The PrivacyShield® Outdoor Absorptive Soundproofing Blanket used for rooftop equipment enclosures at a school.
We recently received a question about how to soundproof a rooftop ventilation system. There is no stock solution, unfortunately. It’s impractical for any company to stock soundproofing enclosures for every piece of noisy equipment. The differences in ventilation requirements, size, and ease of access make this impossible. These soundproof enclosures can, however, be made custom for many of these noisy machines.
Q: We’re behind a mini-mart with a cooler of some sort on the roof. Its intermittent noise is annoying and makes the back yard unpleasant. It’s mounted on 30-inch legs. I’m thinking of a plywood three-sided enclosure with sound blankets. They need to be weatherproof. Thoughts? This shot is a close up. It’s about 20 away.
That’s a tough situation — it’s aggravating enough being exposed to noisy equipment at the workplace or in public facilities, but to have it invade your living space from another property can seriously deteriorate your neighborhood satisfaction and quality of life.
Fortunately, we have dealt with this type of ventilation system soundproofing issue before. By calling in and speaking with one of our knowledgeable sales representatives, you can learn how to cut the noise using a variety of materials.
Acoustic Blankets
PrivacyShield® Outdoor Absorptive Soundproofing Blankets are a popular soundproofing solution for this type of application because as their name suggests, they not only absorb but block noise transmission and can be used outside, exposed to the elements. Acoustical Blankets are especially conducive to making enclosures for oddly shaped equipment. This is because they can line the inside of stiff forms and produce curved openings for ventilation. Cut outs can also be made in the blankets if access points are required for operation.
HVAC Enclosure
Hoover and Strong – Vented Acoustic enclosure for exhaust fan using PrivacyShield® acoustic blankets for noise reduction.
A good example of this is the custom HVAC enclosure we made for Hoover & Strong.
Hoover & Strong utilized a recirculating clean air unit which uses a variable speed blower designed to clean the air that is then ducted within their HVAC rooftop ventilation system.
Typically, installation of these units are on roof tops or above ceilings. This is because of the noise levels emitting from the blower (as is the case with the aforementioned customer’s issue). In Hoover & Strong’s case the unit had to be installed within a mechanical room right next to a smelting work area.
An enclosure was made with PrivacyShield® Acoustical Blankets that allowed for proper ventilation and soundproofing for the safety of employees.
An enclosure similar to this would effectively soundproof a rooftop ventilation system, with obvious adjustments made due to its difference in placement, and with exterior grade blankets to suit the outdoor environment.
Check out our previous post about an alternative method of soundproofing small machinery.
If you have any questions or are facing a similar noise issue, please don’t hesitate to call in and speak with one of our knowledgeable sales reps today.
To learn more about how Acoustical Solutions can solve your noise control problems, use our contact form, call one of our Acoustical Sales Consultants at (800) 782-5742, or visit us on the web at acousticalsolutions.com.
