| |  |  |   Tips on Sound-Insulating Your Home
Welcome
The City of Long Beach is pleased to present you with these tips on sound-insulating your home. There are several steps homeowner’s can take to reduce aircraft noise inside the home. You may be able to do some of these things yourself rather inexpensively. However, some items are more difficult and may require the work to be performed by professionals. Costs may depend upon several variables, such as the type of home you live in; the number of doors and windows; and the brand of product you choose. Windows and Doors
Windows are typically the weakest sound-reducing link in a home. Sound travels through a window in two ways: - Sound will find the path of least resistance through leaks around the window frame and sashes. By reducing the amount of air that leaks around the window, noise can be reduced. Caulking around the window frame or adding new high quality storm windows can help accomplish this.
- Sound also travels through the glass itself. Sound travels through a medium (air, wood, glass, aluminum) as vibrations. Generally, the heavier or stiffer an object is, the more resistant it is to vibration. The type of glass that is used can also have an effect on noise reduction. Laminated glass can be effective at reducing noise. Windows designed for airport sound insulation programs are made of vinyl or aluminum. When looking for acoustic windows, be sure to request a window with a minimum Sound Transmission Class (STC) rating of 40. STC denotes a material’s ability to resist sound transmission.
- Doors are another of the weakest noise-reducing elements in a home. If you can feel a draft coming through a door or see light around the edges, then noise is coming in as well.
- The first item of consideration is how well the prime door seals when closed. It is easy to inspect the weatherstripping around the door and door casing. If the weatherstripping is tattered, missing, or if you can see light around the door when closed, it needs to be replaced. This is a simple and inexpensive method to reduce noise.
- One of the most effective methods of reducing noise entering through exterior doors is to replace the prime doors with doors specially made to resist the transmission of sound. Prime doors can be obtained in solid wood, steel or fiberglass with a foam core. Ideally, the doors need to be sealed to the door frames using magnetic weather strips.
- The installation of new doors with weatherstripping, a new threshold and a bottom sweep will give you the greatest benefit.
- Minimizing the amount of glass in the prime doors typically adds to the noise reduction properties of the door.
Insulation, Attic and Vents
Adding mass to voids between walls and on attic floors will help diminish noise. Insulation helps absorb noise. Attic insulation will be blanket (batt) fiberglass. The addition of 1/2” or 3/4” plywood over the insulation will increase the mass. Your home needs vents for air circulation. Vents are holes in the exterior of your home through which noise has a direct entry route. Baffle boxes are partial enclosures built around vents, which act as mufflers to absorb some noise. Fireplaces and Mail Slots
Fireplaces provide a direct route for air and noise to enter your home. Installing tight-fitting glass doors in lieu of a fireplace screen will lessen the air infiltration when the fireplace is not in use. Chimney dampers also can be installed on the exterior top of your chimney to help reduce outside noise. Though mail slots allow minimal noise infiltration compared to doors and windows, they are holes in walls through which air and noise enter. You can remove the interior and exterior mail slot fixtures, stuff the mail slot cavity with batt insulation and patch both sides to match the existing wall finish. Contractor Checklist
Although the City of Long Beach cannot recommend specific contractors, we encourage you to shop around and ask questions. If you are interviewing contractors, you may want to consider asking: - What type of insurance do you carry?
- Is your contractors license current?
- What brand of product will you be using?
- What is the manufacturer’s warranty?
- What is the contractor’s warranty on the work?
- Who will be my daily contact on the job?
- When can you start work, and how long will it take?
- Is the price quote what I will actually pay or an estimate?
Ask to see the acoustic test results of any product to be used, or contact the manufacturers directly and ask for this data. Always ask for and check references. Suppliers for Residential Sound Insulating Products
Windows Prime and Patio Doors These are recommendations. Purchasing and installing the recommended products does not guarantee a significant sound reduction in your home. The method in which they are installed is equally important to the product you choose. If you have additional questions please call our Project Manager toll-free at (888) 739-4090. | | | 
Long Beach Airport
Ph: 562-570-2600 | Fax: 562-570-2601
4100 E. Donald Douglas Dr., Long Beach, CA 90808-1798
Email: lgbarpt@longbeach.gov | |
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