The Simple Reason Chainsaws Are Ear-Piercingly Loud

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Owning a chainsaw is going to come in handy. There’s a good chance that you’ll need a chainsaw to cut down a tree or to cut up fallen tree limbs.

There are all sorts of chainsaws on the market that are easy to use. They also don’t cost too much money, so you should be able to buy one for your home without breaking the bank.

That being said, using a chainsaw won’t always be the most pleasant experience. Many people get bothered by how noisy these tools can be.

Why are chainsaws so loud? Are all chainsaws loud or can you get chainsaws that are substantially quieter?

Continue reading to learn more about chainsaws. This will help you to understand why they’re so noisy.

Why Chainsaws Are Loud

Chainsaws are loud as a general rule. Even the quietest chainsaw that you can buy is still going to be fairly loud.

But why are these chainsaws so loud? It comes down to the way that they’re designed.

The saws are designed to utilize a two-cycle engine. This engine causes the chains to spin, and the spinning chain is what creates the noise.

Even when the chainsaw is idling, it’s still going to be fairly noisy. When you start actually cutting into something, the noise will become exponentially louder.

That being said, there are still chainsaws that are going to be louder than others. This is especially true if there are little problems with the chainsaw that are causing it to be even louder than normal.

Sometimes issues such as rusty chains, leaky exhausts, and loose mufflers can make chainsaws very noisy. If you fix these problems, then the noise level will go back to normal.

It’s also notable that each chainsaw is going to run at different decibels. Chainsaws that run at very high decibels are going to be harder to bear than those that run at lower decibels.

Which Chainsaws Are the Quietest?

If you’re worried about how loud things are, then it’s wise to seek out an electric chainsaw. Electric chainsaws can get the job done, but they’re going to be quieter than other more powerful saws.

To give you an idea of how loud electric chainsaws are, it’s good to look at the average decibels that they run at. On average, electric chainsaws will run at 106 decibels.

This is still very loud and it’s actually eight times louder than a standard conversation with another person. Even though it’s quieter than some of the loudest chainsaws, it’s still likely to be annoying to anyone who is sensitive to loud noises.

If you hate loud noises, then you’ll absolutely want to avoid large gas-powered chainsaws. These gas guzzlers will operate at much higher decibels than electric models.

The average for chainsaws outside of the electric ones will be 120 decibels. That’s a lot louder, and it’s thirty-two times louder than a normal conversation with someone.

You can see how someone would have a hard time putting up with the noise. In fact, this could harm your ears, and it wouldn’t be good to damage your hearing.

This is why most experts recommend wearing protective gear while operating chainsaws. You can wear gear that will muffle the sound to protect your hearing.

Note that the fact that electric saws are quieter doesn’t mean that they are truly quiet. Electric saws can hurt your ears as well, and they can still wake up the neighbors too.

There aren’t any chainsaws that operate without making noise. It’s just something that you have to (safely) put up with when you need to saw logs.

Using Chainsaws and Hearing Loss

Using chainsaws can lead to hearing loss if you don’t take the proper precautions. This is definitely something that you want to avoid at all costs.

Some people have to use chainsaws more often than others. You might not be using these chainsaws just to take care of downed tree limbs or other such things on your own property.

If you work at a job that requires you to use a chainsaw most days, then you need to be careful. Sounds that are greater than 110 decibels can start to make you feel uncomfortable, and they can damage your hearing over time.

Even quieter sounds that are around 85 decibels and higher can have a negative impact on your hearing. As the years go by, you may notice hearing loss if you don’t take the right precautions to protect yourself.

It’s always going to be best to pay attention to the noise levels whenever you’re working with power tools. You’ll also want to protect your hearing if you’re going to a rock concert or doing something else that involves being exposed to loud noises for a sustained period of time.

How to Protect Your Hearing

Protecting your hearing isn’t all that hard once you know what you need to do. As you might expect, you’ll need to wear something that can protect your ears.

If you’ve ever seen professionals cutting down trees with chainsaws, then you’ll probably notice that they wear large ear muffs as well as hard helmets. The helmets are to protect from falling debris from the tree, but the ear muffs are to protect their ears from hearing issues.

When you wear ear muffs such as the ones that the experts use, you’ll be able to use a chainsaw without being bothered so much. It’ll make it so that the chainsaw will be at the 80- to 85-decibel range as far as your hearing goes.

This is much more comfortable, and you should be able to safely get the job done. You should definitely invest in a high-quality pair of protective ear muffs.

It’s worth noting that not all ear muffs are of the same quality. Some are going to stand up to regular use better than others.

To have the best experience, you’ll want to buy protective ear muffs from a reputable company. It’s also good to check customer reviews to see how long the ear muffs will last.

This helps you to spend your money wisely, and it ensures that you’ll have a better experience. If you can buy good ear muffs, then you’ll be in a good position to use the chainsaw safely moving forward.

What if you don’t like wearing ear muffs, though? Some people might find them to be a bit hot, and it might be uncomfortable depending on how sensitive your ears are.

Some people have used ear plugs effectively, but they don’t work as well as ear muffs. There are squishy earbud-like plugs that you can stick in your ears that will muffle the noise from a chainsaw.

Generally, these earbuds are far more uncomfortable than the earmuffs. They probably won’t be as effective as you need them to be if you need to wear them for a long time.

What About Problems with Chainsaw Vibration?

The health issues that can be caused by how noisy chainsaws are get talked about a lot. However, the problems that stem from chainsaw vibration issues don’t get discussed nearly enough.

When you use chainsaws, you’re going to feel the vibration going through your body. As you continue to saw through logs and other things, this vibration is going to get to you.

If you use a chainsaw for a long period of time without taking a break, then it can wind up hurting you. You could wind up developing long-term medical problems if you aren’t careful.

For example, gripping the chainsaw for long periods of time for many years can lead to nerve damage. You can also experience muscle damage and problems with your tendons.

Some have even been diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome due to using chainsaws at work for many years. It’s an unfortunate thing that many people have had to deal with due to not being careful enough when using chainsaws.

Chainsaw vibration isn’t good for your hands and your body. However, you can use chainsaws safely and reduce the risk of developing problems.

When you’re using a chainsaw regularly, it’s going to be important to take breaks. Also, you’ll want to try to stretch your arms and hands when you get the chance to do so.

Be mindful of how long you’re working and try to avoid using a chainsaw for longer than you should. You’ll be able to remain more comfortable and in better working condition if you take consistent breaks.

Other handheld tools can cause these sorts of problems as well. Whenever you’re using power tools that vibrate, you’ll want to be careful.

Can You Protect Yourself From the Vibration?

There isn’t anything that you can do to protect yourself from the vibration aside from being careful. You can take breaks, stretch your muscles, and try not to go overboard when using a chainsaw.

Note that this is only going to be a problem for people who use chainsaws all the time. If you use chainsaws at your place of work, then this is something that you need to worry about.

Otherwise, it’s unlikely that a homeowner would use a chainsaw often enough for this to become a problem. Knowing this, you might not have to worry about chainsaw vibration.

Of course, it’s still advisable to be careful when using a chainsaw. Using a chainsaw too long without taking a break could easily cause you to hurt yourself.

If you want to reduce the vibration level of the chainsaw, then you could buy chainsaw equipment that can help with vibration reduction. This won’t take the vibration away completely, but it might make the vibration become less of an issue for you.

Just always respect the fact that using a chainsaw is dangerous. It’s something that you need to pay attention to for a number of different reasons.

This doesn’t have to keep you from using chainsaws. You can use them safely, but you do need to watch what you’re doing to protect your hands, arms, and hearing.

Final Thoughts

You’ve learned so much about chainsaws and why they’re so loud. If you’re someone who just gets annoyed by the neighbor’s noisy chainsaw, then you’ll just have to accept that chainsaws are going to be loud.

When someone has work to do, it’s going to be necessary to bust out the chainsaw sometimes. The noise that chainsaws make can be substantial enough to cause hearing problems for the people who operate them.

This is why it’s imperative to take steps to protect your hearing. You need to be able to use the chainsaw without feeling as if you’re being assaulted by loud noises.

Wearing protective ear muffs can substantially reduce the decibel levels of the chainsaw. This will allow you to get work done without hurting yourself.

Anyone who uses chainsaws regularly will need to use protective ear muffs. If you aren’t doing this, then you could wind up experiencing hearing loss sooner than you might think.

Thankfully, protective ear muffs aren’t that expensive overall. However, it is a good idea to seek out a high-quality product from a respected company if you want the ear muffs to stand the test of time.

Chainsaws can also vibrate your arms and hands while you use them. For this reason, it’s important to take breaks.

If you use chainsaws often for your job, then you’ll have to be mindful of the damage that the vibration can do to your body. Regular breaks and stretching will help to protect you from harm as much as possible.

You might also be able to purchase some chainsaw vibration-reducing equipment that will make your life a bit easier. It isn’t possible to eliminate the vibration, though.

Now that you know all of this about chainsaws, you’ll feel much more capable of making good decisions. Do your best to protect yourself and you won’t have to be nearly as afraid of (or annoyed by) chainsaws.

If you just want a reprieve from your neighbor’s noisy chainsaw, then buying ear muffs to use indoors is a good option. A good noise-reducing headset should work just fine if you’re indoors, too.

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