Vibration Isolator Out of Silicone Caulk

To start: This is my 1st Instructable. Long-time lurker; first-time poster. And, English is my first and only language (besides the Language-of-Love; wife is rolling her eyes) so go easy on me.

Nooooow I've worked in construction for over 20 years and "caulk jokes".......hehe........ still elicit a childish giggle from grown men. Like seriously, it never gets old... (chuckling even now). hahahahahahah. Ok, ok.... I'll go on.

Anyhoo, I recently installed a whole house fan, but didn't have a way to isolate the vibration of the fan -- which is hung from the rafters. Turns out, this is NECESSARY!. When the fan is running, you can totally hear it through the house. The fan I installed is a Quiet Cool attic fan which weighs in at around 28 lbs. Searching online I saw several isolators that would work. The PERfessionally made isolators have a weight capacity of 50-100lbs, which doesn't jive with what I have. I mean, I could buy those, buuuutttt being the compulsive do-it-yourselfer, I figured I could do that my own self.

What "BIG SILICONE" doesn't want you to know is: Silicone caulk has a shelf-life of less than 25 years!!!! WHO KNEW?!?! Trying to stick it to THE MAN, I knew the path ahead. I would exercise my "scavenging" skills (preferred pronunciation: like "avenging") and use that ancient caulk that would otherwise go in the landfill.

Full disclosure, my hangers are based on the product shown above.

Silicone caulk of undetermined age (Be sure to pronounce the L when saying it)

#16 galvanized tie wire

1/2" flat washers

wire bending pliers

vise (optional)

drill or drill press

Age the tube of caulk some 20+ years.

After such time.....Get that caulk out. (Cue childish giggles)

Using razor knife, and all due caution and common sense, cut the end off the tube of caulk. Then slit the tube lengthwise and remove the aged, solid cylinder of silicone. (HA!! "cylinder of silicone", say that 5 times fast!)

Using the same razor knife, caution/ common sense, cut the silicone cylinder into individual pieces. I chose 1 1/2", though I don't see that being overly important. Sure, an engineer is going tell ya there's all sorts of math involved, taking into account the weight of the fan plus other coefficients of this or that, but this is "garaging", baby; garaging at its best, and I don't have time for that kind of stuff.

Cutting the ends square took some care. (Man, I am rocking the rhyming and alliteration things right now). I found rolling the silicone cylinder as I held the knife perpendicular got me pretty close.

Drill two holes in each of the 1/2" washers. Mine were 3/32". They will need to be large enough to accommodate the size wire you're using. I need (3) hangers so I need a total of (6) washers.

The tie wire used was something I had on hand. It comes in a roll, which means it has a 'curl' to it. To remove this 'curl'; cut a length, secure one end of your length of wire in a vise (or fixed location), chuck the other end into a portable drill, pull TIGHT and spin the drill slowly. This will straighten the wire. It's magically magical.

Then cut the now-straightened wire into 7" lengths (or whatever).

Now, using the wire bending pliers, bend these lengths into a ~3 1/2" "hairpin". Again, I need (3) hangers, so I need (6) "hairpins"

The "hairpins" are easily pushed through the caulk cylinders. The legs of the "hairpins" should be parallel, as this helps them to travel through silicone straight.

Start by pressing one hairpin into one end of the caulk cylinder. A bench vise may help in pressing the hairpins through the caulk. Simply secure the hairpin in a vise and press the caulk cylinder until the "stabby" points emerge. From the other end, press the other hairpin through, making sure that the two opposing hairpins are offset 90 degrees from each other. Imagine your two hands making scissors, fit your two scissored hands together.

Ensure the two opposing hairpins do not make direct contact with each other.

Once the silicone cylinder has been twice impaled, fit a washer over each end. Press the hairpins in farther than needed and bend a hook on each of the two "stabby" ends. These two hooks will fit into the holes drilled in the washer on that end. With hooks in the holes, pull the hairpin back, embedding the hooks and washer into the silicone.

Repeat on the other end aaannnndd.................................DONE.

Now, to install on the fan. I'm going to wait until the temperature here is below 105. Jack chain will be attached to each end of the isolators, thereby eliminating vibration/noise transmitted through the house.

NOTE: The two opposing hairpins should not be in direct contact or this would negate the isolation properties. Neither should the hairpins should touch the washer to which they are not attached

Now you (and I) have a use for that aged, decrepit caulk we've been shamefully hiding away in our garages/ sheds for years. I suppose the same uses could be made of caulks other than silicone, like polyurethane. etc.