HVAC Noise: Solving a Common Noise Problem

Noise pollution caused by rooftop and ground-level HVAC equipment including chillers, boilers, and air handlers has become one of the most annoying as well as dangerous environmental problems in cities worldwide. As urban noise increases and residential growth multiplies, residents and communities are demanding better noise reduction solutions for heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment. Outdoor community noise problems caused by commercial and industrial HVAC systems may require an acoustically engineered Sound Barrier Wall.

Sound barrier walls have been used extensively for years in the transportation and industrial fields. A sound barrier wall is an exterior structure, normally made of masonry or earth, designed to protect sensitive land uses, such as residential areas from noise pollution. These noise pollution abatement products are now being used to help eliminate unwanted noise from HVAC systems as well.

Traditional material for noise barrier walls for HVAC systems has been reflective products. Reflective products, like concrete or brick, simply redirect the unwanted sound waves in other directions, and can actually increase noise by unintentionally reflecting sound waves. There is a better solution. Absorptive sound enclosures and architectural screens actually absorb the unwanted sound waves, minimizing the risk of unintentional reflected noise. Absorptive sound walls reduce reflections and are able to maintain the effectiveness of the barrier. Therefore, the overall noise level is reduced. The advanced materials found in absorptive barrier walls present a much more effective noise barrier solution. There are different solutions for this problem such as the LSE System, an absorptive sound barrier created by Sound Fighter Systems, that actually absorbs the sound waves that hit it, thereby eliminating unwanted noise.

So, if you are facing problems with noisy HVAC equipment an absorptive sound barrier wall is obviously the most effective noise mitigation solution available for this very demanding application. Absorptive walls outperform and outlast all other noise reduction products. Plus, many systems such as the LSE System are an aesthetically pleasing HVAC sound wall with the added benefit of noise pollution reduction.

Murray Stacy is Vice President of Sound Fighter Systems, LLC, which has been researching, designing and manufacturing highly efficient absorptive noise barrier walls since 1973, making it the oldest established manufacturer of such products in America. Sound Fighter walls have been produced for unique noise mitigation applications around the world, and several of the company's walls are in their 30th year of effective service. http://www.soundfighter.com