Noisy neighbours and how the local authority can help

The following is an extract from the newham.gov.uk  web site about noisey neighbours.

“Newham Council is warning people who play loud music at unsociable hours that they can expect court action if they continue to make their neighbours’ lives a misery.

The warning follows three recent successful prosecutions by the council’s noise and nuisance team after a total of 64 complaints were made against three residents over a 12-month period.

The three had been making their neighbours lives a misery by playing very loud music into the early hours of the morning. They had ignored repeated warnings and noise abatement notices from the council.

After witnessing several breaches of the abatement notices, the council enforcement officers, supported by the Safer Newham Police Team, executed warrants to seize sound equipment from the homes of Angela Rivillas and Odi Ditampa.

At Stratford Magistrates Court Rivillas, of Barking Road, East Ham, admitted two offences of failing to comply with a noise abatement notice. She was fined a total of £300 and made to pay a victim surcharge of £15 plus £300 court costs.

Ditampa, of Forest View Road, Manor Park, was convicted in his absence of failing to comply with a noise abatement notice. He was fined £525 and made to pay a victim surcharge of £15 plus £350 costs.

Following this council’s enforcement action there has been no further noise complaints about the two addresses.

In another case at Stratford Court, Trina Joseph, of Peridot Street, Beckton, admitted two offences of failing to comply with a noise abatement notice. She was fined £150, made to pay a victim surcharge of £15 plus £320 costs.”

It is impossible to install soundproofing that will stop this kind of loud noise from neighbours at night or for that matter, even in the day.  However, normal household noises that are not anti-socially loud should not be heard so if you have any noise issues and want a soundproofing solution, go to Sound Service (Oxford) Ltd. at their web site www.keepitquiet.co.uk

Soundproofing a party wall and flanking noise

Noise from neighbours through any party wall, particularly at night is a particular problem that affects many people.  Noise at night is always difficult to address because your normal background noises are usually switched off and when you are trying to get to sleep, noise from elsewhere can make it difficult.  Noise that is intermittent is the worst kind because it is not so easy to get used to whereas, noise that is more constant such as outside traffic is more easy to get used to and over a short period of time, is no longer noticeable in many cases.

What can be done about it?  Well this article is to deal with noisy neighbours so will involve the noise heard from the other side of a party wall and how to soundproof a party wall by stopping flanking noise.  We will deal with outside noise in another article.

Now for the neighbour noise.  Obviously the first thing that should be done is talk to them to explain the noise problem that is being heard.  The best way to do this is to invite them round for a cup of tea or something stronger then bring up the subject.  If you can replicate the sounds that are being heard from your side of the wall for your neighbour to hear, they would then have a greater understanding of the noise problem and hopefully, be more amenable to doing something about it so that your peace and tranquillity are restored.  The last thing that should be done is to go hammering on their door because the noise is so upsetting.  That would only antagonise them and make them less likely to co-operate.  Co-operation is always more successful than confrontation.  If all else fails then soundproofing is your last resort.  If the property is pre-war with solid structural walls then any soundproofing measures will be more effective but if the walls are cavity walls with lightweight internal blocks then flanking noise is likely to be a problem.  This is when noise flanks around the noise barrier and in the case of cavity walls, through the lightweight blocks and the cavity from one side of the wall to the other.  If the cavity has been filled with foam type cavity wall insulation the problem will still be evident but if the cavity has been filled with blown mineral wool, this will act as a sound absorber and the flanking noise will be less noticeable.  Flanking noise can also penetrate through the floors and ceilings if they are timber joist supported so before any work is started to soundproof the party wall, steps must be taken to reduce the flanking noise coming through the floor and ceiling.

Starting with the floor, if the floorboards are parallel with the wall then they will be easier to take up and only about four feet or 1.25 metres need to be removed to gain access to the joists.  Once the floorboards have been removed, check for gaps where the joists are fitted into the party wall because gaps will allow any noise to penetrate from one side to the other more easily.  If any gaps are found and they are simply small gaps then seal them with our flexible Acoustic Sealer but if the gaps are larger then they will have to be sealed with a sand/cement mixture.  Once the joists are suitably sealed in the party wall, install as a loose fit, 100mm of AMW100 Acoustic Mineral Wool between the joists.  AMW100 is supplied in slabs 1200 x 600 so they should be cut with a sharp knife so that you have a piece that is 1200mm long by just under the width of the joists then insert it so that one end is butted right up to the party wall.  Offcuts can be used in the same way so there is no wastage.  When complete replace the floor boards and screw them down.  However, if the floorboards are perpendicular to the party wall then the joists will be parallel and so not so easy to remove a small section of the floorboards.  So to compensate for this leave the floorboards alone and overlay with a double thickness of 2mm SBM5 Soundproofing Mat followed with a layer of polythene to contain any potential smells from this recycled sound insulation.  Although smells are not usually a problem, because the sound insulation is produced from recycled materials some times a smell is evident and although not noxious, will not be desirable so the polythene will seal it in.

Now for the ceiling.  If the ceiling is a top floor bedroom ceiling then it should be possible to check in the loft to see if the joists are correctly sealed into the party wall and if not, can be sealed as described earlier.  If the joists are in the other direct and parallel to the wall then sound leakage will not be so much of a problem and it will be just the flanking noise to deal with and that can be addressed from below.  From below all you have to do is screw up a 15mm layer of high density Acoustic Plasterboard with our 1mm SoundBlocker Membrane sandwiched between the new and old layers of plasterboard to break up the mass of the ceiling thus enhancing the noise blocking properties of the ceiling.

OK so now flanking noise through the floor and ceiling have been addressed you may wish to do something about flanking noise through the external structural wall if that is an issue and for this I suggest you fit our Thin Wall Soundproofing System.  This system is only 45mm thick or 50mm if 15mm Acoustic Plasterboard is used and should be applied over the entire wall surface.  More information on our Thin Wall Soundproofing System can be viewed on our web site via the following link https://www.keepitquiet.co.uk/thin-wall-soundproofing-system.html

Flanking noise round a party wall has now been covered in this Blog.  Keep your eye out for the next article that will be published shortly on the soundproofing methods that can be used to soundproof a party wall.  For more information on how to soundproof a party wall, or for any other of our soundproofing materials and products, go to the domestic side of our web site www.keepitquiet.co.uk

Soundproofing a Pump

Noisy domestic pumps is often a problem that is disturbing from small domestic pumps to much larger industrial pumps but the soundproofing solution to reduce the noise from affecting others is basically the same regardless of size.  Noise from small domestic pumps is one of the biggest problems often encountered, because these are usually found in the home moving domestic water either to taps or showers.  These pumps are usually high speed can generate a lot of noise that is easily transmitted around the home by both airborne noise and structure borne noise.  Airborne noise is the type of noise that you can easily hear when you are closer to where the pump is sited whereas structure borne sound is when you can still hear the pump regardless of where you are in the building.  As the term suggests, structure borne sound is when the sound is transmitted through the structure of the building so the building is acting as a conduit.  The same principle of sound travel applies to larger industrial pumps as well.  Now for the solution to reduce the noise from pumps by applying the correct soundproofing materials.  It is important that the correct materials are used to obtain maximum soundproofing performance.

It is best to plan the best position to site any pump before installation which is particularly important with domestic pumps so it can more easily be soundproofed.  A pump that is fitted beneath a bath, in an airing cupboard or similar enclosed space cannot effectively be treated for noise.  Siting in a loft or a large cupboard with lots of space around the pump will be much better and will more easily allow acoustic treatment which will entail the following.

For best results a concrete slab should be used which will contain much of the vibration energy emitted from the pump.  The slab can be a paving slab or a simple patio slab depending on the size of the pump.  For large industrial pumps, a cast concrete slab will be required.  The slab should be isolated from the ground or floor where it is based with an anti-vibration pad.  These are 10mm thick pads produced from recycled rubber and help reduce structure borne sound from travelling through the building.  On top of the slab should be glued another anti-vibration pad with a 12mm ply board glued on top.  The pump can then be mounted on the ply and fixed.  Flexible hose connections should be used to connect the lump to the plumbing which will further reduce flanking noise.  Now all that remains is to enclose the pump within an acoustic enclosure that will help contain the airborne noise.  A minimum of 18mm MDF or ply should be used and constructed as large as possible.  The larger it is the more efficient the soundproofing will be and less likelihood of the pump overheating.  The inside of the enclosure can then be lined with our 32mm SA25FF/B/6 soundproofing foam and that’s it, job done!  Except if ventilation is required, this can be through passive vents, one on each side allowing a throughput of air.  The vents must be created so that there is no direct line of sight into the enclosure and the inside of the vents should also be lined with the soundproofing foam mentioned earlier.   For more information on how to soundproof a pump go to our web page on www.keepitquiet.co.uk.

 

Neighbour Noise

Fact!  Neighbour noise is considered a serious problem by 1 in 12 people.  If you are unlucky enough to be one of them, contact our team at Sound Service (Oxford) Ltd. who will be pleased to discuss the best soundproofing solution for you.  Alternatively, go to our web site at www.keepitquiet.co.uk

Anti-Vibration Mats for Isolating Washing Machine Noise

Our Anti-Vibration mats have been hugely popular for reducing structure borne noise from noisy vibrating equipment and machinery such as domestic washing machines and treadmills among other machinery that is not too heavy.  Until now the AV mats have been 20mm thick but have now been improved using a more resilient EPDM rubber that is softer and therefore acoustically more efficient.  This has meant that we have been able to reduce the thickness of the Anti-Vibration mats from 20mm down to 10mm with increased performance.  Because the thicker Anti-Vibration mats often could not be used due to limited space, the thinner 10mm Anti-Vibration mats can now be used in many more locations where space is more limited.

The Anti-Vibration mats are designed to isolate and absorb the noise and vibration from being transmitted into the floor where the equipment is sited so transmission of this noise is less likely to penetrate to other parts of the building.  Anti-Vibration mats are more often used to isolate washing machines from the floor in flats where noise nuisance to neighbours beneath can be more of a problem.

For more information on our Anti-Vibration mats and other soundproofing materials for floors go to our web site on www.keepitquiet.co.uk

Boat Engine Noise & Soundproofing

Boat engine noise reduction is often something we are asked to soundproof and we stock and supply a 32mm thick sound insulation material called SA25FF/B/6.  This is a flame resistant soundproofing material that incorporates a sound barrier mat sandwiched within the insulation and has a black, film face that is tough and resistant to most fluids associated with vehicle engines.  SA25FF/B/6 can also be used to reduce noise from hydraulic power packs, compressors and pumps as well as a wide range of other noisy equipment.  Because SA25FF/B/6 is fire resistant to motor vehicle standards, it can be used to reduce noise in plant equipment and machinery if you are a company with this type of noisy equipment.  If a greater fire rating than the SA25FF/B/6 is required, we can supply an alternative non-flammable soundproofing material called SAFRFF which is the same thickness and basic construction but the facing is aluminised.  For more information on these and our other soundproofing products go to the domestic side of our web site www.keepitquiet.co.uk

Acoustic Doorsets for Domestic Installation

Noise through lightweight internal doors is often a problem and budget is sometimes too restricted to exchange for a bespoke acoustic doorset.  The answer is to fit one of our Acoustic Doorseal Kits if a bespoke Acoustic Doorset is beyond budget.  Although not as efficient as an acoustic doorset the lighter weight door can still be upgraded to give more soundproofing.  With lightweight doors noise can easily penetrate through them and also leak around the edges with most noise going underneath where a larger gap can often be found.  The Acoustic Doorseal Kits include self-adhesive acoustic batwing seals that can be fitted to the sides and top of the frame and will seal the doorleaf when closed and also a two part seal for the all important threshold at the bottom.  This comprises a rubber seal that is fixed to the floor and a metal strip screwed to the bottom of the door.  When the door is closed, the metal strip seals against the rubber thus making a more efficient acoustically treated door that will leak a lot less noise when closed.  To address the low density of the door, the kit also includes a 2mm thick heavy soundproofing mat that can be fixed to one side of the doorleaf.  When a thin panel of wood is fixed on top the soundproofing mat is hidden from view and you now have a door that previously had a soundproofing value of less than 20 dB that has been upgraded to about 30dB.  For more information and help on all of our soundproofing products for domestic applications go to  www.keepitquiet.co.uk

SoundBlocker Membrane Sound Barrier Mat

A client in Cumbria was so impressed with the performance of our SoundBlocker Membrane sound barrier mat that he has ordered 18 more rolls to upgrade the soundproofing of the ceilings in the rest of his property.  At only 1mm thick, SoundBlocker Membrane is designed to be sandwiched between two layers of high density Acoustic Plasterboard to break up and decouple the mass of the plasterboard with a product with a much higher mass.  This sandwich of unequal layers will perform far better acoustically and will be more efficient at stopping noise penetration from above and below.  Because SoundBlocker Membrane is so thin, it can be difficult to fix to the ceiling so we advise that it is glued to the second layer of plasterboard using our Sta-Stuk aerosol contact adhesive then screw the treated sheet of acoustic plasterboard up as one but you will need help because the panel will be so much heavier.

For more information on selecting the right materials for your soundproofing project, go to our web site www.keepitquiet.co.uk

Hello world!

Hi everyone.  This is our first post to inform you of what we are doing to help all of you with noise problems.  As stockists and suppliers of a wide range of soundproofing materials designed to soundproof walls and floors, we can help you come up with a solution to reduce your noise nuisance.  The domestic side of our web site www.keepitquiet.co.uk will help you decide on the best solution for you with articles on how to soundproof a wall through to how to soundproof a floor, garage or shed.  We can also supply anti-vibration pads to help reduce noise from noisy kitchen equipment such as washing machines, dishwashers and pumps.  We will also keep you up to date on a daily basis whenever possible with latest developments including noise problems and how they have been addressed so keep your eye on this blog.  For more information on our soundproofing products for the home, call us on 01993704981 or go to our web site www.keepitquiet.co.uk.

 

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