Ideas for outdoor soundproofing panel?

12 years ago

Hello :) Our neighbor's AC unit is bothering us. We live in the city and have a tiny outdoor space adjacent to the unit, separated by a wooden fence. I would like to insert a 5x7 foot panel between the AC unit and the wooden fence (on neighbor's side of the fence). The width of the slot is only about 3 inches.

Any ideas for soundproofing materials? Any reduction would be nice for warm weather months!

Thank you.

Featured Answer

PRO

Cancork Floor Inc.

11 years ago

To get the acoustic insulation you are looking for, you will need to look at encasing the units (which is not good for the units because they need to breath to work). The housing would have to use acoustic insulation (very expensive) to get the noise to reduce. You would probably have to get your neighbors to agree AND you would have to pay for it. And it has to comply with the AC units' requirements. This will add up quickly.

You could extend the height of the fence, and then you could use exterior grade 1/2" styrofoam (insulation material) on your side of the fence...and then add another panel of plywood over top of that (you would build a 3 layer sandwich). Cap any exposed styrofoam with wood. This will be ugly, expensive and will only be partially effective (open on 3 sides for the sound to escape = very bad design).

To get something to reduce noise it has to be both DENSE (concrete is good) and SOFT (styrofoam). Large shrubs have been known to reduce noise by 5-10%....which is my first choice...'cause it is the cheapest and about as good as you are going to get without a building permit.

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Comments (11)

PRO
Linebox Studio
12 years ago
Google TAK Brand. Is a foam product that would be ok for exterior. You can line the box with it
ccclaxton
12 years ago
I googled "TAK Brand" and "TAK" and "TAK foam" and got dozens of things like push pins, crafts, etc. but none of these brought up anything that looks like it could be used for outside soundproofing.

Do you have a more specific name for the product?
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Angel 18432
12 years ago
Geez that must be awfully annoying, and it looks like they have 2 units.
Here's a company that specializes in that kind of thing. Maybe they can help you
with some kind of material you could put on your side.

http://www.thermaxxjackets.com/products/noise-sound-insulation/
PRO
PPF.
12 years ago
You cannot effectively muffle the sound of these units as you are suggesting.
Nancy Dinucci
11 years ago
I have been researching this myself and it looks like the best solution is mass loaded vinyl attached to the fence. It is relatively expensive, but might be worth it.
partim
11 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Acoustiblok has some exterior applications. I've looked into it for our air conditioner noise problem, but then our neighbor had it serviced and it's much quieter now, so we didn't go ahead. http://www.acoustiblok.com/PDF/residential-generator-noise-reduction-system.pdf
mccormrm
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks for the suggestions :)
kayran nekker
9 years ago
You can try using temporary fencing made of sound-absorbing material to significantly reduce the noise coming from the outside. It can be assembled really fast, all you need to do is attach the panels to a wall or an existing fence and there you go. Their industrial grade quality will ensure a very good soundproofing.
nykmark
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
From my experience acoustic curtains are great solution, regardless of whether it's about separation, isolating or preventing noise, so you can easily optimise your space. Acoustic curtains can be of different sizes and materials. For further information, for example, you can visit:

Sound Absorbing Blankets & Sound Curtains.
hummingalong2
8 years ago
2014 post!