Improve comfort in your home by reducing indoor noise

According to the Practical Guide on acoustics in air conditioning installations (Fenercom), air conditioning and ventilation installations are sources of noise, as they are mechanically activated and fluids flow through them. There are several main causes of noise: inappropriate design of the systems, incorrect location of the components that make them up, not applying the installation recommendations from the supplying companies or reducing installation costs to the detriment of acoustic comfort.

Types of noise

Before implementing corrective measures for protection against existing noise, it is vital to classify the types of noise in order to locate it and address it in the most effective way possible. The classification of the different types of noise takes into account the particularities of the source that originates it, the means by which it disperses, and the way in which the user receives it. Thus, we can distinguish between different types of noise:

Airborne noise

Causes: sound disturbances caused by a variation in atmospheric pressure in the air.Transmission medium: air.Reception: the user perceives it through the ear.Examples: in air conditioning and ventilation installations, noise generated by the diffusers and grilles towards the interior of the rooms, or that of the outdoor units towards the outside of the building.

Impact noise

Causes: this is noise produced by the mechanical interaction of two solid elements (such as the noise produced when a heel strikes the ground).Transmission medium: the building structure and other construction elements.Reception: the user perceives it through the ear.Examples: inside pipes or due to mechanical contact between elements of an air handling unit.

Vibrations

Causes: oscillation produced by the mechanical interaction of two solid elements.Transmission medium: rigid elements.Reception: the user perceives it through rigid elements.Examples: the sensation of the operation of a fan or a compressor when the user places their hand on a wall or on the ground.

Objective: acoustic comfort

To ensure the well-being of the occupants of a building, it is essential that the interior of its rooms has an appropriate acoustic environment. Acoustic comfort must ensure that the noise levels of the indoor environments are adjusted to the activity carried out inside. Thus, the requirements will not be the same for the room of a hospital center as for the administrative spaces of an industrial warehouse.

How to ensure optimal acoustic comfort

The considerations that must be taken into account are as follows:

• Before the design phase, professionals must consider the acoustic requirements of the rooms in order to implement the most efficient action measures.

• Noise at the source must be minimized.

• Based on good prior design, it is essential that the installations follow the guidelines and recommendations of the project's designers and the supplying companies of the systems.

• Since a duct is both a means of noise transmission and a source of noise, it is essential to evaluate the behavior of the air inside it. In this way, the duct layout of the installation should avoid, as much as possible, changes in direction and areas of turbulent flow.

• Vibrations are the acoustic source of most of the disturbances produced. Therefore, it is extremely important to prevent their transfer by equipping the installation with damping and noise attenuation systems, such as elastic beds and springs.

• In special use spaces that require significant silence, precautions must be heightened. For this, anti-noise measures will be implemented through encapsulated systems and silencers in the air supply and extraction grilles.