ᐅ Noise from heating system: causes and who bears the cost of soundproofing?

Hello,

We have installed our heating manifold for the ground floor, as well as the heating system (air-to-water heat pump), in a small annex outside our house that is directly attached to it. From this small room, the pipes for the heating circuit run directly through the wall into our guest/workroom and from there into the entire ground floor.

We have now noticed that there is a faint noise, like a gentle rushing sound, heard only in this room when the heating is running. It is not very loud, but it can be noticed when the room is quiet.

We need to investigate with the architect and the heating engineer why this noise is transmitted specifically into this room.

Assuming that this noise can be eliminated with various soundproofing measures and that those come at a cost, who would bear these costs? Is the heating engineer responsible for ensuring that the noise is inaudible, or if it was poorly planned, does the architect guarantee that it will be resolved? Or are there measurement standards stating that the noise level is acceptable and that it may not be economical to reduce it? Normally, I would expect that for the amount of money invested in companies and architects, one receives a service where it is not necessary afterwards to say that it is unpleasant but tolerable...

The other heating circuits (basement and upper floor) cannot be heard at all...

Hello,

Orschel schrieb:

We have installed our heating manifold for the ground floor, as well as the heating system (air-to-water heat pump), in a small extension outside our house, which is directly attached to the main building. From this small room, the pipes for the heating circuit run directly through the wall into our guest/workroom and from there throughout the entire ground floor.

Is this extension finished as living space? Furthermore, in its current constructed state, has it been approved by the authorities?

Kind regards

Bauexperte schrieb:
Hello,

Is this extension finished as living space? And further – in its current state, has it been officially approved by the authorities?

Kind regards

No, the extension was not finished as living space, and yes, the room was declared by us as part of the new construction and was also approved.

Hello,

Orschel schrieb:

No, the extension was not developed as living space

I suspected as much...

Orschel schrieb:

and yes, the room was included by us in the new build plans and was also approved.

Sorry, I didn’t express myself clearly. Does the building permit / planning permission also specify the use of the room as a utility or storage room? And if so, did the structural engineer or whoever prepared the heating demand calculation note the necessity (e.g., noise considerations, etc.) of developing this room as living space?

Kind regards

Well, we are working with an architect, so he knew what this room was intended for. Therefore, I assume (or hope) that he communicated this to the structural engineer as well as to everyone else involved in our construction who has anything to do with the heating system.

But I think I expressed myself incorrectly. The heating room will ONLY be used as a heating room, while the adjacent room, through which the heating pipes for all ground floor rooms run, will be used as living space. This was clear from the beginning, and I assume the architect knows that we do not want any "noise disturbance" there...

Orschel schrieb:
....Now we have noticed that (only in this room) a faint rushing noise can be heard when the heating is on. It’s not really loud, but it is noticeable when the room is quiet.

This noise can have two possible causes: air in the system or pipes that are too narrow or components causing excessive pressure loss. The first can be eliminated by proper venting. The latter leads to increased energy consumption by the circulation pump over time and becomes unavoidable unless the hydraulic system is modified.

Orschel schrieb:
....Normally, I assume that when you invest this much money in companies and architects, you get a quality of work where you don’t have to say afterwards that although it’s not perfect, it’s at least tolerable...

Absolutely right, flow noise is never acceptable in the long term! A well-designed system is acoustically imperceptible, meaning you cannot hear whether, for example, the circulation pump is running or not.
Have a look at your pipe network calculation: what flow velocities were planned here?

Best regards