soundproof plumbing

[eldaiquiri]

I have a small pub on the ground floor of a high rise apt building. Some of the neighbors from the floor above have complained that they can hear the music, but only in their bathrooms. I need advice as to how to sound proof the plumbing which is located above the acoustic ceiling in my pub and passes through concrete to the upstairs apts. What can I do? Please help!

 

[Ethan Winer]

I'm not an expert with this, but I think you could replace a short section of the metal pipe with a length of soft rubber tubing capable of withstanding the water pressure. This is how isolating mechanical noise from air conditioners and forced-air heating works. But really, you should ask a plumbing contractor.

--Ethan

 

[witzendoz]

You could start by wrapping all exposed pipes with insulation so that the sound hitting the pipes does not get into the pipe itself. This type of thing.

alan.

 

[miroslav]

Just tell them that bathroom music to shit, shave and shower by, is provided at no charge as a courtesy to all tenants....then invite them down for happy hour.

 

[eldaiquiri]

I noticed that I will need to use some kind of foam to fill the gap where the pipe goes into the ceiling...should I use foam filler from home depot or Can you recommend a good product to use? If I need to insulate the pipes what product is good for this? Replacing a section of pipe with rubber is not an option. That is a good one Cosmic Cowboy! LOL!

 

[witzendoz]

I noticed that I will need to use some kind of foam to fill the gap where the pipe goes into the ceiling...should I use foam filler from home depot or Can you recommend a good product to use? If I need to insulate the pipes what product is good for this? Replacing a section of pipe with rubber is not an option. That is a good one Cosmic Cowboy! LOL!

Without seeing the actual problem it's hard to recommend what to do. Foam filler works well on think surfaces with a lot of filing to do as you get a good mass of foam in the gaps. If the surface is thin and the gaps small I would use silastic filler and with filler rod if the gap is a bit large. You could also stuff acoustic bats into gaps and seal over it.

I put a link to pipe insulation in my last answer, but I just noticed that the site has gone down, it may come back soon. Any local insulation company can recommend pipe insulation if you talk to them about the problem and what you need to achieve. Make sure they know you are talking about the best sound insulation and not heat / cold.

Alan.

 

[ASolutions]

Soundproof Plumbing

Without seeing the actual problem it's hard to recommend what to do. Foam filler works well on think surfaces with a lot of filing to do as you get a good mass of foam in the gaps. If the surface is thin and the gaps small I would use silastic filler and with filler rod if the gap is a bit large. You could also stuff acoustic bats into gaps and seal over it.

Agreed. I would get an acoustical consultant to take a look if it's that important to you. There is acoustical pipe and duct wrap and lag you could try, but filling any gaps is key. You can also try a drop tile ceiling barrier to place on top of your existing ceiling tiles.

Good luck!

 

[victorponting]

There are sound barrier lagging products on the market that can be jacketed around drain pipes to help hold the noise to within the pipes. Without the treatment, the walls of the pipes will vibrate as liquid flows through them, which in turn produces sound waves that escape through the walls and out into your neighbor's bathroom. So access these pipes as best you can, and get them wrapped.

 

[c7sus]

I noticed that I will need to use some kind of foam to fill the gap where the pipe goes into the ceiling...should I use foam filler from home depot or Can you recommend a good product to use? If I need to insulate the pipes what product is good for this? Replacing a section of pipe with rubber is not an option. That is a good one Cosmic Cowboy! LOL!

Penetrations through floors can be sealed with Rockwool and fire caulking in most jurisdictions. I would be surprised if the penetrations aren't already sealed simply to stop the spread of fire.

I would think you could get by with simple faced sound batt insulation around the soil pipes themselves, but I would check with local building enforcement before launching into that.

Yeah, no way you can replace soil pipes or copper supply lines with rubber or PVC. Especially if the space above the ceiling is a return air plenum. Huge fire and toxic smoke risk in that and your local fire marshall will shut you down if they see stuff like that.