Soundproofing Solutions

My Neighbors Noisy Air Conditoner...

Robert from Toronto, Ontario writes

I have a tall fence between me and my neighbor. Their NOISY air conditioner, which sits on their driveway, runs constantly all summer long. The fence height is almost 12 feet over a length of 20 feet, from the corner of the house down into the backyard. I would like to install a soundproofing material between the fence boards which i would remove on my side of the fence in order to install it. I would then reinstall the board; the soundproofing material would thus be "the filling in the sandwich". I have 1-2 inches of thickness to play with. What do you recommend please?

Response to email :

Thank you for your interest in our sound control products.

In reference to your neighbors noisy air conditioner, we have helped people with this type of situation on many occasions. This is a common problem when the sound of heat pumps and air conditioners is present in the (often narrow) spaces between houses. There is an accumulative effect with the the sound and it is usually very clearly heard thought the adjacent or upper floor windows.

The most effective treatment is achieved when a large area of surface absorption is introduced into the area to dissipate the sound and eliminate the line-of-sight transmission. The material most commonly used is the AcoustiGuard 'ML' Mineral Liner. It is available in 1" and 2" thickness - Sheet size is 24" x 48". The ML board can easily be fastened to the fence with stick pin fasteners. The material will not absorb water like fiberglass does.

To read more please visit this link on our website AcoustiGuard ML.

Don Wilkinson
Partner

Soundproofing with Mass Loaded Vinyl

Dino from Ontario Canada writes

Hi Don

I bought some Barymat-5 from you a few years back and spoke to you recently about soundproofing my basement.

I just have a question for you. Will adding Mass Loaded Vinly to the outside of a wall or ceiling that has not been insulated have any effects at blocking sound transmission?

Thanks

Dino

 

Dino,

Mass Loaded Vinly (MLV) can be used on wall and ceiling assemblies, but i do not recommend that you leave the spaces between the joist or studs empty. It is important to fill all cavities like this with fiber glass or Roxul to avoid pass-through of sound - especially in the low frequencies.

If the wall or ceiling ( drywall) is in place and there is no insulation, the mass loaded vinyl on the outside will provide very little increase in the transmission loss. The best way to install the barrier material is to attach it to the studs or joist before placing the drywall on.

We now have products like the sound isolation clips and Green Glue that provide superior performance to the loaded vinyl materials. You can look at the data for these on our main sound control for buildings website. www.acoustiguard.com The Green Glue will provide damping and the Isolation Clips will provide decoupling.

Regard
Don Wilkinson
Partner

Soundproofing Floors for Renters

Jacqueline from Bellow Falls, USA wrote

I need soundproofing for the floor of one room in my apartment. I am awaiting on details of the floor from my landlord, but it is a hardwood floor, and there is a basement apartment below. The people below are not loud, but the sound is constant. I don't hear conversations, but I do hear furniture moving and the base from they're sound system, so it's more low frequency. This wouldn't be such an issue except the sound is constant, at all hours of the day and night, I don't think they ever turn they're sound system off. Originally when I looked at the apartments available in this building I was shown the basement apartment and remember it did have very high ceilings unlike mine which are dropped. So there isn't much between me and them. Please send me your recommendations for solution. Thank you, Jacqueline


Jacqueline,

The sound problem you have described is very common, especially in wood frame buildings. Low frequency noise gets into the structure and travels freely to other parts of the building. Since you are renting this apartment and do not own it, there are limitations as to what you will want to spend if the landlord is not paying for it.

One solution that we offer is the use of our Dura-Son underlayment laid directly on the hardwood floor with our Noise-Blok barrier installed on top of it. The floor would then be finished with carpet wall to wall.

What you will end up with is a sound barrier material that is decoupled from the structure. This increases the performance and controls the amount of the sound that is transmitting through the floor. A note of caution however - although this treatment will control some of the low frequency sound that is passing directly through the floor-ceiling assembly, there can be residential sound breaking out of walls and other flanking path surfaces.

If this sounds like something you could put in place, call or email with the room size and I can give you some further information.

Regards
Don Wilkinson
Partner

Our Second Soundproofing Video is now up on youtube...

We are please to announce the launch of our new company video. The second in a long list of helpful videos we intend to produce, explaining the products and services we have available at AcoustiGuard.com .  Videos out lining the importance of soundproofing the right way, with quality soundproofing products and expert advice. 

Watch our video here or at www.youtube.com - search term "soundproofing products and solutions" and make sure to watch the first video if you haven't already - search term "soundproofing a room". 

Have a noise issue? Call and speak with our experts today and have a quieter, less stressful tomorrow. 1-888-625-8944

 

Sound transmission and hollow core doors.

This weeks blog comes from Dave in Vancouver, BC Canada  

Dave writes...

Hi,

I am located in Vancouver and am looking for a way to stop sound from passing through a doorway into a stairwell from a family room / TV room. We were thinking of something we could hang across the door. The door is never used but we would need to be able to open it.

Thanks Dave

 

Dave,
In many cases, hollow core doors are used in homes. They do not offer much in the way of transmission loss. To increase mass, I suggest yo might use one of a decoupled barrier material to help stop the sound passing through the door.

Take a look at the BM-1C material - http://www.acoustiguard.com/BM-1C

BM-1C can be glued to one side of the door using a contact adhesive. The layer of acoustic foam separates the barrier from the door surface and increases the performance. In all door applications, you should start with some foam gasket seals on the sides and top jams. Also, install a sweep or rubber bulb strip to the bottom of the door. This will eliminate any gaps that sound could pass through.

If you have any question about this or any other Sound Control for Buildings application please do not hesitate to contact me, our toll free number is 1-888-625-8944.

Don Wilkinson
Partner - Wilrep Ltd.

Soundproofing for Elephant Feet

Jane from Vancouver wrote: 

Hello there, 
I just moved in to a lovely 22 year old concrete high-rise apartment in Vancouver and was all excited for this until my very first day living there when I realized I could hear every footstep that my neighbor above me makes (and every chair scrape, etc.).  I tried to resolve this in a friendly face-to-face way with her but quickly got nowhere and have since complained to my strata who are dealing with it by writing her letters.  She has vowed to "fight me every step of the way" (pun intended) and that she has good wood floors with underlay and walks in her bare feet so the noises couldn't be coming from her.  She also refuses to put down any area rugs or wear slippers to help deaden the noise.  So this leaves me with very few options.  If the strata does nothing more than write letters and my neighbor continues to ignore them, I am stuck living beneath "elephant feet" for a long while.  I love my apartment otherwise and have no intention of moving from it after just moving in.  So, I am investigating my options for soundproofing my ceiling and found your company's name on a noisy neighbors forum.  I am hoping you can help me by letting me know what options are available to me in this respect?  Please note that I am in no way handy and would have to use drywall contractors, etc. to install any soundproofing in my ceiling.  I am realistic and not looking to obliterate the noise completely, but to dull it so it no longer bothers me would be nice!  I am interested in the best option for this particular problem both in terms of sound control and overall cost/ease of installation.  In addition, ideally I do not want to lose too much of my ceiling height in the process.

Please rescue me from "elephant feet" by pointing me in the right direction!

Many thanks & Regards,
Jane

 

Jane,

Don't you just hate it when that happens? - You've been invaded by a 'heel-walker'.

You should get the strata to make her reveal what kind of underlayment that was used. Chances are it was one of those cheap, thin foam products that quickly crush out and lose their effectiveness.

If the strata does not have the clot to do anything about it, yo will have to address the problem from below. if you are prepared to use drywall contractors, the product that we would suggest is the GenieClip sound isolator. The clips would be installed on your concrete ceiling so a new layer of decoupled drywall can be put in place. These clips provide transmission loss and impact isolation which is important for this application. The rubber element in the clip effectively isolates the drywall from the structure, making it difficult for the bothersome sound to transfer through.

You can view our installation video for the GenieClip on YouTube.com to get an idea of how they are used. The video shows the clips being installed on a wood stud wall, but the layout pattern and methods are very similar for ceilings - either wood frame or concrete. There are a few measurement details that are different for ceilings, but we can go over that information on the phone - Our toll-free number is 1-888-625-8944.

 

 Fear not! You can conquer the evil 'elephant feet'

Don Wilkinson
Partner - Wilrep Ltd.
AcoustiGuard^TM

Soundproofing a common wall.

Mark from Newmarket, Ontario wrote:

I am interested in some information about blocking sound through a shared wall in a town home. My neighbors are quite noisy but most of the noises are the sounds of their kids running, subwoofer from tv and music. I never hear them talking or their kids screaming. The wall is double studded 2x4 with pink insulation. I am not sure of the thickness of the drywall or any materials between the two walls. I believe the floor joist are separated by 1 inch, but I think there is two layers of ½ inch drywall stuffed in between for fire protection.

I am interested in some of the products like the Green Glue, but I am not sure where the problem is with my house, whether it is the wall that is failing or the floors.

One option I am considering is talking down the drywall, replacing the pink insulation with Roxul Safe and Sound, and then installing a double layer of 5/8" Type X fire rated drywall with Green Glue in between 2 layers. My only concern is the noise is coming though the floors, that this will do nothing to stop all the thuds, and bangs from my neighbors.

Could you please email me some information? Thanks for your time.

 

 

Mark,

Your application is a typical example of how sound control in buildings can be challenging.  The simple fact that you cannot hear the neighbors' kids talking or screaming, but you can hear the low frequency and impact sound, is an indication that there are flanking paths that are not clearly evident.  The path that the low frequency and impact sound is transmitting through may be one of several, depending on the construction. 

Your consideration to use Green Glue is a good one, however hard connections may still allow this sound to come through.  As far as getting someone to test for this transmission, I suggest that your money would be best spent if you removed the drywall to be able to examine what is actually in place.

You can get the data sheet from our website for the Green Glue - http://www.acoustiguard.com/   Green Glue is one of the featured products on the homepage and you can click through to download our pdf sheet complete with installation instructions.  One tube covers 16 sq. ft.  You will need two tubes per 4 X 8 sheet of drywall.  We have stock in our Mississauga location.

Regards,

Don Wilkinson
Partner - Wilrep Ltd.
AcoustiGuard^TM

Condo Noise From the Upstair Neighbours

One of the most common problems in condos today is noise. In particular, the impact sound of people walking, dropping things and moving furniture. If the unit above does not have any carpet and the finished floor is wood or tile without a proper underlayment, you are going to hear a lot of this unwanted sound.

Since the change to fix the problem upstairs is remote to none, you will have to use a sound isolation clip like the GenieClip and another layer of drywall to treat your ceiling. The effect of the clips is to decouple the new layer of drywall from the structure, making it difficult for the sound energy to pass through. The result is a 20 point increase in the STC (Sound Transmission Class) rating the assembly. The IIC (Impact Insulation Class) rating is also dramatically increased.

To get more information on this product and others visit the walls and ceilings link of the www.acoustiguard.com website.