Residential sound control is becoming increasingly important to homebuilders and homeowners. The popularity of home offices, home theaters/media rooms and planned urban developments makes sound control an important part of home building and design. Sound insulation products are a critical part of a quality home.

“Recommending sound insulation to customers is now a more routine practice,” said Ed Blanchard of Davidson Insulation & Acoustics in Port Charlotte, Fla. “It’s probably the most cost-effective way to control home sound and is something you should include in the building process.”

Johns Manville’s sound control insulating products, especially ComfortTherm™ Sound Control Batts, absorb sound and reduce sound transmission. Johns Manville (JM) recommends various sound control wall assemblies based on the sound isolation needs of the customer. The key to implementing an effective sound control system is choosing the right techniques based on practical considerations, such as expense, construction time and, most importantly, how much noise reduction is really needed.

“Basic construction practices can dramatically improve privacy between rooms and, when implemented with care, offer residents peace and quiet without requiring great amounts of time, money or loss of floor space,” said Brandon Tinianow, Johns Manville’s acoustical research and testing group manager.

Tinianow cautioned contractors and do-it-yourselfers to install these systems meticulously. “Even tiny imperfections in a wall or floor assembly, such as a leak or misplaced screw, can negate desired sound control results,” he said.

When sound waves pass through fiber glass insulation, the vibrational energy of a sound wave is converted to heat by the small pockets of air created by the glass fibers. When that sound energy is absorbed, the result is reduced sound transmission.

In a high-performance home theater, sound control is achieved with construction techniques like staggered studs or double-wall construction. In residential situations, an insulation product like ComfortTherm Sound Control Batts significantly reduces unwanted noise.

“I recommend JM’s ComfortTherm for bathrooms, living areas and under floors,” Blanchard said. “It’s a unique insulation product that’s not irritating to the installer and holds up well in the construction process. It’s durable, can withstand periods of exposure and doesn’t delaminate.”

Here are a few other tips for residential sound control:

• Install furnaces, air conditioners and HVAC units as far away from bedrooms as possible.
• Caulk the top and bottom plates of walls to reduce noise leaks above and under walls.
• Use resilient channels to mount drywall in high-noise areas.
• Properly caulk outlets and switches to keep noise from leaking through, and don’t place these openings back-to-back in a wall.
• Use a pre-formed fiber glass duct system or duct liners to reduce noise in metal ducts.
• In plumbing systems, use swing arms or S-curves that allow for pipe expansion/contraction.
• Isolate pipe vibrations with resilient mounts on vertical supports and isolation pads supporting horizontal runs.
• Solid-core doors provide better sound insulation than hollow-core doors.
• Add soft weather gaskets to tops and sides of doors and a threshold closure under the door.
• Double-paned windows with airtight seals and spacing between panes further reduce noise.
• Furnishings like rugs, carpets and wall hangings help reduce unwanted sound echoes, especially in hallways. Carpets also reduce footstep impact noise.

Johns Manville is a leading manufacturer and marketer of premium-quality building products. The 141-year-old Denver-based company had sales of $1.8 billion in 1998. Johns Manville employs approximately 9,200 people and operates 54 manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe and China. Additional information can be found at www.jm.com.