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Sound insulation of the sewer riser in the apartment

This WordPress post focuses on sound insulation in apartment complexes, specifically related to sewer risers. A sound insulation system aims to mitigate noise and vibration from the sewer riser, reducing noise pollution within the complex. By using a segmented approach with two layers of sound absorption materials inside an insulation box, the sound desensitization generated by the sewer will be highly decreased. This system also features a refillable water tank system to dampen the remaining noise, making it a more effective noise reduction mechanism. The noise and vibration dampening system is tailored to the specific needs of each apartment building and is easy to install and maintain. This combination of effective sound insulation techniques provides residents with the advantages of a peaceful environment, free from noise disturbances.

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Many people are familiar with the inconvenience of hearing that neighbors from above are pouring waste into the sewer pipe over and over again. This problem can be easily solved: the portal will tell you about the best ways to reduce noise from sewer pipes in an apartment building.

Sound insulation of the sewer riser in the apartment

Causes of noise

It would seem that everything is obvious: the noise in the sewer riser is created by water falling at high speed. This is true, but there are a number of circumstances that aggravate the situation:

  1. Insufficiently reliable fastening of pipes in the ceiling. Strong mechanical connections allow you to remove some of the vibrations, which are then dissipated in a monolithic layer.
  2. Leaky sockets. If there are air gaps, the sound from the drain of the sewer will be much stronger, in addition, an unpleasant odor is almost guaranteed..
  3. Contact of drain pipes with other communications: impacts from vibration multiply the acoustic effect.

Cast iron sewerage in the apartment

It is not enough to simply wrap the pipe with soundproofing material. There will certainly be some sense from this, but in order to completely eliminate the penetration of noise from the sewer into the apartment, complex actions will be required. In some situations, it may be relevant to replace pipelines and fittings.

Is it advisable to change the sewer riser

It is believed that the appearance of noise in the riser is associated with the expiration of the service life of the pipes, and that it is enough to replace the cast iron with polyethylene to eliminate the problem. However, the massiveness of cast iron pipes and plaque on the inner walls, on the contrary, contribute to the absorption of sound. In such cases, replacing with thin plastic pipes should provoke an increase in noise. Or not?

There are actually two circumstances in which pipe replacement may be appropriate. Both of them have nothing to do with the original state of the riser, we are talking about which pipes will be selected for replacement.

Option 1 โ€“ when a really high-quality pipe with reduced noise emission is installed during replacement. Similar solutions from REHAU and Ostendorf, the features of such systems are the composite structure of pipes, the possibility of a socketless connection, a slippery inner coating of PVC or fluoroplastic, increased specific gravity and density, a special installation system.

Sound-absorbing sewer pipes from REHAUSound-absorbing sewer pipes from REHAU

Option 2 โ€“ when, after installing the pipe, it is planned to make complex sound insulation.

Of course, the need to replace cast-iron pipes with plastic ones can be caused by wear and tear of the sewer system. In such cases, it is better to immediately spend money on the appropriate materials, so as not to disrupt the finish of the bathroom later..

It is impossible to change a cast iron pipe to a plastic one only in one case โ€“ if the part located on top is made of cast iron. It is impractical to dock at the level of your floor, because if the neighbors from above decide to replace the drain system, they will have to disrupt the finish. If you replace the cross on the upper floor, it will be under the load of the cast iron pipe located on top, while plastic fittings are not designed for this..

Main paths of noise propagation

To understand how to eliminate sewer noise, you need to know the basic transmission routes of mechanical vibrations. Sound from draining water can enter living spaces in the following ways:

  1. Acoustic. Sound waves travel from the surface of the pipe through the air.
  2. Structural. Vibrations from the pipe in the places of termination or through the fastening clamps are transmitted to the walls, from them to the neighboring rooms.
  3. Shock. Due to poor fastening or curvature of the pipe during salvo discharges, bounce and collision with communications laid throughout the apartment occur.

Noise propagation paths in the sewer systemNoise propagation paths in the sewer system

As you can see, in some cases, the use of low-noise pipes or a sound-absorbing shell alone does not solve the problem. You may need:

  • door seal in the opening;
  • strengthening of noise insulation of partitions separating the bathroom;
  • the use of special fastening clamps;
  • casing of pipe passages through ceilings;
  • streamlining communications;
  • soundproofing of a technical well.

Additional measures for soundproofing sewer pipesAdditional measures for soundproofing sewer pipes

Summing up: only the adoption of a full range of measures to eliminate noise guarantees a positive result, while the implementation of individual points can only slightly improve the situation. If there is no desire or opportunity to do everything at once, it is better to start with soundproofing the riser and, if necessary, continue work on a technical well and acoustic propagation of noise.

Removing a cast iron riser

Dismantling the cast iron drainage system is considered the most problematic task. Due to the fact that even the angle grinder with a 230 mm disc does not have enough cutting depth to cut the pipe in one cut, you have to resort to tricks. If there is access to the pipe on the sides, and it itself is 50-70 mm from the wall, you can try to make two oblique cuts at an angle of 45 ยฐ to the axis.

Dismantling the cast iron riser

If the pipe is close to the wall, you will have to cut through the window. First, at a distance of 120โ€“140 cm from each other, two transverse cuts are made to the maximum possible depth. Their edges must be connected with two longitudinal cuts, and then knock out a rectangular pipe segment. The space created is enough to cut the back wall.

Replacing cast iron sewer pipes with plastic

The pipe needs to be cut in two places, remove the straight part of the riser, then dismantle the crosspiece. For the latter, you will need to disassemble the part of the floor adjacent to the riser in order to gain access to the lower bell. Cast iron pipes are sealed with a very strong mortar, which must be carefully cracked with a chisel and hammer. After stripping the inlet part of the socket, it must be thoroughly lubricated with silicone and connect the branch pipe of the plastic pipe through the rubber cuff.

Soundproofing the riser

If the standard PVC sewage system is replaced with a low-noise one, it is enough just to purchase the same set of fittings and pipes. To do this, you will need to rewrite the marking of each product from the stamp located on the bell. It is advisable to sketch a riser diagram so that when buying a system with socketless connections, the seller can quickly select a set of parts.

Note that sometimes it makes sense to change the pipe configuration. For example, assembling bends on two or three fittings with obtuse angles will make the water flow less noisy..

Dismantling and assembling a plastic riser requires a minimum of effort, it will be much more problematic to correctly fix the vertical section of the pipe:

  1. It is necessary to cut the adjacent overlap area and brick it with a sleeve that is 20-30 mm larger than the outer diameter of the pipe. To do this, you will have to temporarily detach the upper and lower crosses. The pipe should not be adjacent to the walls of the sleeve, the free space should be filled in a spiral with polyethylene foam tape.
  2. The riser must be located strictly vertically and with a distance of at least 100 mm from the wall and other communications. If it is necessary to move the pipe in either direction, you need to use crosses with an oblique branch pipe and swivel fittings.
  3. Clamps are attached to the wall along the axis of the riser 50 cm. It is optimal if the pipe is fastened to the outer wall of the apartment..
  4. After exposing the assembled riser in the correct position, it is attached to the walls.

Noise insulation of sewer pipes with foamed polyethylene

To reduce the noise level of water in the sewer, the pipe is pasted over with a material that absorbs vibration well. The simplest options are polyethylene foam, mineral wool in the form of foil rolls and various insulation. The process of their installation is not very technological: the material is simply wound around the pipe and fastened either with reinforced tape or nylon clamps..

Soundproofing of sewers with foil-clad mineral wool

Of the materials common in everyday life, noise-absorbing properties are most pronounced in pimpled packaging film, which is wound in 12-15 layers, and synthetic winterizer, for fastening which you will need to wrap the riser with a fine plastic mesh.

The most technologically advanced options for noise insulation are special casings, which consist of two halves with locks. In fact, such products belong to the materials for thermal insulation, but noise suppression with their help is pretty good. It is important that the casing adheres closely to the pipe, for which it is convenient to use polyurethane foam. She also seals all joints in sound insulation and junction points.

Additional measures

At the locations of swivel and branch fittings, it is recommended to increase the thickness of the sound-absorbing material by 1.5 times. Close contact of the sound insulation with the wall should not be allowed: this is how some constructional noises can propagate.

If covering the pipe with noise-insulating material did not give a pronounced effect, sheathing of a technical well would be a good option. The difference with simple decorative cladding is that the well is divided into three compartments. On average, there are metering devices, fittings and plumbing equipment, and the upper and lower ones before the lining are filled with a weak seal with mineral wool.

Soundproof box for a sewer riser

In the central compartment, the residual noise emission is eliminated by pasting the walls and the inside of the cladding with a soft porous material. For these purposes, it is good to use car noise insulation. Taking into account the small volume of the technical compartment, such material will be inexpensive, but the effect of noise absorption will be the best..

If, after all the events, unwanted sounds continue to penetrate into the apartment, it may make sense to think about the fight against acoustic noise. This will help filling the cavity of the suspended ceiling with mineral wool at least at the point of abutment to the riser, laying cotton wool under the false walls and gluing the seal along the door contour.

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Comments: 1
  1. Mia Price

    Is it possible to soundproof the sewer riser in the apartment? What are some effective methods to minimize noise from the sewer riser?

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