English Living
Home Improvement
Unwanted noise from rain on a flat roof: Case Study
Name: Mrs Amanda Helliwell
Age: 58
Occupation: Reflexologist
Location: North Yorkshire
Noise Issue: Unwanted and excessive noise on the roof when it rained
System Used: ReductoClip Timber Joist Ceiling Solution
Cost: The size of the ceiling was just over 2.5m by just under 3m and the cost including all materials, fixings, delivery, and VAT came in at just over £1,100. This didn't include installation costs as Mr Helliwell and his colleague fitted it themselves.
Date of installation: January 2023
The noise issue:
Mr and Mrs Helliwell live in a 3-bedroom 1930's semi-detached house and have a one storey, flat roof extension. Since the extension was built, they have had a long-term problem with hearing excessive levels of noise on the roof every time it rains.
What they are experiencing is not dissimilar to those people living in properties with noisy neighbours living above.
When the rain hits the roof it creates an impact vibration which travels from the roof, into the joists and down into their room below. The exact same principle applies when it comes to soundproofing against unwanted impact noise from above, regardless of the type or source of impact vibration (whether this be rain, footsteps, or dragging furniture etc).
A soundproofing system such as the ReductoClip System which decouples layers of mass from the original structure provides the most effective solution for all unwanted noise situations. The big benefit of this system is that it decreases high levels of both impact and airborne noise.
In this instance, for Mr and Mrs Helliwell it isn't unwanted airborne noise such as talking, shouting, TV noise or music from noisy neighbours, but also unwanted traffic noise from a nearby busy road.
Solution:
Before the correct solution can be recommended it is important to know the answers to the following questions:
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What type of ceiling do you have? Is it timber or concrete?
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What is the noise being heard? Is it impact noise such as footsteps, dragging furniture, or as in this case, rain?
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Is the unwanted noise airborne noise such as voices, music and TV noise? Or is it a combination of both impact and airborne noise?
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Do you need to pass Part E Building Regulations?
There are 4 main principles when soundproofing a ceiling:
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Isolation - sound is a physical energy that can travel through solid materials. Isolating or 'decoupling' the ceiling from the floor above creates a breaker to stop that energy from easily transmitting through the structure
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Damping - elastic or damping materials help to absorb sound energy and vibrations. Similar to how the suspension springs in a car help to absorb bumps in the road
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Mass - the addition of mass helps to create a barrier to block sound waves. The more mass on the isolated surface the better the sound reduction. Using different types of mass helps to block different frequencies of sound
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Insulate Cavities – (for timber ceilings) add acoustic mineral wool within the ceiling and floor cavity. This helps to prevent sound resonating and amplifying within this sealed chamber
To soundproof a ceiling, isolate soundproofing layers from the existing ceiling. Add resilience to allow the ceiling to flex and dampen the vibration. Add high mass layers to block airborne sound, whilst using different types of mass to help block different frequencies of sound.
Reduce the amplification of sound within the sealed cavity between the floor above and ceiling by adding acoustic mineral wool between joists.
The ultimate solution for blocking unwanted noise through a timber ceiling is the ReductoClip Ceiling System. The slimmest soundproofing system on the market ensuring maximum performance with minimum loss of space.
The benefits of the ReductoClip Timber Ceiling System for reducing unwanted noise from above:
Sound energy vibrations travel very easily through solid materials. Hence why the impact from the rain is easily travelling from Mr and Mrs Helliwells roof, through the ceiling, down the joists and into the room below. It has a path to travel because all of these materials are connected together. To stop this from happening there needs to be a de-coupling, or separation and that's where there ReductoClips come into play.
ReductoClips act like shock absorbers, absorbing the sound vibrations creating a de-coupling suspension system for the furring bars and soundproofing layers to be attached to. Once they are in place, when an impact noise is made above it gets to the clips, which then absorb it and stop it from getting into the ceiling layers.
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ReductoClips de-couple from the original ceiling delivering the highest level of soundproofing
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Minimal loss of space. The full system including the layers of mass results in only 60mm loss of ceiling height
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At only 25mm, The ReductoClip and bar combined is the thinnest clip and bar system on the market
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Dual rubber design which enables the ReductoClips to absorb different sound frequencies achieving a higher level of performance
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A wider clip face space means wider furring bars, which allow for a greater surface area to attach acoustic plasterboard to. This makes installation of the clips and bars much easier
Implementation – how to install the ReductoClip Ceiling Soundproofing System
The ReductoClip Timber Ceiling Soundproofing Solution can be installed by a competent DIYer. Mr Helliwell is an electrician by trade, but without any experience of installing soundproofing. With the help from a colleague, they installed the system themselves following The Soundproofing Store's comprehensive installation guide.
Customer testimonial:
The sound test showed a brilliant result. However, a further test would be the 'real world' one when there was next heavy rainfall and the feedback from Mr and Mrs Helliwell.
" We can no longer hear the rain and we also live fairly close to the A1 and we are no longer hearing that sound anymore either."
The full installation, images, and further details, please see below:
Soundproofing Case Study: How to Soundproof a Timber Ceiling
