You might think that the noisiest fans refer to fans with mechanical problems that cause annoying sounds.
While that could happen, is it not what consumers are looking for in a fan.
Instead, fan noise refers to the white noise created by the fan blades causing air turbulence and a relatively peaceful white noise.
White noise refers to general background sound that is audible but generally unintelligible. White noise is great for drowning out background noises that otherwise might be annoying.
If you live in a city apartment or maybe near a busy road that generates a good amount of noise, a fan could drown it out with white noise.
The following are the best fans for doing exactly that.
What Is the Noisiest Fan?
The noisiest fan is Genesis Box Fan. Most fans that produce white noise maintain noise levels of between 30 and 35 decibels.
That is enough to help drown out background noise without becoming obnoxious.
The Genesis Box Fan is a classic 20-inch fan mounted in a square metal box frame with rounded corners.
Five blades with a gentle curve to each help to move a lot of air and really do a great job of causing turbulence within the fan box.
The box also adds to the white noise by focusing the airflow with a specially designed cover that conveniently places the control knob in the upper right corner of the fan face.
Three settings enable you to dial in the perfect level of white noise with the highest setting producing possibly the loudest fan noise available.
It certainly is very loud and likely exceeds the 35 decibels level that many manufacturers consider the maximum volume for white noise fans.
Like most box fans, you can use the Genesis Box Fan as a window fan, to move air in a large room and to air out garages and other dusty areas.
When you want to get a good night’s sleep, its white noise level helps to take you to slumberland.
A-List of Loud Fans to Drown Out Noise White Noise Fans
I have categorized these loud white noise fans into different categories to allow you pick one that suits your preferences.
1. LifePlus 12″ Portable Desk Fan
A 12-inch fan with five blades and housed inside a portable box fan with an arching top makes the Holmes Blizzard among the best portable fans on the market.
The remote-controlled fan swings well above its weight by cooling rooms of up to 500 square feet.
A rotating grill and tilt-adjustable head let you choose the perfect airflow while drowning out the background noise.
The compact design and high-speed fan action help to deliver relatively high decibels to produce the kind of white noise that people seek in noisy fans.
But when you want to reduce the fan volume, you can use the quiet mode for a more serene operation.
The LifePlus portable fan has 3 settings for airflow and three fan-speed settings.
A very convenient remote control lets you program the compact fan to run for up to eight hours before it shuts off automatically.
You can program it to turn off sooner than eight hours or leave it on for the entire day without using the programming feature.
2. SmartDevil Small Personal USB Desk Fan
The SmartDevil portable fan offers the convenience of rechargeable battery operation.
You also can run it from a USB port, which greatly increases its portability. It can run the DmaartDevil in your car to provide passengers with a more personalized comfort zone.
You can run it for up to 12 hours on battery power or indefinitely with the USB connection and a standard USB wall adapter for electrical outlets.
The SmartDevil fan is encased in a sturdy, rounded frame and grill.
It rotates 360 degrees so that you can position it exactly as you need it for the ideal airflow. A sturdy metal stand with rubber stops attached helps to keep the SmartDevil exactly where you want it.
The rubber stops also eliminate annoying vibration sounds when you place the portable fan on a hard surface.
3. Honeywell Belmer
The Honeywell Belmer is a five-bladed ceiling fan with 52-inch blades and a pull chain that lets you turn it on and off.
Another pull chain controls the three speeds, and a switch lets you reverse the fan direction.
The Honeywell Belmer has three speeds and a reversible motor that helps to circulate warm air in the winter.
The Belmer can help to cool a sizeable room during the summer months and warm it in the winter while saving on heating and cooling bills.
The ceiling fan’s five 52-inch ETL blades are rated for outdoor use and help to produce a pleasant level of quiet noise.
You can control the level of fan noise with the three speed adjustments while the electric motor runs quietly.
4. Hunter Indoor Low-Profile Ceiling Fan
If you have a smaller room, such as a bedroom, in which you want to place a ceiling fan for comfort and soothing white noise while sleeping, the Hunter indoor low-profile ceiling fan is an affordable and effective choice among the noisiest fans that mount to the ceiling.
The Hunter has five 42-inch blades wooden blades, three speeds and reversible flow to create downdrafts and updrafts as desired.
The 42-inch fan blades are weathered in appearance and contrast nicely with the fan’s antique bronze finish.
The fan is ideal for rooms with a low ceiling height and produces a pleasing level of white noise while moving a good quantity of air.
5. Wathai Big Airflow
If moving air either from the outside or to the outside to cool your place while also drowning out background noise is what you want, then very few window fans are better than the Wathai Big Airflow.
The twin-fan design is housed within a metal frame and uses ball bearings to enable the seven-bladed fans to turn in either direction.
With up to 35 decibels of white noise available, the Wathai Big Airflow does a great job of drowning out background sound.
A metal frame and metal grates make the Wathai Big Airflow an especially durable window fan.
You get excellent control of airflow with reversible capability and three speed settings.
The blades even flip so that you can create a push-pull airflow pattern.
And you can rest it flat on a table or other level surface and use it as a cooling device for electronic equipment.
6. Comfort Zone 9” Twin Window Fan
The Comfort Zone Twin Window Fan is a very popular option that gives you a pair of 9-inch plastic fans that are encased in a sturdy white plastic housing.
Two speeds let you control the amount of airflow as well as the level of noise that it produces. A plastic grill with rounded openings for each fan helps to direct the airflow better.
It also has the added benefit of directing the white noise where you want it.
The high-speed function produces a good level of white noise that will do a great job of drowning out the background sounds that you do not want to hear.
It also has an exhaust feature that reverses the airflow and turns the Comfort Zone into an exhaust for moving hot air out of a room.
The Comfort Zone comes with a removable felt cover and a pair of accordion-style side curtains. The plastic expanders help to close off the window spaces on either side of the Comfort Zone so that it can fit a variety of windows of varying sizes.
Final Thoughts on Noisiest Fans
The best of the noisiest fans will help to drown out background noise while enabling better cooling and heating in your home.
You can choose a variety of fans for many options inside your home and while traveling.
Or you could settle on a single type that offers the best variety of uses for inside and outside your home.
Virtually all the fans listed above are among the best of their type and are readily available through many retailers.
You just need to decide on a budget and what you want in a noisy fan that will help to drown out background noise and enhance the privacy in your personal space.
Meet Mike O’Connor, (a DIY enthusiast), living in Cincinnati, a city ranked as the noisiest in the USA.
As a work from home dad, I have a first hand experience of how noise can truly affect your well being.
Soundproofing isn’t something that should be taken as a hobby, it should be a skill that every homeowner should be equipped with.
Most of the work documented on this blog comes from purely first hand experience, and the products recommended work as indicated.