Is breaking a full rack of balls damaging my hearing???

My wife has said it is damaging my hearing... but it could be selective...

I have a table in the basement and sometimes when she walks by the table I will break but I'm supposed to tell her so she can cover her ears. She gets mad if I forget to tell her that I'm breaking. It hurts her ears. She definitely believes it is not good for my hearing.
 
The only thing that is potentially damaging to your ears would be if, during the break, a ball flew off the table and hit you up side the head. That very thing happened to a friend of mine, one night, during a fast paced game of eight ball.
The accident I refer to happened when an oriental fellow by the name of Who, a guy well know for possessing a strong break, let loose with one of his best of the evening and sent the fourteen ball off the table and into the side of my friends head. He, unfortunately, was looking at a sweet young thing over at the next table and never saw it coming.
We took him to the local Emergency room where the attending physcian examined his injury.
The doctor asked him, "Who hit you in the head?"
My friend answered, "Who, did."
"That's what I want to know. Who?" Replied the doctor.
"Who." Said my friend.
"Who what?" Asked the doctor.
"Who, hit me. What was with the good looking girl at the next table."
The doctor gave him a shot for pain and sent him home. :smile:
 
Ive learned to warn everyone in my house when im about to break, but yes it can definitely be loud enough to hurt your ears. My break is around 22-25
 
http://www.gcaudio.com/resources/howtos/loudness.html

The 140dbl range is what is noted here to potentially cause hearing loss due to short term exposure. The OSHA requirements dictate hearing conservation plans be developed when noise levels exceed 85dbl exposure over a time weighted average of 8 hours. I break normally at 24-26mph and when I am at a poolhall, if someone is close to the table and not paying attention they will generally jump when the cueball hits the rack. I would estimate it at about 100-110. I wonder if there is an app for this on an iPhone since it has a mic?
 
I would think it would depend on the sound dampening qualities of the room your in too. I know when it's quiet in my house and I snap that first rack it gets my tinnitus going right away. Of course that has nothing to do with playing in rock bands for about 15 years with my head right next to a crash cymbal! :rolleyes:
 
The sound of breaking the balls doesnt bother me as much as the sound of the Delta 13 aluminum rack does. :eek:

John
 
Last edited:
The phenolic tip is what has been hurting my ears while breaking, I'm going to swap it out with something else.

My ears are sensitive though, too much skill mag77 time and metal grinding in the past.
 
Don't give away spoilers. That's going to be the next thread, debating whether long term usage of an unmuffled Delta 13 contribute to deafness.:grin:

Here is a free dog whistle app that I use to check my hearing. Its not a substitute for a real doctor. I was surprised to learn that I can't hear anything over 17K.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dog-whistler-your-free-dog/id306614060

One Pocket John said:
The sound of breaking the balls doesnt bother me as much as the sound of the Delta 13 aluminum rack does. :eek:

John
Click to expand...
 
My hearing is already bad. I ruined mine 35-40 years ago doing photograghy work at the starting lines of drag strips. Like a dummy, I used no hearing protection. Those Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars can make the inside of your head shake when they "throttle down" at the starting line.

What's the worst thing about my hearing now is that when I'm in a place with a lot of background noise (poolhall, bar, music venue, etc.), and someone is trying to talk to me, I mostly only hear the background noise. I have to insist to the person trying to talk to me that they literally yell at me for me to be able to hear what they're saying.

And.....I do have a slight case of tinnitus.

Thanks for all the responses, both serious and comical :thumbup:!!!

Maniac
 
By the way, fellas..........if you hold the sides of a Delta-13 rack with as many fingers as you can while you scoop the balls into it, it isn't much louder than a standard wooden rack.......actually has a fairly nice "ring" (pun intended) to it.

You can arrange the balls as needed when you get them all inside the perimeter of the rack.

Hope this helps!!!

Maniac
 
I recall that any sudden, loud noise can cause hearing damage with constant exposure.

After using a cutoff saw quite a bit I had tinnitis for a long time. I started using ear protection many years ago with all power saws and my hearing is pretty good for my age.

My in-laws are both nearly deaf from using shotguns without ear protection.

Breaking is a similar sound but not as loud. I'm pretty sure it can cause some hearing problems but I doubt if it's loud enough to cause permanent damage from reasonable practice or play.
 
Last edited:
Leather noise suppressors for Delta-13 rack

Maniac said:
By the way, fellas..........if you hold the sides of a Delta-13 rack with as many fingers as you can while you scoop the balls into it, it isn't much louder than a standard wooden rack.......actually has a fairly nice "ring" (pun intended) to it.

You can arrange the balls as needed when you get them all inside the perimeter of the rack.

Hope this helps!!!

Maniac
Click to expand...

What amazes me is all the griping about a problem that is EASILY SOLVED. There are leather inserts available that, for the nominal ONE-TIME cost (emphasis on "one time"), the Delta-13 is no louder than (and almost indistinguishable from) a wooden rack.

Demonstrations of the difference:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=bZqA5MZRLhQ
http://youtube.com/watch?v=D5ZDa5PvTvg

Byron Design Studio's leather insert product (very cool designs!):
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=163396
Executive Billiards' product:
http://delta-13.com/accessories/Leather-Inserts

I have the Executive Billiards' product, and I can confidently say I will never again use a Delta-13 rack without them.

-Sean
 
Maniac said:
It is a quick, sharp pain
Click to expand...


It produces pain? Think about it. What is the purpose of pain?

Low level noise can in fact produce hearing damage as well.

I have no doubt that this has the potential to damage hearing.

As an aside, I have hearing loss and tinnitus in my left ear from a shooing accident around 1985. My ear plug slipped just ad my girlfriend, who I was teaching to shoot, discharged a round from a revolver.

It's easy enough see how many decibels are achieved with a break. You just need a sound level meter. I used to have one when I was doing high end audio work but I haven't seen it in years.

If it hurts, it's probably an indication of potential damage. Repeating it can only increase the risk I would imagine.



.
 
Maniac said:
I've just started noticing this a couple of months ago, first on the home table and now even at the poolhall that whenever I break a full rack of balls, there is a noticeable feeling in my ears that is hard to describe. It is a quick, sharp pain that almost feels like a vibration effect going on in my inner ear. It makes me twinge a little bit. Very uncomfortable. I was wondering and appealling to all AZB'ers if anyone knows what decibel level the breaking a rack of balls puts out and if anyone else has ever had this problem or has any concerns about it?

I'm wondering if I should start wearing earplugs when I play (at least when I break).

Any comments or information would be greatly appreciated!!!

Maniac
Click to expand...

Before this goes any farther, I don't carry product liability insurance!!

Larry
 
63Kcode said:
Before this goes any farther, I don't carry product liability insurance!!

Larry
Click to expand...


Don't worry Larry, I won't sue for money. I might want a cue or two, though :thumbup:!!!

Maniac (your breaker's workin' great for me :smile:)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top