Sound Insulation Testing

NoiseAssess is registered with the Association of Noise Consultants (ANC) for the pre-completion testing (PCT) of residential developments as required by Part E of the Building Regulations. All sound insulation tests are carried out by registered testers under the ANC scheme. On completion of the testing a sound insulation test report is provided along with a link, task number and password for the ANC’s ADvANCE website (ANC sound test verification for ADE). This enables the Building Control Officer to check the on-line certification of the test results and provides proof that the tests have been carried out by an organisation that is authorised to carry out tests for Approved Document E to the Building Regulations.

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NoiseAssess has extensive experience in carrying out sound testing for both new build and conversion schemes. Our testers have carried out hundreds of tests in all sizes of scheme from small change of use projects to landmark developments with hundreds of new dwellings.

There are 2 types of sound test – airborne sound tests and impact sound tests.

• Airborne sound insulation tests are carried out on separating walls or floors between apartments or houses and involve setting up a speaker to create a high level of noise in the source room and measuring the difference in noise level between the source and receiver rooms. A single figure result is derived from a large number of measurements in frequency bands at different positions with corrections for background noise and reverberation time. The testing is carried out in accordance with British Standard BS EN ISO 140-4. The measurements obtained during the sound insulation tests are standardised and rated in accordance with the requirements of British Standard BS EN ISO 717-1.

• Impact sound insulation tests are only required on separating floors between apartments and involve running a standard tapping machine on the floor in the upper room and measuring the received noise level in the lower room. Again the measurements are carried out at various locations and in frequency bands and require corrections for background noise and reverberation time. The testing is carried out in accordance with British Standard BS EN ISO 140-7. The single figure result is obtained by the procedure in British Standard BS EN ISO 717-2.

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Sound insulation tests are normally carried out between bedrooms or living rooms. They are not normally carried out to corridors or hallways or stairwells as the shape of these spaces leads to unreliable results. However, the separating walls and floors between the apartments and these types of communal spaces are designed to the same standards.

All NoiseAssess testers are experienced in providing advice on sound insulation design and, on the rare occasions that a test fails, we can provide recommendations for remedial measures. If we are brought in at the project design stage we can provide appropriate recommendations to ensure that the pre-completion sound insulation tests do pass. We are an independent consultancy and as we are not linked to any particular products we are able to work with you to find the most cost effective solution.