Soundproofing a room from outside noise - are there companies that do this?

bobbysands81

Hi all,

Looking to soundproof a bedroom in my apartment. Noise isn't from within the block but noise from the outside. There are huge windows in the room and a vent to the outside which lets loads of normal noises from outside in. Regularly just folk talking on their balconies keeps me awake.

Are there any companies out her that will come out and take a look at the issue and cost up a proposal for me?

If anyone can point me in the right direction I'd really appreciate it.

Many thanks.

athtrasna

As you need the windows for light and the vents for ventilation there aren't really many things that would work. Closing the vents at night and opening them in the morning is annoying but will make a difference. Heavy curtains are going to make the biggest difference to the noise coming in.

the_syco

athtrasna wrote: »

Heavy curtains are going to make the biggest difference to the noise coming in.

Agreed. Also, I'd look into putting something over the vent, but not blocking it completely at night, as your body may be used to the air, and the lack of it could go against a good nights sleep.

bobbysands81

athtrasna wrote: »

As you need the windows for light and the vents for ventilation there aren't really many things that would work. Closing the vents at night and opening them in the morning is annoying but will make a difference. Heavy curtains are going to make the biggest difference to the noise coming in.

Where exactly does the noise enter the room "through" a window? Does the noise come through the glass or bags between the glass and the window pane?

athtrasna

http://physics.info/sound/

Sound can travel through any medium

Curly Judge

Hope you're not planning some kind of "Silence of the Lambs" thingy?

tara73

bobbysands81 wrote: »

Where exactly does the noise enter the room "through" a window? Does the noise come through the glass or bags between the glass and the window pane?

think what he meant is glass, even if it's double glazing, is not as sound proof as a thick concrete or brickwall to have instead.

tara73

bobbysands81 wrote: »

Hi all,
Looking to soundproof a bedroom in my apartment. Noise isn't from within the block but noise from the outside. There are huge windows in the room and a vent to the outside which lets loads of normal noises from outside in.
Many thanks.

first thing I would block this vent completely, fill it with mortar and bricks or better concrete!

or is it integrated in the window? even then.

this vents, which are permanently open, are a complete nonsense invention of the building industry. I think they are a relict from the old days when open fire places where mostly in use and the danger of dying from a carbon monoxide poisening whilst sleeping in the night was given.

but today in modern apartment complexes without wood fired heating they are completely useless, not only regarding noise pollution, but especially heat loss protection.

are the windows not openable? if you need fresh air, open the windows for a good while before going to sleep or whenever needed.

athtrasna

tara73 wrote: »

first thing I would block this vent completely, fill it with mortar and bricks or better concrete!

or is it integrated in the window? even then.

this vents, which are permanently open, are a complete nonsense invention of the building industry. I think they are a relict from the old days when open fire places where mostly in use and the danger of dying from a carbon monoxide poisening whilst sleeping in the night was given.

but today in modern apartment complexes without wood fired heating they are completely useless, not only regarding noise pollution, but especially heat loss protection.

are the windows not openable? if you need fresh air, open the windows for a good while before going to sleep or whenever needed.

:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

NO NO NO NO NO!!

http://www.environ.ie/en/Publications/DevelopmentandHousing/BuildingStandards/FileDownLoad,1647,en.pdf

Vents are a legal requirement and save lives. Carbon monoxide is not just caused by wood!! http://www.carbonmonoxide.ie/htm/safety.htm

Ensure that rooms in your home containing heating appliances are properly ventilated - NEVER BLOCK VENTS

The_Conductor

You can be served with a non-compliance notice and the local council notified, if you can even close the vent if you have gas heating (irrespective of whether you only intend to do this at night or otherwise).

You can get insulation pumped into cavity block walls, that helps with noise (and heat retention!) however its not cheap.

Keep away from doing anything whatsoever to vents- they are there for a reason!!!!!!

Joe10000

Very heavy curtains gets my vote.

tara73

smccarrick wrote: »

Keep away from doing anything whatsoever to vents- they are there for a reason!!!!!!

for which reason? please don't answer: for venting the room.

questions:
why do other countries with similar climate in northern europe don't have this regulation about open holes (called vents) in the walls and people are still alive and happy healthy there?

why is there all the BER stuff going on if there is an obligation to put open holes in walls? every insulation is useless with such a cold bridge.
last winter had several minus degrees...good luck with the open vents and the heating bill.

how many people die of carbon monoxide poisening per year in Ireland or even Europe?


I know that this is a regulation but one of the most stupid ones I know in the building sector in Ireland.

odds_on

tara73 wrote: »

for which reason? please don't answer: for venting the room.

questions:
why do other countries with similar climate in northern europe don't have this regulation about open holes (called vents) in the walls and people are still alive and happy healthy there?

why is there all the BER stuff going on if there is an obligation to put open holes in walls? every insulation is useless with such a cold bridge.
last winter had several minus degrees...good luck with the open vents and the heating bill.

how many people die of carbon monoxide poisening per year in Ireland or even Europe?


I know that this is a regulation but one of the most stupid ones I know in the building sector in Ireland.

Lack of proper ventilation systems - yes, vents - is very often a cause of mould in properties. Mould which clings to the back of wardrobes, gets inside the wardrobes, cupboards and dressers, under beds , your mattress and your clothes.
All rooms require air circulating, not just within the room and with other rooms in the property but to let out air and to get fresh air in. Without ventilation you would eventually die from lack of oxygen in the air.

tara73

odds_on wrote: »

Lack of proper ventilation systems - yes, vents - is very often a cause of mould in properties. Mould which clings to the back of wardrobes, gets inside the wardrobes, cupboards and dressers, under beds , your mattress and your clothes.
All rooms require air circulating, not just within the room and with other rooms in the property but to let out air and to get fresh air in. Without ventilation you would eventually die from lack of oxygen in the air.

there is this thing called: openable window.

you can open it whenever you want, it's ventilating the house perfectly,
and after that: you can close it!!!!! wow.:eek: incredible.

with a combination of temporarily open windows and heating on (while windows closed for sure!!) there's no climate for mould.

just a bit of common sense, nothing more.
can't actually believe I have to explain this.

odds_on

tara73 wrote: »

there is this thing called: openable window.

you can open it whenever you want, it's ventilating the house perfectly,
and after that: you can close it!!!!! wow.:eek: incredible.

with a combination of temporarily open windows and heating on (while windows closed for sure!!) there's no climate for mould.

just a bit of common sense, nothing more.
can't actually believe I have to explain this.

Then go and explain this to the many tenants who have experienced mould in their apartments where they have blocked up vents. Derestrict the vents and the mould and there is no mould problem.

can't actually believe I have to explain this.

athtrasna

tara73 wrote: »

how many people die of carbon monoxide poisening per year in Ireland or even Europe?

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/1228/1224309550942.html

The Irish Times - Wednesday, December 28, 2011

OLIVIA KELLY

THE MANDATORY installation of carbon monoxide alarms in all new homes is to be addressed by new building regulations being drafted by the Department of the Environment.

Builders are currently under no obligation to install detectors for carbon monoxide in houses. A review of the section of the building regulations that deals with heating appliances is to address this situation.

An expert group was established last September to review this section, part J, of the building regulations, which have not been updated since 1997.

Draft regulations will include a section dealing with the mandatory installation of carbon monoxide alarms and are expected to be available for public consultation by the middle of next year.

The National Standards Authority of Ireland has advised all homeowners to install detectors.

“While there are no legal requirements currently, everyone should get an alarm; they’re as important as smoke alarms,” a spokesman for the authority said.

However, he said having an alarm was no substitute for maintaining appliances and chimneys.

“We don’t want people to think that if they put in an alarm they’re safe and they don’t need to get the boiler serviced or the chimney swept. It is most important that boilers are serviced once a year, and have a chimney swept regularly.”

He said it was also important to realise the risks from carbon monoxide were not just associated with gas-burning appliances, he said.

“Oil burners, solid-fuel ranges, turf, timber and coal are just as dangerous as gas.”

Figures in relation to the number of deaths attributable to carbon monoxide poisoning had been misinterpreted, he said. Reports of about 40 deaths a year originated from a 2003 report which included deaths in house fires and suicides. Only one death was attributable to a “faulty device”, he said.

The latest deaths being attributed to the gas occurred just over one week ago when a father and his two children died at their home in Co Sligo.

Trevor Wallwork (50), his daughter Kim (12) and his son Harry (9) were found dead at their bungalow at Moygara, Gurteen, on December 18th by Mr Wallwork’s older stepdaughter.

Gardaí believe the carbon monoxide that killed the Wallworks came from a fire burning in the room where they were found dead.

Carbon monoxide alarms are commonly available in hardware shops but vary widely in the service they provide.

At the lower end of the price scale they work in a similar way to smoke alarms, where a siren alerts the household to the presence of the gas.

More expensive models can record any emissions which occur so that faults in an appliance can be addressed.Some even allow people to monitor emissions when they are absent from the home.

More information on carbon monoxide is available at carbonmonoxide.ie.

40 deaths per year is about 20% of the number of road deaths...which is quite significant really.

Do you have an engineering/architecture background Tara73? Or are your ideas just based on personal notions?

Your advice about closing/blocking up vents is illegal and has the potential to contribute to loss of life. Ask the families of those who lost their lives to CO poisoning.

As for other countries, it's certainly a requirement in the UK. I have also come across window vents in France, Spain and the US.

bobbysands81

Realily appreciate the advice folks but I was really hoping to get a professional to come round and have a look to see could anything be done to reduce airborne house from outside.

I tried contacting http://www.pickapro.ie/sound-proofing/Cunas/ but got no response and another company I had heard about no longer exists.

If anyone knows of any other companies please let me know.

Thanks.

tara73

athtrasna wrote: »

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/1228/1224309550942.html

where in this article did it say that missing vents where the cause of the deaths? nowhere.

and what does this paragraph actually say?

[..]Figures in relation to the number of deaths attributable to carbon monoxide poisoning had been misinterpreted, he said. Reports of about 40 deaths a year originated from a 2003 report which included deaths in house fires and suicides. Only one death was attributable to a “faulty device”, he said.

not a very convincing article for the point you trying to make, including deaths in fires and suicides in the numbers...:eek::eek::eek::eek:

I could agree to the point to have vents in buildings with open fire places but not in new buildings.

and yes, I come from the building profession, so I know what I'm talking about.
As I wrote in a previous post here, it's an old tradition or almost paranoia with the vents which is not suitable anymore with 2012 building standards.

Neilw

Secondary glazing will help, I had it done last year and it reduced noise by a huge amount. A single glazed window with a thin frame is installed room side leaving about 4" gap between the existing window, this air gap is what cuts down on sound transmitted.

bobbysands81

Have also tried this company... but no response

http://www.sdg.ie

Can anyone recommend any other sound engineers/companies that might be in a position to come out to my apartment and advise me on what works I would need that would improve the sound insulation from airborne sound coming into my apartment?

Thanks.

the_syco

tara73 wrote: »

I come from the building profession, so I know what I'm talking about.

It's a large profession. Can you be more precise?