Concrete Sound Barriers: A Solution to Disruptive City Noise

by TRP Ready Mix on September 21, 2017

How Concrete Walls Prevent Noise Pollution from Entering Your Home

Noise pollution disrupts people’s lives in more ways than one. Since constant loud noises from outside usually cause frustration, restlessness, and loss of sleep, this can compromise both our physical and mental health. Noise pollution can also harm residents’ livelihoods, from disrupting day-to-day activities to preventing people from working at home or studying.

Noise pollution comes from anything outside the home that emits a noise loud enough to be heard indoors. The most common causes of noise include:

• High-volume traffic—busy roads and highways;
• Construction sites;
• School zones; and,
• Venues with large crowds and loud music.

While noise is a part of city life, you shouldn’t have to constantly suffer from this disruption. If you’re tired and frustrated from the noise pollution, there is one solution that doesn’t require having to move to a new home. If noise is severely affecting your quality of life, consider contacting concrete suppliers to help you build concrete sound walls around your property. Here’s how these sound barriers can reduce the level of noise entering your home and let you live a normal noise- and stress-free life.

How Sound Penetrates

Sound waves from outside noise can easily penetrate thin, uncompressed objects, such as your home’s drywall. Sound waves also travel in the line of sight—meaning if you can see a busy road from your home, the sound waves from traffic will travel to your home. The intensity of sound waves (loudness) is measured in decibels (dB), with higher levels being stronger and requiring more noise protection.

Pre-cast concrete sound walls are thick, dense barriers that sound waves cannot easily pass through. The high mass of concrete reduces noise by up to 80 percent. This is especially useful for homes with wood- or steel-frame construction—which tend to be more permeable to sound waves.

How Concrete Sound Walls Work

Concrete suppliers and contractors will normally install these sound barriers in the line of sight from the main source of noise to block sound waves from reaching homes. The height and thickness of these walls will determine how effective the walls are for reducing specific levels of noise. So, if you have loud high-volume traffic near your home (such as a highway), you should use a sound wall of greater density to effectively prevent the higher level of noise from reaching your home. And if your top-floor rooms can see the traffic (in the line of sight for sound waves), consider building a wall that will obstruct this view (if permitted) to reduce as much noise as possible.

What to Look For

Before you order pre-cast concrete sound walls from your local concrete suppliers, gather the following information to help you build the most effective sound walls for your home:

• The maximum height permitted by your city/municipal building codes;
• The level of decibels reduction you want/need – this will depend on the level of noise reaching your home;
• The thickness of the walls—the thicker the walls, the greater the noise reduction, but the higher the price;
• The design of the sound barrier—avoid walls with any holes in the design since holes allow noise to pass through.

If noise pollution is disrupting your life, consider the difference these sound walls can make. Contact concrete suppliers for help with building concrete sound barriers. With these barriers around your home, you can sleep better and improve your overall quality of life in a more peaceful environment.