soundproofing

Sometimes noise can fall into both airborne and impact sound categories when sound vibrates from a surfaces.

20
Sep
2015

Top Tips to Prepare Your Property for Autumn

Autumn is the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness as the Romantic Poet John Keats wrote. It is also the season to review your insulation to make sure it is ready for the onset of winter with its shorter days and frosty nights.

One of the first things to look at when you are preparing your home for the winter is the level of loft insulation you have. Having good insulation in your roof space can of course save pounds on energy bills making it worthwhile getting the ladder out to carry out an inspection or calling out an insulation professional to come and have a look for you.

Having less than 10cm of insulation could cost you an extra £150 a year which would buy a few extra presents at Christmas time. Other measures which won’t cost the earth include draft proofing. You can insert rubber draft excluders in the windows of each room and thicker curtains which can really make a difference.

You should also be thinking about getting your boiler serviced to avoid any breakdowns just when you don’t need them. The temperature of a house can soon drop when the heating is off so it’s worth spending a bit to make sure everything is in working order.

Posted by admin in Building Trade, Construction, Home Insulation, Soundproofing, Thermal Insulation
10
Aug
2015

Is Low Noise Tolerance Bringing An End To Nightclubs?

Smoking bans and cash-strapped youngsters are all factors being blamed for the slow death of the nightclubs we know them but could it be as much to do with a lower tolerance for noise pollution?

The Guardian recently put together an article on the decline of nightclubs following news that more than half of all nightclubs in the UK have closed in the past 10 years.

The article looks at a variety of factors including the smoking ban which has significantly reduced the number of people going out to pubs as well as nightclubs and a simple lack of cash among the demographic most likely to be populating nightclubs.

However noise pollution cannot be discounted as a major reason for the decline. As one nightclub owner commented, a single noise complaint can lead to a licence being put in jeopardy. So when more people are living in city and town centre apartments than before the possibility of complaints can only increase.

Efforts to limit noise pollution include only allowing clubs to open until midnight so as not to disturb local residents and moments of calm where DJs stop playing music. All of these measures of course are extremely restrictive to nightclubs that were once open until the early hours of the following day.

Posted by admin in Soundproofing
17
Jul
2015

What Is Thermal Insulation And Why Is It Important?

Thermal insulation is not simply about keeping out the cold, it is also about maintaining a comfortable ambient temperature indoors and reducing the amount of energy consumed in homes offices and other buildings.

To use the scientific terminology, thermal insulation reduces the transfer of heat between adjacent environments. Having the right amount of insulation and using the right type of material will ensure a good balance between letting heat escape when the temperature is hot outside and keeping it in during cold spells.

If a building is insulated correctly, no matter what the weather is doing externally, the affect on the indoor temperature shouldn’t vary a great deal.

Various kinds of materials are used to insulate houses and offices with most popular material being Fibre glass. Foamed plastic is also used widely, as well as mineral wool, and even cotton slag. There are new materials being trialled all the time with many recycled materials proving to be interesting alternatives.

Aerogel is one insulation technology that is expected to grow rapidly in popularity in the future. The material once formed the basis of insulation for the space shuttle and consists of 95% air. The downside is it currently costs several times more to use this material than others on the market.

Posted by admin in Home Insulation, Thermal Insulation
12
Jun
2015

Why Poor Sound Insulation Can Be Bad For Your Health

Offices can be noisy places particularly if they happen to be in the city centre where traffic noise and the general hustle and bustle of daily life adds to noise levels.

Some people seem naturally immune to the noise around them and have the ability to switch off. There are plenty more people however who find themselves in noisy environments that actually end up damaging their health over time.

The importance of sound insulation is now much higher on the agenda when architects are designing buildings because of the effects excessive noise can have on health and well-being. The level at which sound becomes potentially bad for your health is 65Db.

This isn’t actually that high considering that this is the level of a normal conversation and much less than the ring of a telephone. Being regularly and continuously exposed to noise at this level raises the risk of stress related illness by 20%.

The reason sound over certain levels raises the risk of illness is due to the release of adrenalin. Adrenalin is not in itself harmful and can be extremely very useful to us humans. Too much of it released over long periods, however, can cause health problems.

Posted by admin in Soundproofing
23
May
2015

Traffic Noise Can Increase Your Waistline Says Study

The last thing you might expect to have an effect on your weight is noise. Yet this is what one Swedish study has discovered and this could force many people who work in offices near busy roads to consider installing better sound insulation.

Weight gain has traditionally been associated with inactivity and eating too much, but the Swedish study on the effects of noise found that noise from traffic had the potential to increase fat deposits around the waste due to the effects of cortisol production.

Cortisol is a steroid hormone produced by the body in reaction to stress. Having too much cortisol in the body often leads to weight gain and the Swedish study of more than 5,000 people found that noise triggered an increase which led to weight gain in the majority of participants.

Road traffic noise contributed to a 0.21 cm increase in waist size for women compared to 0.16 cm for men which means the former is more likely to suffer the waist expanding effects of noise. The study also found a direct relationship between an increase in the sources of noise and the amount of fat carried around the waste.

Posted by admin in Construction, Soundproofing
01
Sep
2014

Metropolitan Sound Proofing

If you are thinking about soundproofing a home, office or industrial space, consider exactly what kind of noise you want to stop, where it’s going coming from.

Usually, the majority of sound volume comes through your windows especially old single glazed, untreated windows. Another source may be through walls and ceilings. Varied frequencies are transmitted more effectively through certain types of materials. If you’re unsure where the sound is coming from, an assessment by a professional soundproofed will help you to find out.

Flanking noise involves sound waves being transmitted through gaps in walls, vents, plumbing, power switches and outlets.

Structural noise is generated by banging on one side of a wall/floor to the other side (example: people walking above particularly on a bare floor).

Windows
Double or triple glazed windows will block sound effectively. The layers of air provide a barrier for any sound passing through. It’s difficult for sound vibrations to travel through dense material-air-dense material than to pass a vibration through a single-paned window. The majority of the sound’s energy is lost in the passing between the different mediums with double glazing.

Walls
Soundproofing your walls may be easy or very difficult, depending on what stage of construction you are in. It’s considerably easier to install soundproofing while the framing is exposed. Retrofitting soundproofing is possible, but you run the risk of other issues hidden behind the wall that may have a negative impact on the effectiveness of the soundproofing.

Ceilings
Ceiling spaces are fairly simple to soundproof because they are easy to access regardless of what stage of construction your home is in. But ceilings can present a few issues like ductwork and ventilation, which may still allow a certain amount of flanking noise through.

Floor coverings
There are many ways inside your home that sound energy can bounce off. Think of a room where there are soft furnishings, curtains and carpet. There is considerably less echo than a very stark room with bare floors, hard furnishing and exposed windows.

Once you know where you need soundproofing, the next step is to get in touch with professionals who can advise you on the best materials to use. Metropolitan Insulation can help.

Posted by admin in Soundproofing
14
Mar
2014

Environmental Licences

In the last quarter we have dealt with 2 politically affiliated clubs that have had problems with their entertainment licences about to be revoked. Together with our acousticians we were able to offer multiple solutions including acoustic glass panels. The problems arose that council environmental noise officers tested DB levels consistently above 90. Without reduction pretty quickly,these clubs would not be able to continue with bands on there premises,therefore loss of major income.

Our in house complete service; testing,advice,method and implementation of systems not only gave these clubs peace of mind but it also enabled there revenue streams to continue unhindered. Proof that whatever your soundproofing issues maybe we can offer a complete solution.

Posted by admin in Soundproofing
01
Mar
2014

Soundproofing Challenge – Uxbridge

The last few months have produced a number of interesting and successful projects for Metropolitan. In Uxbridge we were commissioned to completely insulate and soundproof The Car Paint Shop. This was an interesting and challenging but ultimately, successful. Basically the rear of this bloc and steel construction was primarily the store and workshop. The rear has been converted by the owner into mezzanine accommodation.

The challenge brought about by the proximity of the railway and major construction site nearby, was to sound insulate to an acceptable level. We carried out a complete overhaul by spray insulating the roof with low density open cell acoustic foam.

Then following the contours of the building we installed 12cm MF acoustic walls and ceilings. These steps provided the client with sleep at night as well as a green energy low emission,thermally efficient structure. Another example of how Metropolitan can rise to any soundproofing challenge.

Posted by admin in Soundproofing
01
Jan
2014

DIY Homes answer to Housing Crisis?

A new co-housing development has just been completed outside of Lancaster. Residents who formed the Lancaster CoHousing Group three years ago have reduced their environmental impact and costs by combining resources. They share a laundry, tools, kitchen facilities and a playroom.

The houses have all been designed to the Passivhaus standard. This aims to reduce energy consumption through the use of sprayed insulation, triple glazing, biomass boilers and solar panels.

Another self-build housing cooperative has been developed on the outskirts of Leeds. Packed with straw bales and sprayed with lime render, the straw keeps the heat in and the sound out.

Posted by admin in Metropolitan Insulation
02
Nov
2013

£1.7m Noise Barrier in London

A group of residents in East London who have been campaigning for a concrete noise barrier at a cost of £1.7 million may see a political u-turn by councillors.

The council will have the final say on the matter on Tuesday. They are recommending that £300,000 be spent on enhancing the existing barrier on Veterans Memorial Parkway in London. But residents are fighting for a more robust solution of a concrete noise barrier to help to soundproof their neighbourhood from the noise pollution caused by London traffic.

Residents claim that the proposed work will not solve the problem. Local residents say;

“You can’t sit out in your back deck and have a decent conversation. The noise levels are ridiculous.” claims London resident Gerry Sunstrum, 69.

Posted by admin in Building Trade