If you are having sound
issues in your home, office, or studio, especially
from intrusive outdoor noise,
the weak link in the chain is usually your
windows. Standard window
glass, even double pane windows actually do very
little to reduce loud outdoor
noise from invading your home. Standard window
glass just doesn't have the
mass needed to provide adequate soundproofing in
today’s loud and noisy world.
So what can you do to stop unwanted noise from
entering your space? You can
always replace your windows
with soundproof windows from manufacturers such
as Mil-gard or Sound Guard,
but that can BE a little pricy. There are other
more cost effective ways to
soundproof your existing windows.
There are window inserts which are quite
effective at blocking traffic noise
and other irritating noises.
A window insert is a made of a window grade acrylic that connects to the frame
of your window (generally on a magnetic
track system). The window
inserts can add as much as a 32 dB reduction of the
sounds coming through the
existing window from the outdoors. The
Climate
Seal Acoustic Series window
insert is one such soundproof window insert from Soundproofing
America, Inc.. These inserts
are very easy to install and can be done by any
do-it-yourself-er. The Climate
Seal window inserts do not open and close, but
they easily detach from their
magnetic track in the event that you would want
to open your window. Climate
Seal windows are a clear window grade acrylic
that will maintain it's clear
view for many years to come. They will provide
up to 30- 32 STC depending on
the quality if your existing windows.
No matter what type of window you are dealing
with, sealing the window with
an acoustical caulk can help
block out the noise that can be transmitted from
between the glass and the
window frame itself. Sealing the window panes is
key to reducing the
transmission of sound through any common window.
The last treatment I would like to discuss is
the infamous window plug. Many
times people are willing to
sacrifice the light that a window provides in
order to get some
soundproofing. That's where the window plug comes in handy.a window plug is
made from a closed cell vinyl nitrile foam mat that is
generally at least 2"
thick.
Here's a simple explanation on how to build
yourself a window plug. You need
to find a specific closed
cell foam mat. One such mat is called America mat.
America mat in the 2"
version is perfect for constructing your window plug.
Now let's say that the window
you wish to soundproof is 3' X 4' you would cut
the foam to 3' 1" X 4'
1" that way you will have 1/2" around the entire
perimeter of the foam plug
that will make the foam plug fit tightly into the
window frame much like a cork
in a bottle. Now this extra 1/2" of foam may
need to be trimmed down so
that the foam will actually fit tightly into the
window frame. The best way to
cut this foam is by using a common electric
kitchen knife much like those
used in the late 1970's and early 1980's. They
can still be found at
Wal-Mart or K-Mart. The electric knife cuts the foam
leaving a nice smooth almost
factory edge on the foam and that makes it
easire to trim down to fit
tightly into the window frame.
Once the foam is cut to fit tightly into the
window frame, you will need to
glue the foam to a backing
board, something like wood paneling or luaan. The
backing board needs to hold
the foam taut so that it will not roll up when it
is placed into the window
frame. Placing a couple of kitchen cabinet handles
on the backer board will make
for easy installation and removal of the plug.
One note, it is not recommended that you leave
the plug installed in the
window during daylight hours.
The sun will heat up the cavity between the
foam and the glass panes and
could actually crack the glass. Just keep that
in mind if you decide that
the window plugs are right for you.
The products mentioned are all available
online through www.
soundproofingamerica.us
Thanks for reading about how to soundproof
your window This is Bob Orther,
make it a quiet one!
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