Good sound attenuation is essential when creating comfortable living spaces without annoying sounds. It starts with a floor plan and ends with the right piping system, like Wavin AS+ and SiTech+. No one wants to hear sounds from technical installations, whether it's the sound of a shower or a flush of the toilet.
It is complex to measure sound from technical installations, and therefore there are different measurement methods. This includes, among other things, sound measurements according to EN 14366, which make it possible to compare individual products. Sound measurements of complete installations must be carried out according to DIN 4109. Here, influences from, for example, the built-in cistern, pipe installations in the installation wall and the selected wall structure are taken into account.
In Wavin, we have sound measurements on our sound-absorbing drainage systems according to both EN 14366 and DIN 4109. Sound measurements are made at the Fraunhofer Institute in Stuttgart, Germany. The Fraunhofer report carried out according to the standard EN 14366 can be used to compare the level of air sound and building sound in the various drainage systems on the market, while the Fraunhofer report carried out according to the standard DIN 4109 indicates whether a complete installation with external influences complies with the applicable requirements for sound attenuation.
The difference between testing individual products and overall systems
The EN 14366 describes a sound measurement scenario for measuring the material in the drainage system. Thus, an environment is set up that only measures the individual characteristics of the products. If the measurements use the same specifications, like diameter, pipe position, same bracket types and position, the results can be easily compared.
However, the actual conditions are not taken into account when flushing the toilet as well as the influences of the typical components and pipe installations in an installation wall. In short, this means that the stated sound level does not provide information about the final sound level of the complete installation.
If you want to assess a system consisting of different pipe installations, and thus get a more accurate picture of the sound level of the entire installation, a more complex test setup is necessary. The method is used in the German standard DIN 4109, where the minimum requirements for sound attenuation in Germany are described. DIN 4109 is the authoritative standard for sound attenuation in buildings and describes the sound levels of building elements in living spaces.
Layout of the two sound measurement environments
EN 14366
Testing according to DIN EN 14366 standards enables a helpful product comparison, where a pump is floating continuously water through the installed system. It specifies methods for testing the airborne and structure-borne sound produced by different wastewater system materials. While testing different materials, if the same boundary parameters are selected for each, the results of the test can be used to compare them.
As the testing methods are intended for laboratory conditions though, the results may not reflect what would happen under real conditions. For example, when the triggering of a flushing process, or influences of typical components of a curtain wall system are accounted for. When testing different materials according to EN 14366, there are certain boundary parameters that must be included:
- The same type of pipe bracket and the same compression of the elastomer must be used for each product.
- The positions of the fixed and sliding clamps must be defined identically for each product.
- The same pipe dimensions must be used.
- A constant water flow of 0.5 l/s, 1 l/s, 2 l/s, and 4 l/s should then be generated during the test.
It is absolutely crucial when conducting these tests to stay within the boundary parameters. If only one marginal parameter differs between two materials, the results will be incomparable.
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See more in the Competence Brochure LINK
DIN 4109
DIN 4109 standard can be used to evaluate a system consisting of a practical installation. This test setup is more complex, and involves more components compared to DIN EN 14366.
When testing a whole sanitary system, influencing factors such as the cistern, the curtain wall, and wastewater and drinking water systems must be accounted for. Pipe clamps also influence the overall result, so the specifications of the pipe brackets manufacturers should be considered too. Each of these components contributes to the sound level of the installation as a whole.
To achieve the required values while testing according to DIN 4109, the entire installation must be carefully planned and installed. It was also found that the main noise is generated by the triggering of the flushing process or by the impact at the bottom of the downpipe. The following 5 pieces of practical advice for avoiding sound bridges in planning:
- A high-quality cistern.
- A curtain wall system with decoupling from masonry.
- High-quality pipe clamps with attachment to the curtain wall system.
- The proper installation of all components.
- Selecting the right wastewater piping system for the planned application.
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Figures 45 and 47 are from Wavin's brochure on acoustics:Sound attenuation for better living comfort - Practical knowledge of sanitary technology, pp. 56-57
Why sound measurements are important according to DIN 4109
Only sound measurements carried out in accordance with DIN 4109 provide accurate information, which can usually be transferred directly to the current projects in preparation. Of course, you will not always have the exact same structures and choice of materials, but often the use of Wavin's Sound Check calculation program will be able to give the result of any deviations.
Note: In this article and in our Sound Engineering brochure on acoustics, reference is mainly made to current German standards and regulations. Local rules will always take precedence and will have to be observed.
Wavin is your project partner
Wavin supplies all the necessary documentation for planning water and drainage installations: tender texts, data for design software, part numbers and Fraunhofer IBP test reports with assessment of individual products and the overall system according to EN 14366 and DIN 4109.
Wavin's design department advises on the design phase and delivers the complete sound attenuation package to the partner carrying out the work.
