How to reduce noise in the apartment: 10 useful tips

How to measure noise in decibels in a residential area

Each person has the full right to contact the relevant authorities if the noise causes inconvenience to living in an apartment.

First of all, you need to get acquainted with the laws, which say in detail how many decibels are allowed in the apartment, and only then invite specialists to measure. Most often, a sound level meter is used to measure, but such a budget option may not give accurate readings, and professional instruments can cost about 300,000 rubles.

Important! To measure noise with a sound level meter, it is initially worth checking its serviceability. For this purpose, you can contact the metrological service, it will give an opinion on the serviceability and correctness of all the results.

Another good option for measuring noise is a smartphone app, but this can also fail. It would be best to call specialists who have professional equipment. Employees of Rospotrebnadzor will be able to issue an official conclusion, with which it will then be possible to go to court to eliminate the problem.

Sound insulation of internal walls

If there is no special porous layer in the interior partitions of your home, but there are numerous cracks, this explains why you hear every rustle from the street. Measures for soundproofing a house from the inside are very similar to those taken for external walls. It is only necessary to ensure that the frames of neighboring rooms are absolutely independent of each other, that they do not touch or connect anywhere. This is the key to effective protection against the most unpleasant, impact type of noise that propagates inside structures.

Many are concerned that the frame protection of the internal walls significantly reduces the area of ​​​​the room. This is true, because the frame, together with fasteners, a layer of mineral wool, cellulose or fiberglass and a sheet of drywall that completes the structure, has a thickness of about 130 mm. But such measures will allow you to improve the soundproofing properties of the walls by an average of 54 dB. Decide for yourself what is paramount for you: maintaining the usable area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe home, or increasing protection from annoying noise.

Silence in the house begins from the yard

That's right, you heard right. We do not at all suggest that you build viaducts around the house from soundproof materials, but even an ordinary fence can significantly improve the sound microclimate in the house. From the point of view of physics, sound is a wave that propagates from a noise source through the air in different directions. If a solid high concrete fence stands in its way, then the level of discomfort from the notorious passing cars will decrease by an order of magnitude. However, do not limit yourself to installing a good fence. You may be surprised, but even the presence in the yard of a large number of green spaces, flower beds, hedges, gazebos, and especially an artificial reservoir, has a positive effect on the level of comfort and silence inside the house. After all, sounds coming from the street are repeatedly reflected from the surface of leaves, buildings, water, and due to this they are extinguished. Two completely identical houses located behind a completely identical fence will have a very different sound atmosphere if one of them is surrounded by a dense flowering garden, and the second stands on bare ground.

Ceiling like in a movie theater

There are situations where the soundproofing of the floor above the room is not enough to provide the desired level of silence. For example, if you decide to arrange a home cinema in one of the rooms, or want to reliably isolate your office from noise, you can resort to installing a false ceiling. For this, there are special soundproof ceiling tiles with an NRC coefficient of more than 0.6-0.7. They are made from mineral fibers, glass wool or basalt wool.With a relatively low weight and density (from 80 to 200 kg/m2), such panels provide good noise protection, while they are moisture resistant, non-toxic and fireproof. To give the ceiling, sewn up with acoustic plates, a more attractive look, they are covered with fiberglass, usually painted white. Although here everything is limited only by your imagination.

What is the noise

It would seem a strange question, noise - it is noise. However, it is customary for scientists to subdivide noise into two separate types: airborne and shock. The first includes the voices of people, the loud chirping of birds, the howling of car alarms. The second, more insidious type of noise is low-frequency sounds accompanied by strong vibration. For example, the rumble of a tram passing along the rails, the blows of a perforator, or the hum of an incorrectly installed washing machine operating in the spin mode at high speeds. Banal footsteps or a knock on the door also belong to the percussive type of noise. Why is it considered more difficult and unpleasant? Let's return to the knock on the door: why, in fact, do people knock, and not shout at the top of their voices, standing on the landing: “Vasya, come out !!!” No, not only because the first way looks more civilized. Rather, this is because if Vasya listens to music in the back of the apartment, then only a knock on the door with a fist has a chance to reach his hearing. Neither your screams, nor the squeal of the doorbell, most likely, will not be able to do this.

Sound insulation of external walls

The outer walls of your house can become a reliable barrier to street noise if you fix a multilayer structure of several types of materials with different levels of density and elasticity on them. Install a wooden frame on the walls, attach a pair, or more, of sheets of ordinary drywall to it on elastic fasteners, and arrange a “pillow” of fiberglass, basalt, or the same gypsum in the layer. The usual foam and polyurethane foam, often used for insulation of external walls, work worse as sound insulators than basalt and gypsum fiber, since they have a lower density. Speaking of wall insulation: if your house has already carried out the appropriate work, then you most likely do not have to complain about the problem of excess noise, because heaters have the ability to dampen sound waves.

Some time ago, there was an opinion that for reliable soundproofing of the external walls of the house, they should simply ... double. For example, build another row of brickwork, leaving an air cushion between the layers. It is logical to assume that if one layer of brick provides sound insulation in the amount of 48 dB, then two, and even with a layer, should at least double this figure. But, alas, tests have shown that a second layer of brickwork will improve the overall sound insulation coefficient of walls by only 15-20%. But imagine how much such a measure will reduce the thickness of your wallet. Nevertheless, if the method of multilayer soundproofing of external walls described by us did not allow you to completely solve the problem, and the noise level in the house is still inconvenient, you should think about additional protection of the walls of the house from the inside.

Impact and airborne noise

There are two types of noise - shock and air.

impact noise

- steps, moving furniture, falling objects ...

impact noise

created when you walk or your children roll cars or play ball. Such noise disturbs the neighbors downstairs. If in your apartment the screed is poured directly onto the ceiling (which is a gross violation), then you can sympathize with the neighbors below: they hear even simple steps. By the way, for sure such a problem exists in your apartment. According to statistics, impact noise from above accounts for 70%
appeals. To prevent neighbors from coming to you to swear, at least a basic floor soundproofing
protecting lower neighbors from impact noise.

There are no specifications for single-family houses. Lack of soundproofing is not only a problem in some older buildings, but can even occur in new single-family homes. “Only a few builders and homeowners are aware that the legislature does not require soundproofing in a single-family dwelling and therefore does not require special soundproofing,” Pohl explains. Regardless of whether ceilings have normal or enhanced impact protection, builders, planners and performing companies will always have to contract additionally.

And yet, as a rule, floor soundproofing is done to protect yourself from airborne noisecoming from below. Imagine that there is a party below, music is playing, loud laughter and screams. It is airborne noise that will penetrate into your apartment and interfere with you. To isolate airborne noise from below on the floor, more serious structures are needed.

If there is no noise protection in the house, family peace is quickly disturbed. Parents believe that the ceiling will fall when small children are raging on the top floor, says Paul. Steel concrete screed ceilings provide good protection due to the two-shell construction - noise stays on the top floor. However, subsequent improvements are difficult. In older buildings, for example, an additional ceiling could be pulled out under the existing floor. Because of this two-layer sound, the impact and air sound is reduced, the expert explains.

Some ready-made packages or laminates are already offered with integrated noise protection. However, in the classical style, a separate layer of insulation is laid before the flooring reaches the ground. “Anxiety can also be significantly reduced by laying textile carpet,” says Helmut Klingenberger from the German Carpet Research Institute in Aachen. This insulation effect is significantly better than with laminate or parquet flooring. For this reason, tenants also cannot trade existing carpets with wood or laminate flooring, Ropertz warns.

All real structures that protect against airborne noise automatically save the lower neighbors from shock.

Where to go for help

Residents who suffer from noisy neighbors need to act according to the following scheme:

1. First of all, it is worth talking with neighbors, as people may not be aware that they are preventing someone from living quietly in a neighboring apartment.
2. If the residents of the house living in the neighborhood do not react in any way to the remarks and continue to violate law and order, then it is necessary to call the police.
3. You should write a statement to the district police officer, he will register the apartment and will visit it periodically. Such actions will help to pacify offenders.
4. The last link in this scheme may be going to court. After a court decision, a fine may be imposed on neighbors, and if the apartment is rented, then an eviction option is possible.

It should be remembered that in no case should the noise level in the apartment be allowed to increase, the norm according to the law is 55 dB during the daytime, at night - 45, otherwise, you can contact Rospotrebnadzor or any other service that has a license for noise measurement activities.

All measurements will be carried out using special technologies, they involve not only measuring at different points in the apartment, but also comparing with generally accepted standards. Based on the results, a protocol is drawn up, which indicates the dynamic levels and frequencies. If the measurements were carried out by Rospotrebnadzor, then the analysis will be carried out in accordance with GOSTs. The cost of services will not be too high, on average it is 500 rubles at one point of the premises. In the daytime, the call of a civil service specialist is estimated at 5,000 rubles, at night - 10,000 rubles.

What is the essence of the examination?

Knowing clearly how many decibels are allowed in the apartment during the day and if this norm is violated, you can demand an acoustic examination. Most often, an examination is necessary when the case is being dealt with in court. Measurements that a person can take on their own in this case are not suitable, since they do not have an official conclusion.

Attention! If an acoustic examination is carried out, as a result of which, by court decision, it is proved that the fault lies entirely with the neighbors, it will be paid at their expense. It is also worth considering that there are exceptions for the examination, for example, the cause of loud sounds is the crying of a child.

Norms can be violated, but it is not possible to hold your neighbors accountable for this.

Responsibility for violation of silence by neighbors

It is not enough just to know how much noise can be tolerated in an apartment, it must be borne in mind that bringing neighbors to justice is possible only if sanitary standards are violated not for the first time.

If the violator does not pay any attention to the neighbors' complaints, then initially he is fined up to two thousand rubles. If you apply again, the fine will double.

Reference! In the case when loud noises interfere with living in an apartment, you must contact the prosecutor's office. All evidence should be collected and presented to the court. As a rule, the injured party almost always wins such lawsuits.

Excessive noise negatively affects not only the emotional state of a person, it can also harm physical health, so it is important to exercise control and assert your right if sanitary standards and legislation are violated

Permissible noise levels according to the law of the Russian Federation

The legislation clearly states what the permissible noise level in the apartment should be at different times of the day. The legal framework includes:

1. Federal law "On the sanitary and epidemiological welfare of the population".
2. Sanitary norms "Noise at workplaces, in the premises of residential, public buildings and on the territory of residential development."

Important! Each subject of the Russian Federation has its own local laws that relate to silence. They detail the restrictions and penalties for violating these rules.

The permissible noise level at night in an apartment has a completely different duration in time, basically it all depends on the geographical location, as well as on the climatic conditions of the Russian region, where there are customs. Separately, there are time limits that relate to construction work, and they are the biggest source of noise. In some regions of the Russian Federation, a kind of quiet hour was introduced, which starts at one in the afternoon and lasts up to three hours. At this time, everything is done to protect children and the elderly from excessive noise.

Reference! In everyday life, a person is constantly faced with loud sounds that exceed the noise standard. For example, an elevator that constantly moves up or down in a high-rise building creates noise of more than 40 decibels, a conversation in calm tones without raising your voice can reach more than 60 dB, and the sound from a vacuum cleaner can reach 80 dB. Naturally, not a single person is able to protect himself from such sounds, but the main danger from such noise can only threaten if it is constant. Systematic noise does not pose a danger to human life and health.

Permissible noise during day and night

Considering all generally accepted norms, the permissible noise in the apartment during the daytime should not exceed 40 dB. Exceeding the volume is allowed only up to 15 dB, which means that on average the noise should be at around 55 dB. At night, sounds should not exceed 45 dB, while it is strictly forbidden to perform such actions:

1. Do not listen loudly to TV and music devices.
2. Sing out loud.
3. It is forbidden to launch pyrotechnic products.
4. It is not allowed to move furniture or make repairs.

Attention! Restrictions can be lifted only in the event of an exception, when circumstances have arisen that cannot be avoided. For example, during the operation of public services, which were given a specific task

For example, during the operation of public services, which were given a specific task.

Noise level during construction and repair

The norms of decibels in an apartment, according to the law of the Russian Federation, are also established during repair and construction work. The total duration of all work should not exceed three months, it is allowed to make noise no more than 6 hours a day. As for the time, it is set by local laws. As a rule, loud work is allowed to be done no earlier than 9 am and until 7 pm, taking into account the time allotted for the quiet hour from 13.00 to 15.00.

Sanitary noise standards in the village

Sanitary standards include many different factors:

1. The first step is to measure frequencies.
2. The time when background noise is exceeded is taken into account.
3. The nature of the sound is determined.

Sanitary standards are based only on such a level of exposure to sound frequencies that, with prolonged exposure, cannot cause any harm to human life and health.

Alternative measurement methods

If preliminary measurements and personal experience show that the permissible noise level in a residential area is exceeded, one of the methods described below should be resorted to to solve the problem.

Contacting Rospotrebnadzor

To contact Rospotrebnadzor, it is enough to visit the office of the organization or call and agree on the time for the examination. For the success of the undertaking, it is necessary to appoint an examination for a time at which the neighbors will make noise in excess of the norm, otherwise the device will not record violations.

Due to the difficulties associated with the examination by Rospotrebnadzor, calling the district police officer or simply talking with neighbors may be more effective methods.

Contacting private organizations

Did you know
For exceeding the permissible noise level that interferes with the health and well-being of citizens (for example, working with a hammer drill after 23:00), the legislation provides for fines from 500 rubles (exact amounts depend on the region) Read more here

Now there are several organizations that have authorized experts on their staff who can conduct an examination using a decibel noise instrument. Before ordering the services of such organizations, you need to make sure that they have a special license and a good reputation so that the expert opinion on the results of the examination becomes strong evidence in court proceedings.

The advantage of this method is that an expert from a private organization is ready to come at any convenient time and wait until the neighbors start to make noise above the permissible level. The cost of the examination starts from ten thousand rubles and increases if it is necessary to leave at night, draw up a conclusion on several pages based on the results of the examination, the expert’s significant time costs and the influence of other factors complicating the work.

Self-measurement of the noise level

With a special device, a person can either measure the noise level in the apartment on their own, or involve other SRO participants in the procedure to record the fact of a violation.

The disadvantages of this method are the price of the measuring device, the cost of which starts from $ 200, as well as the need to independently take into account all the nuances of the examination and presentation of the results.

Equipment and utilities and systems at home also need to be soundproofed

The passage nodes of all pipes are designed using sleeves.Both in ceilings, and in external walls, and in partitions between rooms, for the passage of pipes, elastic sleeves with heat-compensating gaps are required, with minimization of the size of through voids. The material of the sleeves is elastic and porous (or fibrous), for example, foamed polyethylene. All supporting and fastening parts for pipelines fixed on the supporting and enclosing structures of the building must have elastic vibration isolators and compensators.

All boilers, pumps, units and devices for heating systems, pipelines for supplying and discharging water, as well as for mechanical ventilation systems and air conditioning, are placed in soundproofed separate rooms - boiler rooms, pump rooms, ventilation chambers.

To ensure that operating units do not increase the noise background in the home, measures are taken:

1. Boiler rooms are located in annexes or as far as possible from quiet rooms - children's rooms, bedrooms.
2. In pumping and boiler rooms, floating floors are equipped and all the supports of the units are fixed not to the walls, but to the floor structure.
3. The walls and ceilings of the premises where the equipment is located are soundproofed from airborne noise based on an increase in the airborne noise insulation index by 5-8 dB.
4. All pipelines in the nodes of the passage through horizontal and vertical enclosing structures are insulated with vibration inserts and plastic-elastic sealants.
5. Reduce noise from duct fans mounted at the entrances to the ventilation ducts:
6. Choose fans with minimum sound power
7. Devices are selected according to the calculation of the required power, without creating excess pressure and excess air consumption.
8. Reducing the resistance of air flows in the ventilation duct allows you to reduce the noise level from the devices, therefore, the cross-sections of the ventilation ducts are assigned with an increase, ensuring smooth air supply at the inlets to the nozzles of the devices
9. Adjacency and fastening of fan casings to walls and in ventilation ducts is carried out through vibration isolation pads. Noise suppressors are used
10. Sewer pipelines are closed with fences - acoustic screen reflectors, to dampen noise from the movement of the liquid phase. Screen fencing is designed in the form of a metal frame with sheathing of rigid slabs or plasterboard sheets. The inner sides - from noise sources - are covered with lining of soundproof panels or soft porous and fibrous insulators. Screen reflectors are mounted in close proximity to the pipes - the source of noise, blocking them or separating them on one side. Screen fences are also used to reduce noise from kitchen freezers and refrigerators, gas boilers and water heaters.

Structural noise from outdoor installations of air conditioners and recuperators (mounted on facades and roofs) is reduced and damped by eliminating vibrations on the supporting frame and fencing of buildings - using anti-vibration mounts.

What to do with noise reflect or dampen

Such similar definitions - sound insulation and sound absorption - actually mean completely different phenomena. The ability to isolate us from loud airborne noise is possessed by materials that are durable and very dense in structure. They reflect the sound wave, and to determine the effectiveness of this process, experts use the Rw (sound insulation index), measured in decibels. And the ability to absorb noise, on the contrary, is possessed by loose and porous materials. How well they cope with their task is shown by the value of NRC (sound absorption coefficient), which ranges from zero to one. The closer to unity, the higher the sound absorption. Especially to determine the effectiveness of the material in the fight against impact noise, a corresponding coefficient was also introduced - Ln,w. The higher it is, the better. The most demanded in modern construction are materials, more precisely, systems of materials that combine both useful abilities: both reflection and noise absorption.A "sandwich", consisting of two strong and elastic layers, between which there is a loose and porous layer, is able to start a cyclic noise damping mechanism. The part of the sound that was not reflected from the surface gets inside the “sandwich” and rushes about there, reflecting first from one wall, then from the other, until it goes out completely. This happens very quickly, in a split second. As a result, we have reliable protection against any noise attacks. So how can this be achieved?

Quiet windows

It is the quality of the windows that plays the most important role in providing acoustic comfort inside the home. If the noise level outside your windows during the day does not exceed 70 dB, then it is enough to install a conventional single-chamber double-glazed window. However, if the noise even at night is kept at over 40 dB, you can not do without buying special windows. Today, five- and even six-chamber systems made of triplex double-glazed windows are on the market. The glass in it is glued together from several layers of different thicknesses. Since the sound has a wave nature, it will be damped better with such a design. The space inside the double-glazed window must be filled with an inert gas, such as argon.

Conclusion: silence in the details

• About planning. Sometimes, no matter how hard we try to improve the soundproofing in the bedroom overlooking the road, street noise still does not let us sleep. But in the living room, looking into the courtyard, there is always peace and quiet. So isn't it better to just swap them?
• About carpets. Doctors threaten lovers of carpets with high pile and heavy curtains with the development of allergies or asthma. After listening to the warnings, many fall into minimalism, and you will not find a single piece of fabric in their home. But you can always play "echo" ... Perhaps you should choose some kind of middle ground?
• About doors. We have already discussed the soundproofing of the internal walls of the house, however, in addition to the walls, there are also interior doors. A high-quality door filled with chipboard and synthetic wool can provide sound insulation up to 46 dB. Of course, if it is properly installed, and equipped with a seal around the entire perimeter.
• About paint. When choosing a finish, you should give preference to "breathable" materials with a porous structure. And if this is not particularly necessary, then you should not subject them to staining. Most types of paint, when applied, clog all pores and turn the surface into a dull airtight film, which leads to a decrease in acoustic comfort.
• About domestic "enemies". Sometimes it’s not the noise from outside that becomes a problem, but your own flaws when installing “shaking” household appliances, through holes in electrical outlets that are not closed with plugs. Go around your home and think about whether you have eliminated all the causes of noise?

We hope our article will help you make your home comfortable and cozy - a real safe haven.