound threshold is 70 dB. Going over it for a prolonged period may start to damage your hearing. Loud noise above 120 dB can cause immediate harm to your ears.
How do loud noises hurt you?
The human ear is a fragile organ.
Loud noises can potentially harm your hearing and have other negative effects on your health.
Prolonged exposure to loud sounds or exposure to intense sounds can cause issues like:
- Hearing loss. Exposure to loud noises can damage the inner ear responsible for transmitting sound signals to the brain. This damage can lead to permanent hearing loss or difficulty in hearing certain frequencies.
- Tinnitus. Exposure to noises can cause a condition called tinnitus, which is the perception of ringing, buzzing, or other phantom sounds in the ears. Tinnitus can be temporary or chronic and can impact one’s quality of life.
- Stress and fatigue. Continuous exposure to loud noises can cause increased stress levels and fatigue. It can disrupt sleep patterns, leading to sleep disturbances and decreased overall well-being.
- Poor Concentration and performance. Loud noises can impair concentration, focus, and cognitive performance. This can affect productivity, learning capabilities, and overall performance in various tasks.
- Accidents and risks. Exposure to loud noises can mask important sounds, making it difficult to hear warning signals or alarms. An accident may happen then.
It’s important to take measures to protect yourself from loud noises, especially if you spend significant time in noisy environments. Wearing hearing protection can help you fight loud noise. Let’s see how you can negate hearing damage.
Hearing protection from the loud noise
Many decibels equal hearing loss. Gladly the are many hearing protection options. Some are better than others.
Earplugs
These are small inserts that fit into the ear canal to block or reduce the entry of sound. They are portable, inexpensive, and come in disposable or reusable forms. The materials vary. You can find foam earplugs, as well as silicone or rubber ones.
Earmuffs
Earmuffs consist of ear cups that cover the entire ear and have cushioned pads to form a seal around the ears. They are effective in reducing noise levels and can be easily adjusted for a comfortable fit. Earmuffs are reusable and can provide greater sound reduction compared to earplugs.
Noise-cancelling headphones
Noise-cancelling headphones use active noise control to cancel out or reduce ambient noise. While they are primarily designed for canceling out low-frequency noises such as airplane engine sounds, they can still offer general protection.
The loudest lawnmowers
There are different kinds of lawnmowers, and their build and source of energy reflect how loud is a lawn mower.
Gas lawn mower
Gas lawn mowers use an internal combustion engine that runs on gasoline or diesel. They’re powerful, allowing them to cut more grass faster than other mowers.
This power, unfortunately, comes with a price. A typical gas lawn mower emits the highest noise level compared to other mowers. They run at approximately 85-95 decibels, which makes gas mowers hurtful to your ears.
Electric lawn mower
Electric lawnmowers need to be plugged into a wall outlet to operate. Since electric mowers are corded and less powerful, they run at around 75 decibels. It is significantly lower than other mowers.
An electric mower is significantly quieter than its gas counterpart, but it’s still hurtful to the ears.
An electric lawn mower is light, more eco-friendly than gas-powered mowers since no fuel is burned, and in general easier to operate.
Riding lawn mower
Riding lawn mowers operate on gas, and they are pretty much gas mowers that you can ride. Riding lawn mowers can create high noise levels of up to 90 decibels.
A riding mower is powerful, but not eco-friendly and, as you get, noisy. Riding lawn mowers costs quite much compared to other kinds of lawn mowers.
There’s also a subtype called a zero-turn mower. These zero-turn mowers are known for their maneuverability and efficiency in navigating tight spaces and precise turns.Zero-turn mowers produce many decibels, beginning from 90 dB.
Push lawn mowers
Push lawn mowers typically operate on an acceptable noise threshold. They are 70-80 dB.
The reason for a comparatively low lawnmower noise is that they are 100% human-powered. Without a motor or engine, you must physically push the mower to spin the blades and cut the grass.
They have a lower price and are quite healthy both for your ear canal and muscles. After all, you’re gonna move this mower by yourself. However, manual mowing can take a toll on your body.
The best kind of lawn mower
It’s all about priorities: health vs. efficiency.
If you don’t care about how loud is a lawn mower and ready to wear ear protection, pick a riding mower or a simple gas-powered lawn mower.
If you’re worried about noise-induced hearing loss or want to be eco-friendly, pick electric lawn mowers or push lawnmower.
Any lawn equipment has its perks and downsides.
Why are lawnmowers so loud?
Lawnmowers can create a high noise level due to several factors:
- Combustion engine. Many lawnmowers, especially gas-run ones, use internal combustion engines that generate many decibels operation.
- High RPM. The mower’s engines run at high revolutions per minute (RPM) power to rotate the cutting blades. The number of how many decibels you hear depends on the speed of rotation, which is usually fast.
- Cutting blades. The spinning cutting blades of a mower create air turbulence and generate noise as they cut through the grass.
- Lack of sound insulation. Lawn mowers are made to run well and sell for an affordable price. It means that manufacturers have to cut down some of the expenses. They often don’t install sound insulators, so there’s not much help to reduce mower noise.
- Air intake and exhaust noise. Running lawn mower means that air moves through the special mechanism, which adds to the noise level.
A lawn mower noise complaint makes manufacturers improve the technology.
Some models now come with noise-reducing features to help decrease noise.
Maybe one day we won’t even need ear protection with mowers like these.
FAQ
Now you know how loud is a lawn mower. Still, you might have some questions left.
How loud is the lawnmower?
How many decibels you hear depends on the type of lawn mower.
A typical lawn mower sound frequency is 70-90 decibels. Push Mowers often rank as the quietest ones. This level of hearing safety has been approved by occupational hygiene and safety officials.
Can lawn mowers cause hearing damage?
Yes, unfortunately. It can cause hearing loss and other impairments, so you need hearing protection. You can turn mower decibels down by installing a sound insulator or wearing hearing protection like earplugs.
Are lawn mowers noisy?
Yes, they are quite noisy. How many decibels are they producing? The average noise rating is 90 dB. A normal conversation is 60 dB for comparison.
Is the sound when mowing the lawn over 100 decibels?
It’s hard to say how many decibels an individual mower produces. Most sources mention that lawnmowers go to 100 decibels at max.
With improving technology this threshold is to become lower.
Can lawn mower cause such high levels? It’s unlikely. A common mower doesn’t go over 100 decibels.
We hope you’ve learned what you came for
Don’t let the grass grow under your feet. In both literal and metaphorical senses!
