PRE-COMPLETION TESTING OF SOUNDPROOFING

and floors and separating walls and floors are described in Sections 2 and 3.

Normal programme of testing

1.29 Building control bodies should consult with developers on likely completion times on site, and ask for one set of tests to be carried out between the first dwelling-houses, flats or rooms for residential purposes scheduled for completion and/or sale in each group or subgroup. This applies regardless of the intended size of the group or sub-group. Therefore if a site comprises only one pair of dwelling-houses, flats or rooms for residential purposes, they should be tested.

1.30 As further properties on a development become ready for testing, building control bodies should indicate at what point(s) they wish any further set(s) of tests to be conducted. Assuming no tests are failed, building control bodies should stipulate at least one set of tests for every ten dwelling-houses, flats or rooms for residential purposes in a group or sub-group.

1.31 Testing should be conducted more frequently at the beginning of a series of completions than towards the end, to allow any potential problems to be addressed at an early stage. However, on large developments testing should be carried out over a substantial part of the construction period.

Action following a failed set of tests

1.32 A set of tests is failed if any of its individual tests of airborne or impact sound insulation do not show sound insulation values equal to or better than those set out in Section 0: Performance - Tables 1 a and 1 b.

1.33 In the event of a failed set of tests, appropriate remedial treatment should be applied to the rooms that failed the test.

1.34 A failed set of tests raises questions over the sound insulation between other rooms sharing the same separating element in the dwelling-houses, flats or rooms for residential purposes in which the tests were conducted. The developer should demonstrate to the building control body’s satisfaction that these rooms meet the performance standards. Normally this would be done by (a) additional testing, and/or (b) applying the appropriate remedial treatment to the other rooms and/or (c) demonstrating that the cause of failure does not occur in other rooms.

1.35 A failed set of tests raises questions over properties between which tests have not been carried out. The developer should demonstrate to the building control body’s satisfaction that such properties meet the performance standards. Once a dwelling-house, flat or room for residential purposes is occupied, any action affecting it should be a matter for local negotiation.

1.36 After a failed set of tests, the rate of testing should be increased until the building control body is satisfied that the problem has been solved.

Remedial treatment

1.37 Appropriate remedial treatment should be applied following a failed set of tests. It is essential that remedial work is appropriate to the cause of failure. Guidance is available in BRE information paper IP 14/02.

1.38 Where the cause of failure is attributed to the construction of the separating and/or associated flanking elements, other rooms that have not been tested may also fail to meet the performance standards. Therefore, remedial treatment may be needed in rooms other than those in which the tests were conducted.

1.39 Where remedial treatment has been applied, the building control body should be satisfied with its efficacy. Normally this will be assessed through additional sound insulation testing.

Material change of use

1.40 As stated in Section 0, in the case of some historic buildings undergoing a material change of use, it may not always be practical to achieve the sound insulation values set out in Section 0: Performance - Tables 1 a and 1 b. However, in such cases building control bodies should be satisfied that everything reasonable has been done to improve the sound insulation. Tests should be carried out, and the results displayed as indicated in Section 0: paragraph 0.7.

Approved manner of recording pre-completion testing results

1.41 In order to satisfy the requirements of paragraph (3)(a) of Regulation 20A or Regulation 12A, the test report of a set of tests (where set of tests has the meaning given in paragraphs 1.19 - 1.21 and 1.27) must contain at least the following information, in the order below:

Address of building.
Type(s) of property. Use the definitions in Regulation 2: dwelling-house, flat, room for residential purposes. State if the building is a historic building (see definition in the section on Requirements of this Approved Document).
Date(s) of testing.
Organisation carrying out testing, including:
1. name and address;
2. third party accreditation number (e.g. UKAS or European equivalent);
3. name(s) of person(s) in charge of test;
4. name(s) of client(s).
A statement (preferably in a table) giving the following information:
1. the rooms used for each test within the set of tests;
2. the measured single-number quantity (D_nT,w + C_tr for airborne sound
3. insulation and L’_nT,w for impact sound insulation) for each test within the set of tests;
4. the sound insulation values that should be achieved according to the values set out in Section 0: Performance - Table 1 a or 1 b, and
5. an entry stating “Pass” or “Fail” for each test within the set of tests according to the sound insulation values set out in Section 0: Performance - Table 1 a or 1 b.
Brief details of test, including:
1. equipment;
2. a statement that the test procedures in Annex B have been followed. If the procedure could not be followed exactly then the exceptions should be described and reasons given;
3. source and receiver room volumes (including a statement on which rooms were used as source rooms);
4. results of tests shown in tabular and graphical form for third octave bands according to the relevant part of the BS EN ISO 140 series and BS EN ISO 717 series, including:
  1. single-number quantities and the spectrum adaptation terms;
  2. D_nT and L’_nT data from which the single-number quantities are calculated.