Charlotte Pipe’s Quiet House® plumbing system uses both cast iron and PVC products. By using cast iron strategically, the system eliminates the sound of water from fixtures on floors above flowing down behind the walls, making it twice as quiet as an all-PVC system, the company says.
Typically, the noise in plumbing systems results from a combination of the vibration of the system and of airborne noise passing through the pipe wall. A study by MJM Acoustical Consultants Inc. of Canada has shown that cast-iron soil pipe and fittings, because of their dense molecular structure and rubber gasket joints, are 750% more effective in reducing plumbing noise over other plumbing materials.
This unique acoustic feature makes Quiet House a great choice for green building projects, as it is an asset to indoor environmental quality. IEQ is one of the criteria of the USGBC’s LEED-H rating system, addressing the subtle issues that influence how occupants feel in a space.
IEQ is also addressed by the Environments for Living Certified Green program optional acoustical package. Builders choosing this option can elect to install an acoustical package that is intended to result in a sound transmission coefficient performance of 37 to 39. Some counties have also included a section in the healthy indoor environments section of their Green Building Guidelines regarding noise pollution.
Cast iron is made from 100% recycled content, and no cleaning fluids or solvent cements are needed for installation. It is also a resilient product, having been in use, and in some cases still is in use, for more than 100 years. At the end of its service life it can be recycled again.
For more information, contact Charlotte Pipe and Foundry at 800/438-6091.
