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sound proofing bay windows (Read 2490 times)
2quid99
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sound proofing bay windows
Apr 3rd, 2016, 4:08am
 
Hi, my first post and was hoping for some advice. I live by a busy road and its really loud 24/7. I have 2 bay windows. I have about 30cm of deapth,

I was thinking of getting some polystyrenne boards. Ive seen some at wickes. The celotex ones look good. More expensive than the other ones but i dont know if they will  be worth the extra for sound proofing but i was wondering if its worth getting the thicker version? 25mm, 50mm, 100mm?

Basically im looking for the best cost effective insulation to sandwhich between the boards. I can have 5 thin boards and 2 filliings of insulation or 2 thick boards and alot of insulation. Would the thick boards be worth it or better insulation such as rockwool.

Then im going to wrap the whole thing in clingfilm, stick on some sound proof tiles.

Ill stick on a handle and when i need i can insert the piece into my bay window so lighter the better.

Any help and advice would be a big help. Im lookimg for as much sound proofing from the road as pos

Im hoping to add some sound proof curtains too and maybe i can get a good night sleep

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woodsmith
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Re: sound proofing bay windows
Reply #1 - Apr 3rd, 2016, 9:35am
 
The simplest solution is earplugs! There are even some designed to be worn in bed as lots of people have problems with noise at night.

The normal advice for sound reducing panels is to add lots of mass, but if you want to be able to lift them in and out that wouldn't be practical. The second most important thing to achieve is air tightness around the panel, again this is going to be hard to achieve with a removable panel.

The best, although most expensive, solution is to fit secondary glazing. We made some for a listed building on a high street where the units were on lift off hinges so they could take them out in the summer should it get uncomfortably hot. We went back a year later and they said the difference was so enormous that they never opened them at night.


However if you want to have a go at making a removable panel from Kingspan I would suggest you get some 40mm Kingspan, it's a lot more rigid than the 25mm thick board, and just try putting a piece into the window opening to see if it makes any difference. If this helps enough to make a difference you could double up the Kingspan and bond 18mm moisture resistant MDF to the inside face with a no nails type adhesive, this will add mass and give you something to fix handles. You will need to fit catches to the wall to make sure it can not fall out though. Toolstation sell a wide aluminium tape that you can use to seal all the edges of the Kingspan which will help to protect the edges. Next improvement would be to fit thick rubber seals onto the window frame to make a better seal round the edge of the panel.

The one thing to bear in mind doing this is that you are cutting out any ventilation to the room, this can have serious consequences if you are too efficient in sealing the room, not just to your health but also to creating the conditions for condensation and then moulding to form on the walls.

I hope this helps, and if you have a go at this it would be good if you let us know how you got on as I am sure there are lots of people with the same problem.
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Re: sound proofing bay windows
Reply #2 - Apr 25th, 2016, 1:58pm
 
I grew up in a house that was on the A40 and just off a roundabout.  You're right, the road noise is always there!   We had secondary glazing fitted (original windows were steel framed and single glazed) and the difference it made was amazing.  Well worth considering
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Re: sound proofing bay windows
Reply #3 - Apr 28th, 2016, 10:23am
 
Quote:
Ill stick on a handle and when i need i can insert the piece into my bay window so lighter the better.


That might reduce your heating bill but unfortunately for sound proofing you need mass. Something like sound insulation with two layers of heavy plasterboard each side (eg four layers in total).  
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