How quickly can I get Approved Doc E Sound Testing Results?

Where possible, Soundguard Acoustics will provide preliminary test results before we leave the site. We will follow this up with a fully documented and signed report with the ANC online access to your test certificates which will be emailed to you normally within 24 hours of your test. This can then be submitted to your BCO, we can submit the report directly to Building Control if you prefer. Printed copies are available if required.

Will ADE Sound Testing disrupt work on site?

During Approved Document E Sound Testing, high levels of noise are generated but in order to make accurate test measurements, relatively quiet conditions are needed. Anyone working within the testing area will have to leave temporarily and any noisy works in the vicinity of the test areas including external site activity or ground works will need to be halted. Access is required for all the rooms being tested. Prior to testing, suitable couplings of test rooms, will be identified to enable a schedule of testing which may assist in controlling noise from other parts of the dvelopment to achieve the best possible testing environment.

How long will testing take?

The time taken for testing varies with site conditions, but generally a set of tests on houses takes about one to two hours and a set of tests on flats between two to three hours. During the test Soundguard Acoustics will require free uninterrupted access to the rooms in all test areas.

Can I observe the sound test?

Soundguard Acoustics will happily give you a brief overview of the test and demonstrate what we do, however, during the formal tests there are stringent rules restricting the number of personnel within the test areas so you will need to leave the engineer to it.

Should I inform my neighbours of the testing?

Noise levels are very high and if the building is attached in any way to occupied properties then it would be advisable to inform the residents as they are likely to hear the test. In some builds access to their property may be required. We recommend you check this with your BCO and request access to the neighbouring properties accordingly. Contact Soundguard Acoustics HERE for further advice regarding your Approved Doc E Sound Testing.

Approved Doc E - What do the numbers mean?

A sound insulation test of a separating partition will be considered as a pass if the airborne sound insulation is equal to or greater than the DnT,w + Ctr value required for the appropriate dwelling and if the impact sound insulation is equal to or less than the L’nT,w value for the appropriate dwelling. The performance criteria are different for new builds and conversions and also differences may occur due to the use of the dwelling type. 
   
DnT,w is an in-situ measured performance parameter which demonstrates the level of resistance to sound transmission between two adjacent spaces. The measurement will include both direct sound transmission and flanking sound transmission of the construction. Flanking transmission is the effect of sound travelling through the building and may be particularly evident where beams and joists bridge a common partition or along poorly isolated lightweight wall constructions. The DnT,w of a separating wall or floor will typically be of the order 5 to 7 dB lower than the manufacturers specified Rw (single figure quantity of sound insulation) for the single element, due principally to the contribution from flanking sound transmission around the element when it is built on site.

Ctr is the spectrum adaption term. It is a correction attributed to the sound insulation quantity to account for urban traffic noise.

L’nT,w is an in-situ measured performance parameter which demonstrates the level of resistance to impact sound transmission between floors. The impact measurement includes both direct sound transmission and flanking sound transmission.

Further information can be obtained by contacting Soundguard Acoustics or by downloading our FREE developers guide to Approved Doc E sound insulation testing

What is Sound Insulation Testing?

Sound insulation testing is the assessment of the sound insulation performance of party walls and party floors between different dwellings. Testing is required once the property is nearing final completion and determines if the minimum Building Regulation standard for sound insulation has been met.

Developers are responsible for arranging testing to demonstrate compliance to Building Control that the Approved Doc E sound insulation regulations have been met. The procedure is more commonly referred to as pre-completion testing (PCT) or Approved Document E (ADE) sound testing.

What is Approved Doc E?

Approved Document E – ‘Resistance to the passage of sound’ came into force on July 1st 2003 and provides minimum sound insulation Building Regulation requirement for newly built and converted residential dwellings as well as the Code for Sustainable Homes. Properties include houses, flats, student residences, care homes, hotels and schools.

Approved Document E of the Building Regulations is a government-issued document providing guidance for architects, developers, building control bodies, building services engineers, and others involved in the design and conversion of buildings for residential purpose. The document explains the testing requirement and provides advice and details about building procedures and materials that affect test results


What is the benefit of a Sound Test?

In buildings sound can be defined as 'airborne sound' (i.e. sound generated and transferred directly in the air by talking or home entertainment systems) or 'impact sound' (i.e. sound generated by the impact of an object striking the floor and transmitted through it, such as footfall noise).

The objective of Approved Document E is to raise sound resistance standards for both airborne and impact noise between dwellings to provide reasonable living conditions and improve the standards of acoustic insulation in attached properties

Sound insulation testing may also be required in non-residential buildings such as schools, hospitals and workplaces to ensure that noise sensitive areas such as classrooms, wards and meeting rooms are suitably insulated from noisier areas


Do I need a sound test?

All new and converted dwelling houses and flats for residential purpose require sound testing to Approved Document E standard. This also includes a room or suite of rooms which is not a dwelling house or a flat but which is used by one or more persons to live and sleep. For example, rooms in hostels, hotels, boarding houses, halls of residence, and residential homes.

Detached properties do not require sound testing and new constructions that have been built and appropriately registered with the Robust Details scheme do not need to be sound tested. Historic building conversions may not need to be sound tested but often a ‘test and declare’ certificate for sound insulation performance is requested by the Building Control Officer (BCO).

How many sound tests do I need?

One set of sound tests needs to be undertaken for every ten flats or houses, provided the construction system is the same. A set means that the test should include two locations where the party element (wall or floor) is tested.

This is equivalent to two individual sound tests when assessing the performance of a wall (airborne performance only) and four individual tests when assessing a floor (two airborne and two impact tests).  All tests must be undertaken between habitable spaces (e.g. bedrooms, living rooms) and not to or from common spaces such as stairwells and corridors.

Approved Document E 2003 states that a minimum of 10% of all party walls and floors is sound tested for every construction group or sub-group. This means that where variations in the construction may occur then further testing may be required.

• Houses: a set of tests would usually comprise of two airborne sound insulation tests of a pair of separating walls
• Flats:a set of tests would usually comprise of two airborne sound insulation tests on separating walls; two airborne sound insulation tests of separating floors and two impact sound transmission tests of separating floors 
• Rooms for Residential Purposes: (student residences, hotel rooms & care homes) a set of tests would usually comprise of one airborne sound insulation test of a separating wall; one airborne sound insulation test of a separating floor and one impact sound transmission test of a separating floor

How is a build Sound Tested?

Airborne sound insulation test (walls & floors):  A controlled noise is generated by an amplifier and loudspeaker across a broad range of frequencies. The generated noise is very loud and can be in excess of 100dB. Initial measurements are taken using a Sound Level Meter within the ‘source room’ followed by further measurements in the ‘receiver room’ on the other side of the wall or floor under investigation. The source room speaker position is then changed and the measurements repeated either side of the partition under test.

Background noise measurements are made using a sound level meter in the receiving room and are used to apply appropriate corrections for external sound such as traffic noise. Similarly the reverberation time (the time taken for sound to decay by 60dB) is measured within the receiving room using the sound source and a sound level meter to determine the corrections that must be applied to account for the characteristics and absorptiveness of the room. 

The difference in the two airborne noise levels (for walls and floors), corrected for background and reverberation characteristics determines the airborne sound insulation performance of the wall, or floor. A greater airborne noise difference between the source room and the receiver room determines a higher airborne sound insulation performance.

Impact sound transmission test (floors only):  This test is different, a calibrated ‘tapping machine’ which comprises of five 'hammers' driven up and down by a cam and electric motor is used to "tap" the floor surface by applying a known force on the floor structure. The machine is placed in several pre-determined positions. The resulting noise is measured in the dwelling below, using a sound level meter.

Background noise measurements are made using a sound level meter in the receiving room and are used to apply appropriate corrections for external sound such as traffic noise. Similarly the reverberation time (the time taken for sound to decay by 60dB) is measured within the receiving room using the sound source and a sound level meter to determine the corrections that must be applied to account for the characteristics and absorptiveness of the room. 

The measured noise levels in the receiving room (for impact floors tests), corrected for background and reverberation characteristics determines the impact sound insulation performance of the floor. For the impact noise the lower the measured level, the better the performance as less sound is being transmitted into the dwelling below.

How do I pass a Sound Test?

Performance in builds varies for many reasons. Assuming correct designs and material selection, the most common factor influencing performance is poor workmanship. Detailing is critical to maximising on site performance, especially in floor isolation and appropriate party wall construction.

Soundguard Acoustics recommend that you appoint our expert acoustic consultants at the start of your project to review the designs, and then also to carry out on site inspections during the build process to check specifically for any workmanship issues that could cause problems when it comes to sound testing. Soundguard Acoustics can provide routine review of basic plans to complex computer modelled partition designs to predict the completed performance.

 If you would like Soundguard Acoustics to review your designs and proposals or to comment on their suitability, then please speak to us about our acoustic design advice service. This is a relatively inexpensive option that can avoid sound testing failures which result in expensive remedial treatment and delay in your project.

What do I do if the test fails?

In line with the regulations you are required to carry out remedial works to ensure the development meets the relevant performance requirements and re-test. If you don't know what to do by way of remedial works then Soundguard Acoustics can advise you. You may also be asked by Building Control to test further examples of the construction elsewhere on the development in order to restore confidence and/or highlight the extent of the problem.

What are Robust Details?

From the 1^st July 2004, and for new house and flat developments, Robust Details may be used to eliminate the need for end of build pre-completion testing. Robust Details are high performance constructions that are capable of providing consistently good sound insulation but do require that the design is registered with, and approved by, Robust Details Ltd (RDL) and that confirmation of the construction, through on-site visual inspection by RDL has been completed in accordance with the registered design.

The specific details in the RDL handbook must be followed explicitly and each plot formally 'registered' with RDL before building commences. Robust Details registration cannot be used in conversions and so pre-completion testing must be undertaken in these circumstances. 

As the specific details in the Robust Details scheme may not allow for flexibility in the design of a development or may not prove cost effective, pre-completion testing may still prove a more suitable and effective route to demonstrate compliance.