Drainage, Plumbing & Water Management Feature
Maintenance & Refurbishment
Reducing drainage noise
Adam Cafer of Polypipe Building Services discusses how sound pollution can be reduced, especially in tall building drainage systems.
W
ith one third of the UK workforce currently working from home, issues such as noise pollution from building service systems will be brought into sharper focus – especially for the
growing number of people who live in residential blocks in our major towns and cities. Modern multi-storey buildings contain a large amount of plumbing fixtures
and pipework, and if installed unsatisfactorily the noise of water and wastewater passing through pipes can cause excessive noise for tenants. There are a number of modern design solutions and product systems
available however to help minimise the effect of noise from building drainage systems, without compromising on maximising available floor space to rent, or the robust quality of the products employed.
MEETING THE REGULATIONS Part E of the English Building Regulations state that airborne sound transfer between flats must be reduced by at least 43-45 decibels through the separating wall or floor. A level of 20dBA is an acceptable sleeping room ambience, and 80dBA is the level of ordinary traffic, so it is important to specify above the UK standard at the design stage of a development. While there are no explicit standards that specify the acoustic performance of
soil and waste pipes, it is important to adopt a holistic approach when considering the acoustic issues faced by tenants living in tall buildings. Selecting the correct products when installing a complete drainage system with its related components – and tackling the source of
potential noise problems during installation – will help to prevent long- term issues. Acoustic soil and waste systems are one solution, able to effectively dampen
both airborne noise and sound transmitted through the building structure. Acoustic systems lagged with a minimum of 25mm mineral wool and fitted
with acoustic, rubber-lined brackets will reduce the risk of pipes vibrating as water flows through. A triple layer pipe system with specially developed co- polymer polypropylene layers can be used in conjunction with flexible and vibration-resistant joints, support clips and fire collars. The sandwich of a high density sound-reducing material between two layers of polypropylene tackles both wall-borne and air-borne noise. There are also a number of modern drainage systems which are not designed
exclusively for acoustic control but achieve it as a secondary benefit. Many of these systems, which help to ensure low-noise environments, can be installed during the build or retrofitted into tall buildings.
COPING WITH PRESSURE A Positive Air Pressure Attenuation system with an air admittance valve provides a drainage ventilation system that helps control nuisance air pressure regimes which otherwise would establish themselves within the soil and waste system as water building, often from great heights. The positive pressure reduction device is used to mitigate the effects of
positive air pressure fluctuations in the drainage pipework system, such as when a WC is flushed on an upper floor.
www.housingmmonline.co.uk | HMM February/March 2021 | 31
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