Nowadays, almost all people are exposed to different types of unwanted noise – heavy traffic on the street just outside the house, jet engine aircraft flying in the sky or trains running nearby are only the most common examples of such noises. Thankfully, there are numerous solutions available that we can use to effectively reduce the level of outside noise. Some of these solutions provide way more benefits than only the soundproofing. Replacing your old doors and windows with the new ones belongs to that category – apart from reducing noise pollution, they also yield other advantages.
Why is noise reduction so important?
Noise pollution has a strong impact on our health and well-being, increasing the stress level, negatively affecting the human’s immune system, reducing the quality of sleep and affecting our memory. It is worth noting that the greater the increase in noise level (which is measured in decibels, dB), the stronger effect it has on one’s health and well-being. Why? The answer is simple: the sound intensity isn’t measured in a linear scale, where every increment is of equal value, but in a logarithmic scale. This means that every increase by 10 dB increases the intensity of sound by tenfold. In simpler terms, while a 20 dB sound (eg. whispering) is only ten times louder than a 10 dB sound (eg. breathing), a 30 dB loud sound (eg. quiet conversation) is one hundred times more intense. That’s why it is really advantageous to maintain as low a level of noise inside residential buildings as possible, because this can help maintain our health (both mental and physical) in a good shape in the long run.
uPVC Window IDEAL 5000
How do I block outside noise with noise-reducing windows?
Are you wondering how you can soundproof a room from outside noise without investing too much money in professional soundproofing materials or tiles? Well, the first thing you can do is to replace your old windows with the new ones. As for the reasons for doing that, there are several worth your serious consideration. Firstly, you can choose windows with high Rw index (more information on that you will find below) and secondly, you can choose windows with double or triple glazing. Thirdly, new windows can also be easily paired with some other solutions that will enhance the effectiveness of noise reduction gained from replacing your old windows.
What is Rw index?
To put things as simple as possible, the Rw index stands for the Weighted Sound Reduction Index, ie. the level of sound insulation provided by any given window. The higher the Rw index of a window is, the better that window protects against noise pollution. So if you plan to replace the windows in your house in the nearest future, try to look for ones with a high Rw index.
How can you soundproof a room from outside noise with glazing?
The first barrier capable of significantly reducing (or, in some cases, even completely stopping) the outside sound from entering your house, is the wall and window glazing. When it comes to the amount of sound dampened and dissipated by the glazing, you have two choices in this regard: double- or triple-glazing units.
- Double-glazing unit – due to the unique structure of a double-glazed window, it provides the room where it is installed with a significant reduction of the outside noise (from a dozen to several dozen dB), depending on the conditions.
- Triple-glazing unit- if you already have double-glazed windows, you can try to replace them with the triple-glazing unit. It will even further increase the noise reducing effectiveness of the window, not to mention better heat insulation and thus, reduced energy bills.
How do you soundproof a room from traffic noise with doors?
The outside noise is not related only to the windows – front doors also play a significant role in protecting the inside of your house from the unwanted sounds coming from the outside. One of the main reasons as to why the front doors can be more or less soundproof, is their inside structure. Many types of low-cost entry doors have a hollow core, made from materials that leave empty air spaces (eg. honeycombed cardboard), thus allowing the outside sound to travel freely and get into your house. An effective solution to this problem are solid core front doors, which provide significantly better sound insulation than the hollow-core ones.
While replacing your old front doors with the solid core ones, you should also thoroughly check the walls around the doors and look for any cracks and holes. Sealing them will bring more benefits than only more effective soundproofing: you will also reduce the intensity of drafts and reduce heat loss during the winter or in cold weather.
Steel Doors 37
How do I reduce outside noise at night?
In the highly unlikely case, where even replacing your doors and windows with the newest models still leaves you with too much unwanted outside noise in your house at night, there is one more cost-efficient solution that you can try out: curtains. On the market, there are different types of curtains and drapes available – you can mount them as an additional source of sound insulation.
The best choice here would be curtains made of a thick, dense fabric (eg. velvet) or special noise-absorbing materials (these usually have a wool core with the addition of other sound-insulating materials). This solution is only effective to use at night, though – during the day you will have to reveal the curtains in order to let the sunlight inside. You have to remember, though, that curtains will not help you to stop the outside noise, if your windows are old and walls are full of cracks and holes. There’s an old saying that it is better to prevent than to cure, and it is applicable here as well – cracks and holes should be properly fixed, and old windows replaced with the new ones in the first place. Only if these will not be effective enough, you should try to make your nights more comfortable (and silent) with the curtains.
If you’re looking for top quality windows and doors that can help you protect your home from the outside noise, simply contact our sales team and submit your enquiry. We will be happy to prepare an individual, tailor-made offer considering all your needs and expectations and return to you with a quote within 48 hours.
