The bathroom specialists at the Hansgrohe spray research lab work at creating the perfect acoustic water experience. Melanie Chaloupka is the perfect listener at the Schiltach-based bathroom specialist Hansgrohe. “I contribute to making sure our products provide an experience with water that people can enjoy with all their senses, including the sense of hearing,” the process engineer says.
The perfect sound of water flowing from a shower head or mixer should not be too loud or make unpleasant noises. According to Chaloupka, “Acoustic performance is one of the inner workings of a mixer or shower head and an indicator of the product’s quality.”
Structure-borne sound test benches help optimise acoustic performance and Hansgrohe’s goal is to obtain Noise Classification I certification for mixers and showers. “We carry out standardised tests to obtain certification for our products,” Melanie Chaloupka explains.
These tests focus mainly on noises that can be heard in neighbouring rooms when the bathroom shower or tap is running. The product then receives certification depending on noise levels: Noise Classification I, II or U (unclassified). In Classification I, the sound made by a shower head is as quiet as the slight rustle of leaves in a forest.
Additional technical equipment, such as an acoustic camera, is used to evaluate sound performance. Since the opening of its new research and development lab in the spring of 2016 at its headquarters in Schiltach, the Black Forest bathroom specialist has had its own airborne sound-testing chamber. Here, several microphones are used, like in a sound studio or an anechoic chamber, to measure sound pressure levels.
Noise testing in Germany is regulated by law. In order to receive a test mark, mixers have to be classified as Sound Power Level I or II. A Sound Power Level I mixer may not exceed 20 decibels at a sound pressure level of three bars. In this case, it is considered suitable for use in residential and hotel construction, offices, practices, hospitals, schools and similar facilities. One of the most important certifications is the DIN-DVGW mark. The DVGW CERT (certification body of the German Technical and Scientific Association for Gas and Water) tests the following: materials, tightness, dimensions, hydraulic behaviour, mechanical wear, noise and surface properties. This certification mark on mixers and showers verifies that the products are of high quality and also ensures that users can enjoy a water experience undisturbed by extraneous sounds.
For more information visit hansgrohe.com.au
