ASC
Engineers Custom Noise Baffle for Tate Condominiums
Completed
in mid 2006, with 46 residences plus ground-floor offices in a six-story
structure, The Tate is an example of dense, urban development.
ASC was recently called
in to help fix a persistent noise issue caused by the building's
water heater exhaust vents. The vents, which were quite noisy, had
somehow been positioned less than 100 feet away from neighboring
residences. Worse yet, complaints came in from Tate residents close
to the vents. When the system turned on, the vents created a noise
nuisance, and a call was placed to ASC for help.
After
test data came back, ASC Engineering noted that most of the noise
was in the upper end of low frequency, around 125 - 250 Hz. A typical
baffle is built to handle something more in the 500 - 1,000 Hz area,
so a bass trapping baffle was designed. The baffle features three
chambers which handle three seperate exhaust ports. The baffle forces
exhaust plus the associated noise to run through the chambers before
exiting outside. Everything in the baffle is moisture resistant
since the exhaust is from natural gas combustion and full of water
vapor.
ASC
Engineering designed the baffle after conducting considerable R&D
tests and overcoming numerous hurdles presented by the HVAC system.
Sound tests had to be conducted of the unit itself in ASC's lab
to ensure that it would be effective in the field. After the baffle
was manufactured at ASC's fabrication facility, it was delivered
and installed by ASC's professional install staff.
Post installation sound tests
will be scheduled to confirm that the real-world operation of the
unit is effectively cutting noise levels to acceptable levels, especially
at night when baseline dB levels are lower.
The
resulting baffle looks like it was always there, yet the noise has
been reduced to a barely detectable hum. Peace has been restored
to the neighborhood, and most importantly, Tate Condominiums is
happy with the result.
Completed
in mid 2006, with 46 residences plus ground-floor offices in a six-story
structure, The Tate is an example of dense, urban development.
After
test data came back, ASC Engineering noted that most of the noise
was in the upper end of low frequency, around 125 - 250 Hz. A typical
baffle is built to handle something more in the 500 - 1,000 Hz area,
so a bass trapping baffle was designed. The baffle features three
chambers which handle three seperate exhaust ports. The baffle forces
exhaust plus the associated noise to run through the chambers before
exiting outside. Everything in the baffle is moisture resistant
since the exhaust is from natural gas combustion and full of water
vapor.
ASC
Engineering designed the baffle after conducting considerable R&D
tests and overcoming numerous hurdles presented by the HVAC system.
Sound tests had to be conducted of the unit itself in ASC's lab
to ensure that it would be effective in the field. After the baffle
was manufactured at ASC's fabrication facility, it was delivered
and installed by ASC's professional install staff.
The
resulting baffle looks like it was always there, yet the noise has
been reduced to a barely detectable hum. Peace has been restored
to the neighborhood, and most importantly, Tate Condominiums is
happy with the result.