Preparing Your Project For Sound Testing

Preparing Your Project For Sound Testing

There are many important things to remember as you near completion on your project, one of which is to adequately prepare your London project for Sound Testing. This means that the dwellings and the ‘habitable rooms’ i.e. living rooms and bedrooms should be the final finishing stage – usually a week or two prior to completion.

To help our clients prepare for compliance with Approved Document Part E throughout London, we have provided a site preparation checklist – shown below. It’s worth noting that where items are not in place this will negatively affect the sound insulation performance of the dwellings:

1. Internal & external doors and windows must be hung, glazed & close-able on the latch.
2. Trickle vents and other ventilation systems should be fitted and closed.
3. All wall, floors & ceiling constructions must be completed
4. Skirting boards and cornice should all be completed
5. Electrical sockets, TV Aerial sockets & light switches should be fitted
6. Rooms must be clear of building materials, tools & unfurnished
7. No cosmetic floor coverings should be fitted (i.e. laminate, carpet, vinyl, ceramics)
8. No noisy operations such as drilling, cutting or ground-works to occur nearby during testing
9. Provision of 240v 50Hz mains power is required within all the dwellings under test 110v cannot be used.

To attain compliance with Approved Document E one set of tests needs to be undertaken for every ten flats or houses provided the construction system is the same. A set means that the test should include two locations where the party element (wall or floor) is tested. This is equivalent to two individual tests when assessing the performance of a wall – airborne performance only) and four individual tests when assessing a floor (two airborne and two impact tests).

All sound insulation tests must be undertaken between habitable spaces (e.g. bedrooms, living rooms) and not to or from common spaces such as stairwells and corridors. Approved Document E 2003 states that a minimum of 10% of all party walls and floors is sound tested for every construction group or sub-group; however, where variations in the construction such as a different wall and/or floor type then further testing may be required.

APT Sound Testing provides a full range of Sound Testing in London in compliance with Approved Document E. if you would like more information please contact us at info@aptsoundtesting.co.uk or call me direct on 07775623464.