Advice on putty pads

sixfour

New member
I've learned that putty pads should be used around electrical boxes after having the spray foam insulation put in. So the boxes are all nestled in the insulation (2" of closed cell for first layer, then 3" of open cell). Is it worth the trouble to dig out the insulation to put the putty pads all the way around the boxes? I guess their purpose is to decouple, but also seal for sound leaking through the boxes. Will they do much more than the insulation that's already around the boxes?
 
Foam insulation would not have been my first choice....well, it just wouldn't be my last choice either...but I guess you're already past that point.

I put putty pads around all my electrical outlets...it was a PITA, but then, I had a lot of outlets....first all the required code outlets, and then my actual studio power distribution outlets, which has nothing to do with the others...but they all needed to be covered, and I did that before the insulation went in on most of them but ran out of time, and the guys putting in the insulation came to do their job, so I then had to finish the putty after they were done.
With the fiberglass insulation it wasn't a real big deal to open it up at the outlet and/or push it back...put the putty on...then pull the insulation back, and even add a piece here-n-there if needed.

With sprayed foam....having to cut it out to get your hands in and around the back of the outlets to cover them...is going to be a real big PITA...and then are you going to re-spray the foam in there...? Of course if you're only dealing with a small number of outlets...and switch boxes...then it might not be so bad.

Will it make a difference adding the putty...? Well...I think everything makes some difference. Not sure how much spray foam adds to sound insulation...?
I just think the pink fluffy fiberglass does a better job at both sound and temperature insulation....and it won't degrade over time like foam seems to always do.
I just don't like the idea of foam in the walls...but that's a personal choice.
 
Yes, spray foam wasn't my first choice either. Wishing I would have pushed harder for having fiberglass. We're working with an old building and city codes, so it was tricky. And that's why I'm taking all the measures I can to make up for it, including two layers of drywall hung on Isomax clips. Just don't want to diminish the benefits of the drywall with sound leaking in through the boxes. It's open cell foam, so I'm hoping it won't be too much of a PITA. Still curious, though, if anyone else has opinions or info on this situation...
 
The US codes always make us Brits smile. Here, we have electrical standards - these are entirely about electricity safety. We have building standards and these deal with safety too, but from a structural pespective and then a smoke/fumes perspective. Oddly, we also have a requirement for energy conservation too, but these things mean that electricians will cheerfully bash out huge holes in insulation to get cables through and our plasterboard back boxes are anything other than airtight. Builder fill voids with foam for energy insulation, and the only thing is the foam's chemical composition. Cables in some environments need to be low smoke types - so in public buildings any cables need to be special if fire precaution standards are to be met.

It does mean though that somebody having a studio built can inflict any 'do it better' requirement on the builder and trades people if they can afford it. You can fill the gaps in the back boxes with plaster, or other sealers with no worry, as long as they don't cause other problems. It really depends on how much money you have to do it properly here. Inflexible codes seem very restrictive. We do have inspections from the local authorities but mainly on new builds, and they tend to be focused on safety and inconvenience to others nearby. The UK tend to not have laws, but 'guidelines'. Electricians have to follow regulations from a published book, which sets the rules, but ANYONE can legally wire your own house, with no qualifications. You now need lots of pieces of paper and test readings, but often it only matters when you sell the property and the new person asks for them. Usually, the home owner simply has no documentation, so the purchaser takes out an insurance to protect themselves. We even have grades of electrical naughtyness. I'm OK to connect three phase supplies where I work - mainly theatre and events. So 3 phase 415V with up to 125A per phase. I'm comfy with this, but I cannot put a new light fitting in my bathroom or kitchen. To do this requires a piece of paper I don't have and don't see the need for (it's expensive). Loads of people of course go to the local superstore and buy the bits and do it - but nobody really cares - apart from real electricians who see it as bad news for them. Here it's a blame culture. If the DIY person kills somebody with shoddy workmanship, they pay the price, but doing it isn't the crime - killing people of course is.
 
Does any kind of foam or polystyrene insulation work for sound? I think it may have little to no sound insulation qualities.
 
The US codes always make us Brits smile. Here, we have electrical standards - these are entirely about electricity safety. We have building standards and these deal with safety too, but from a structural pespective and then a smoke/fumes perspective.

I'm not sure what's really different in that regard....the US has building codes, that mostly come into play for new construction where permits are required.
I mean...if you want to gut your two small bedrooms to make one big room...you can do it on your own with out the permits or inspections, though if you ask, they will tell you that you "should" get the permit and the inspections so they can make sure you're following minimum codes.

Of course just about every homeowner at one time or another does some house remodeling without every doing any of the above...and even here, you can rewire your electric, run new lines if needed...and all without a certified electrician, because who will stop you...?...no one.
That said...when you go to sell you house, it's the same thing here...when they inspect, if they find something was added without proper permits, or if they see oddball electric wiring...you will not be able to sell your house until that is fixed or you cut the buyer some agreement deal, where they assume the burden and you lower the price...etc...
...BUT...that's a minor concern. The real BIG concern is if you house burns down or falls down or whatever...and you call you insurance, and they send an inspector who finds out the addition you did had no permit...or the wiring you put in was at fault for the fire...you're SOL.
They are not going to pay out.

So...you guys across the pond can smile...but then, so can we if we covered out asses and got the permits and paid for the certified electrician...etc... :D
That's not to say that no one does stuff without those things...and there are many simple things that you can do and forgo the permit...but the important thing is to know your limitations...and when it's something you SHOULD do according to codes, so that your ass is covered. ;)

My recent studio build...I could have gone a more "laxed" route...maybe saved some $$$...but considering the magnitude of the project...hiring a licensed contractor, who was fully insured, and getting an architectural drawing, and all the permits and inspections...it was all about covering my ass.
My construction was/is 100% approved, up to code, and officially in the books. There is no liability on my end for that.
I've seen where people have done some small builds without permits...and when the town found out...they made them either fix it, up to code w/permits...or take it down.
 
Oh our legislation does the same things, like flattening illegal builds but we do seem more lax in some areas. Gas is very strict for example. We banned those twist on electrical connectors in the 70s, and now, they're allowed again, but it's just odd seeing where the important bits are different in our two countries. Here sealing and acoustics considerations get short shift, but fire and shock get over thought I think. We used to insist on six feet between outlets on different phases and now we don't. However, the box with the circuit breakers now has to be metal, last version of our regs said plastic! We've even changed colours. And have Git the crazy situation where old wiring probably has black as neutral but in some brand new ones, black could be the one that hurts! There will, however, be a sticker in a property that uses both versions!
 
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