LDV’s are loud, really loud.
If we were driving down the road and Rob is trying to have a conversation with me, I would have absolutely no idea that he was even talking, I would not be able to hear him over the deafening rumbles of the van. If you asked Rob’s opinion he would probably tell you that I’m deaf or simply not listening (which is a big part of me being unable to hear him) but even he admits that our LDV is VERY loud.
We decided on a two pronged approach to quiet the noise- first we sound deadened and then we sound proofed. We purchased sound deadening and rolled this on the side panels of the van just below the windows. The purpose of sound deadening, simply put is to make the interior of your vehicle quieter, reduce vibrations and lessen the noise from the road.
This was a spur of the moment decision, we were originally going to just use sound proofing material on the floor and ceiling.. I am so glad we didn’t skip this step. Check out mini video below, make sure your sound is on to hear the difference!
With just the sound deadening in place the difference was already noticeable- and massively so. We hadn’t yet started on the sound proofing in the cab and therefore the noise of the engine was still overpowering but when the van wasn’t running and we were in the back, it felt as though we were in our own little bubble- the outside world a distant memory as the passing cars would go unnoticed.
Next came the sound proofing. We opted to cover both the floor of the van and the ceiling with 5M self adhesive closed cell foam sound proofing. Along with audible benefits, the foam also has insulating qualities- win, win! Rob and I have minimal head room clearance in the van and being able to stand up straight is an important factor for us both to live comfortably, full time in the van- because of this every millimetre counts- with the sound proofing foam coming in at roughly 4mm thickness it is an ideal option for our conversion. The material itself is fairly mouldable, we were able to manipulate the foam around bends and corners which in a van is extremely useful as there are a lot of bends, corners and awkward shapes to contend with!
The sound proofing works wonders! We were able to test the sound reduction out when we were sat in the van during a hail storm. If we had not of visually seen the hail pelting down on the ground around the van you could have easily believed there was nothing more than a light drizzle outside, the hail stones went almost unnoticed lightly tapping on the roof of the van! When we are driving down the road, I still struggle to hear what Rob is saying but I admit, that might be to do with my hearing ability… All in all, the noise when driving is much more manageable- we can now hold a conversation and hear the radio.
Rob and Adele
Products used:
Sound Deadening: https://www.halfords.com/technology/car-audio/car-speakers/stinger-r-kill-s-deadening-univ--kit
Sound Deadening Roller: https://amzn.to/2MXc0md
Sound Proofing: https://amzn.to/2Tqjqzp
Stanley knife: https://amzn.to/2M2KAvx
#soundproofing #offgridliving #vanbuild #vanlife #ukvanlife #offgridvan #vanconversion #busconversion #sounddeadening #tinyhome #diycamper
Comments