Acousti-Board
Reducing Indoor Pool Noise & Pool Pump Soundproofing
Indoor pools are perfect for all-season swimming, but they generate significant noise pollution that can travel throughout your property. Swimming pool noise ranges from the gentle splish splash of laps to children’s cheers and the incessant whir of the pump and pool equipment.
Regardless of its source, sound can bounce beyond your pool deck to disturb others within your recreation center, hotel, or other space.
Luckily, there are effective solutions for avid swimmers who want to minimize noise pollution transfer. From acoustic panels for pool pumps to other waterproof soundproofing solutions, join us as we swim through the essentials of noise control in your natatorium. Then, we’ll dive headfirst into some exceptional examples of soundproof swimming pools before explaining how to apply the same principles and bring peace to your piscina.
Acoustic Panels for Pool Pumps
Acoustic panels are essential for dampening noise transfer and keeping sound contained. The issue is: indoor swimming pools are ideal environments for mold formation, and many types of acoustic panels are susceptible to water damage and mold growth.
In essence, three factors contribute to mold’s propensity to propagate1:
- Warm temperatures
- Oxygen
- Moisture
Unfortunately, indoor pools contain all three of these in abundance—and chlorinating your water isn’t necessarily enough to prevent mold growth.1 Likewise, the porous nature of many acoustic panels can also make them ideal surfaces to promote mold development.2
Water resistant acoustic panels and mold resistant panels solve this, however, effectively blocking sound from your noisy pump without succumbing to mold and water damage.
To install acoustic panels around your pool filter pump, build a small enclosure out of plywood or a similar material. Line the inside with panels, leaving enough space for air to circulate around the noisy pump to prevent overheating. Since you’ll need to get to the interior for maintenance and repairs, it’s smart to install a hinged panel along one of the walls for easy access.
Water Resistant Acoustic Solutions
Acoustic panels aren’t the only solutions you can apply to keep swimming pool noise at bay. There are other materials—particularly sealants and adhesives—that are both resistant to water and effective at reducing noise transfer.
For instance, try sealing the corners and crevices of your pool pump’s noise-insulating box with GREENchoice Heavy Duty Construction Adhesive. The fewer holes and cracks in the structure, the less sound will escape—so get that glue out and start squeezing!
Sealants can only do so much, however. Even if your pump is effectively silenced, there will still be reverberating noise from blasting jets, water cycling through your equipment, and other sources. So, how can you make your pool room completely soundproof?
Soundproofing Techniques for Indoor Pools
The ultimate way to negate noise transfer from your indoor pool is to soundproof the room it’s housed in. Soundproofing is a step above using sound-absorbing materials like a noise-insulating pump box. It involves altering the structure of your space to better block sound from traveling through your walls, windows, and other surfaces.
That’s why it’s essential to think about soundproofing as you’re building your space, rather than after it’s complete. Adding soundproofing materials to your structure is far easier than retrofitting it afterward by tearing down walls and other components.
Still, regardless of whether your natatorium is finished or still in the design phase, some of the most crucial soundproofing solutions you should incorporate include:
- Sound isolation clips – These are installed in wall assemblies to sonically detach adjoining rooms. They prevent the pool pump noise from reverberating through walls and can reduce sounds by up to ten decibels—all without detracting from the aesthetics of your space.
- Acoustic panels – We’re not just talking around the loud pool pump box, but all over the room’s walls as well. Acoustic panels prevent noise transfer by blocking sound with their heavy, dense cores before it rattles through to other rooms. Be sure to use water-resistant panels for your walls, as they’re bound to collect plenty of airborne moisture over the years.
- Soundproof windows – Indoor swimming pools often have an entire wall of windows to welcome sunlight and open up the space. Aesthetics aside, windows are prime points of noise transfer as they’re relatively thin and not very dense. To mitigate noise passing through the panes, install soundproof windows.
- Soundproof doors – Doors are likewise exemplary points of noise transfer as they’re often lightweight and usually have gaps around their edges. Replace standard interior doors with a soundproof option to eliminate noise loss into adjacent areas.
Case Study and Expert Opinions
Pool builders and maintenance professionals have a different approach to soundproofing swimming pools: they start from the interior and work their way out. Professionals such as those at Godo Pools and Spas have applied such solutions to countless pools and have seen exceptional success in doing so.
They recommend soundproofing your actual pool basin by applying a layer of microcellular foam to the walls before the finished surface. The process can be done on completed pools as well, but involves removing the liner or concrete walls.
According to the experts, the difference is night and day: pool basin soundproofing can reduce noise and reverberation by up to 85%. It’s particularly effective on pools sitting above other rooms—such as those on rooftops and in upper-level recreation areas.3
Other industry experts also recommend4:
- Raising your pump above ground level with a solid support, rather than a hollow box that’s prone to vibrating
- Placing your pool pump box on an anti-vibration mat or similar resonance-reducing surface
- Using a variable speed pump that automatically regulates your pool’s circulation levels and goes quiet when no one is swimming
Bring Peace to Your Pool with Soundproofing Materials from Acoustical Surfaces
Indoor swimming pools let you swim all year round, but they also create persistent noise that you can hear from adjoining areas. To prevent noise loss, enclose your space with acoustic wall panels, soundproof doors and windows, and sound isolation clips. Likewise, you can prevent excessive pump noise by building a sound-blocking box around your unit, lining the interior with panels, and closing up any cracks with acoustic sealant.
If you have an indoor pool and still have questions about how to keep the noise to a minimum, don’t worry—Acoustical Surfaces answers! Get in touch with your sound issues and we’ll work together to find a solution that suits your unique needs.
Sources:
- Environmental Health Review. Pilot study: Assessment of the presence of mold in indoor swimming pools. https://pubs.ciphi.ca/
- Cornell University. Mold Control and Clean Up Basics. https://yates.cce.cornell.edu/
- Godo Pools and Spas. Why soundproof a pool: Main advantages and how to do it. https://godopools.com/
- Pentair Pool Europe. Reducing pool facility noise. https://www.pentairpooleurope.com/
