Air brick and a noisy neighbour

mabenson1

Hi,

We have an air brick in our bedroom which is letting a lot of noise in. This is a major problem when our next door neighbour starts up his motorbike right outside our house at 7 in the morning:mad:

Whilst this guys bike is annoying it could be a long process trying to get him to sort the noise pollution out. In the meantime does any one know a way to block the noise coming through the air brick? We have cavity wall insulation and double glazing so I'm guessing that just blocking it up (due to damp etc) is not an option.

Many thanks

Matt

Avoriaz

Firstly speak politely to the bike rider and see if he can be a little bit quieter. He may possibly be totally unaware he is causing a nuisance. Maybe he can push the bike down the road a bit before starting it.

Secondly, you could make some sort of temporary sound insulating cover for the air brick and leave that in place overnight. Stuff plastic bags or paper in the holes and place a thick pad or towel or blanket over the area.

If there is sufficient alternative ventilation, you could permanently block off the air brick but do get advice from an expert.

economiser

I think the only way to stop noise coming through is to brick it up. None of our bedrooms has air bricks but we do make sure that the rooms are ventilated by leaving the windows open for a while in the morning.

HugoSP

One question I would be asking is whether or not the bike meets statutary noise standards.

This is not something I know much about, but if discussions with him fail to bring about a solution, then I would investigate this further.

Keldin

Try talking to him. Some of us bikers are actually really nice people.

K

Avoriaz

Keldin wrote:

Try talking to him. Some of us bikers are actually really nice people.

K

Completely off topic, I heard this story on the news yesterday.

Peter Maxwell Davis, the composer and Master of the Queen’s Music, lives on a small island (Sanday I think) in the Orkney Islands. He wants to marry his male companion under the new rules or laws concerning same sex “marriages” that were introduced recently. Sadly he had last minute difficulties with the authorities and the ceremony was postponed or cancelled but that is not my point.

The registrar on Sanday who was going to officiate at the planned ceremony is a Hells Angel who also runs a model railway.

Not a typical biker image.:D

Lord_Gardener

I agree, talk to him - I use to push my BSA A7 Star Twin down the road before starting up so that I didn't disturb my parents when setting off to work!

Moneymaker

Stick a suitable piece of plywood over the air brick. Secure it with Blu-Tack. If that removes the problem you could either make it look nice or get a builder to make a more permanent solution.

Use a window for ventilation. A window hinged at the top will reflect noise from below into the bedroom so you DON'T want that. A window hinged at the side or bottom could be left open an inch. It's just a matter of testing it.

Another possibility is a ceiling vent with trunking going to the eaves at the rear of the house.

Tahiti

I agree - talk to him. My old next door neighbour had a TVR Griffith without silencers (you had to hear it to believe just how loud this thing was!). He'd roll it down the road, and start it away from other people's houses.

You shouldn't block an air brick (at least permanently) without getting some advice from someone in the trade. It might be that you have suitable ventilation elsewhere, but it's best to know in advance.

johnjp

Do you have `trickle vents` in the windows? If so you could block up the airbrick and just keep the trickle vents open a little. Block the airbrick using expanding foam - you`ll find that in the ironmongers/ D.I.Y store.

FilthyLuka

johnjp is most likely right about the trickle vents

the airbrick may have been installed when originally built to give ventilation to your room without having to open a large window an let out the warm air

its a longshot but do you have a fireplace in the bedroom? - the airbrick may be needed to supply air to the fire (if its used anymore)