The noise of traffic is a constant hum for many Texans. Squealing brakes, roaring engines, loud music – not exactly pleasant background noise for your home. Long-term exposure to noise pollution can even shorten your lifespan. Fortunately, there’s a way to reduce traffic noise at home, as much as 95% depending on the vehicle. The road is here to stay – so you must make a change. That change is soundproofing.
Why Don’t Windows Block Traffic Noise?
Soundproofing a room is a holistic affair. Improving one area may bring some benefits, but soundwaves can easily enter a room through any gap. Windows are the worst offender of this – they leak a lot of noise, as they are generally built for energy efficiency rather than acoustics.
To prevent sound from passing through a window, you need three things:
Sufficient mass – such as thick panes of glass
Perfect sealing – making sure there are no gaps around the window
Air gaps – inside of a soundproofing solution, air gaps are good, as they help reduce the energy being transmitted
Old windows only have a single pane of glass. This means they lack mass and an air gap – and unless they’ve been cared for recently, they’re likely to have very poor sealing. Even modern windows may not have a sufficient air gap, and are likely not thick enough to make much of a difference anyway.
How to Block Out Traffic Noise in your Bedroom
The most efficient way to soundproof a window from traffic noise is with soundproof window inserts. These are like second windows that fit over your existing windows on the interior. Our soundproofing inserts are:
Light construction – renter and HOA friendly
Barely noticeable inside
Totally unnoticeable outside
Slim enough to still use your existing window treatments
Strong enough for up to 95% traffic noise reduction
Traffic noise is a complex blend of sounds from machines of all shapes and sizes. Our soundproof window inserts excel at blocking higher frequency sounds, and are generally good at blocking other frequencies.
Most vehicles on the road are small cars, SUVs, and crossovers, with the occasional pickup truck or minivan. Our inserts block between 75% and 95% of sound from these vehicles.
Highway Noise that is Difficult to Block
Other vehicles, however rare they are on the road, may pose challenges for soundproofing materials. Some of the loudest motorcycle engines can produce a sound that is as loud as a jet engine. Our inserts still block up to 75% of this sound.
Larger motorcycles, 18-wheelers, and heavy construction vehicles pose a different problem. While we reduce the traffic noise from these vehicles by up to 75% as well, the vibrations that they make create something called structural sound, which cannot be blocked by windows. This is especially true for elevated traffic, and may be more noticeable if your home is near a bridge or other structure that rumbles from the traffic.
Reduce Road Noise in your House
You’ve lived with the constant drone of traffic long enough. Submit our quick online form for a free estimate today. Once peace and quiet is your new normal, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it.
Exposure to noise is taking years of our lives. The World Health Organization estimates that 1 million years of life are collectively lost around the world each year from noise pollution alone. We’ve grown to accept noise as part of daily life in the modern world – which is exactly why noise pollution is a dangerous issue.
How Does Noise Affect Health?
Short and infrequent exposure to loud noise isn’t an issue. Our bodies are perfectly capable of handling that. Issues arise when we are subject to constant or frequent noise – even at night.
“You never turn your ears off; when you’re asleep, you’re still listening. So those responses, like your heart rate going up, that’s happening whilst you’re asleep” (BBC).
Excessive exposure to elevated noise can induce all of the following and more:
High blood pressure
Heart disease
Diabetes
Stress
Hypertension
Depression
Sleep deprivation
Each of these symptoms can directly impact your lifespan, and are themselves detrimental to your quality of life in general.
How Noise Pollution Affects Children
In addition to all of the effects on adults, children have specific risks from noise pollution. Noise affects children even before birth – perhaps the most alarming risk is low birth weight, a condition which puts them at risk for:
After birth, children who are subject to ongoing elevated noise experience learning delays due to the inability to focus. Hearing damage and other health problems from noise pollution build up over time; as such, a child in a noisy environment is being set up for a lifetime of risks.
Measuring noise levels for the purpose of health and safety is done by averaging out your exposure to noise over a period of time. Additionally, it’s important to remember that decibels (dB) increase exponentially. For example: spending 10 hours in a workplace at 80 dB has the same effect as spending 1 hour in a 90 dB environment. We measure noise exposure this way because typical complications from noise pollution happen gradually over time.
There are, of course, certain limits that are simply too loud for any period of exposure. NIHL, or noise-induced hearing loss, can occur instantly at 120 dB. Things like emergency sirens, gunshots, fireworks, and some motorcycles can reach levels at or above 120 dB. Other common things like airplanes and helicopters range between 85 dB and 105 dB.
The CDC guidelines for workplace noise allow for 8 hours of exposure to 85 dB. This is enough for potential hearing loss over time, and certainly enough for adverse health effects as described above. Because noise-related damage is measured by average exposure, keeping your home environment well below 55 dB can offset the long-term effects of a loud work or school environment.
As a global society, we know how noise harms children and adults, and have actively chosen to ignore the facts. This is an unfortunate example of the many ways the world’s policies and infrastructure have failed to keep up with research surrounding noise pollution.
Keep Your Family Safe From Noise Pollution
Policy reform for noise pollution isn’t going to happen overnight. In the meantime, it’s up to you to protect yourself and your loved ones from noise pollution. You could file a noise complaint; many cities, including Houston, Austin, and Dallas, even allow you to file noise complaints online.
There are, however, many situations in which this won’t solve your problem. Soundproofing your home or office is the most effective way to keep decibels to appropriate levels, and is an action you can take right now.
The windows in your home are the most likely entry point for the majority of noise. Even in a room protected with soundproofing insulation, a single window can let in enough noise to raise the volume to harmful levels. If you’re worried about noise levels but don’t want to undergo major construction to replace your windows, the easy solution is soundproof window inserts.
Sun and Sound Windows produces and installs soundproof window inserts that can block up to 95% of noise from outside, depending on the pitch. This turns loud traffic into a quiet whisper. They are minimally invasive, undetectable from the exterior of your home, and still allow you to use your windows normally if desired.
You deserve to live in comfort and safety. We’re here to help.
Call us or fill out our short online form to get a free estimate today.
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