Solving noise problems at home

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that I would show readers how to deal with impact noise by applying techniques to improve sound insulation against impact and vibration noise from machinery.

As you probably know there are different sources of sound and different vehicles for the transmission of sound, thus the method for dealing with those noises is also different.

Impact noise insulation

Solutions to palliate impact noises could be one of the more expensive forms of combating noise.

Take for instance a house with different floors belonging to different owners or living next to each other.

The most common problems arise from dragging furniture, the use of baths and WC’s and the movement of people in general.

There are different solutions that guarantee the attenuation of impact noise that is required by regulation. The most efficient solution for impact sound is a good padded carpet, however in this part of Spain they are not widely used so a new regulation that came into effect in 2008 instructs architects to use a floating floor finish.

By floating floor, I mean that the floor finish must not be laid in direct contact with the floor slab. To achieve this, an elastic mat must be installed first on the total area of the property and on top of this the floor finish is laid, taking special care that there is no contact between the floor finish and the walls, columns or any vertical element so that the sound is not transmitted through to the floor below.

The spongier the floor finish, the better the sound insulation. The other solution will be to lay a carpet to reduce impact sound but this solution is not accepted as a long time remedy.

All sanitary units must be mounted on sealing blocks and that includes the bath, the hand basin, WC etc. and all should be isolated from the surrounding walls by using an elastic tape which will prevent noise being transmitted to the adjacent walls and then on to the neighbour.

Okay, but what to do if everything fails and you have to put up with a very noisy neighbour whose property was built before 2009?

To reduce a high level of noise coming from your friendly neighbour, it is advisable, firstly, to request its termination in a friendly manner since it can be something that your neighbour may not be aware of.

This option is preferable and highly advisable, since it does away with many bureaucratic procedures and an unfriendly neighbour forever after.

However, if the friendly approach does not work you can resort to other means:

■ Administrative channels: the complaint is presented in writing in your town hall, or a call to the local police should suffice for them to come and measure the noise level and provide you with a noise certificate, which you can present later at your local town hall, meanwhile the police officer may urge the people making the noise to cease.

■ If this is not enough, the complaint is lodged against those who produce the annoying noise emissions. Procedures vary depending on the location from which the noise emanates: the building itself, surrounding buildings or activities on the street.

The complaint can be taken by your solicitor if the noise is such that it is harming your health, (article 45 of the Constitution). The Criminal Code (article 325) punishable by penalties ranging from six months to 4 years in jail for those who violate it.

Vibratory noise from machinery

This type of noise is much simpler to deal with, as the noise normally emanates from machinery which remains static in one position i.e. air conditioning machines.

Here the simple addition of sealing blocks to mitigate the transference of vibration to the underside of the structure will suffice.

Although sometimes it is necessary to build a concrete pad on top of a sound insulation mat.

If the noise comes from a machine via the air, i.e. the motor is badly calibrated and the axis of the engine is not well aligned with its central axis, then the problem is worse and it will have to dealt with as an air to air sound problem.

This will entail surrounding the machinery with a special sound insulation structure. Sometimes it is more economical to replace the machinery with a new one.