Imagine the scenario: the building is finished. The tenants are moving in. The acoustic consultant arrives for the final commissioning test.

They turn on the chillers. The meter creates a reading. And it is 5dB too high.

Panic sets in.

Retrofitting a live building is a financial disaster. It destroys margins and ruins reputations. You have to tear down walls or replace heavy equipment on a finished roof.

Often the culprit isn’t the design. It is the product data.

If the datasheet says a louvre blocks 15dB but it only blocks 10dB on site you have a serious problem.

This is why third-party testing isn’t just a “nice to have.” It is your insurance policy.

The Risk of Not Knowing

In the acoustic market anyone can print a datasheet.

Some manufacturers rely on “theoretical calculations.” They use software to guess how a product might perform. Or they extrapolate data from a different product and assume it applies.

But sound is tricky. It behaves in unpredictable ways.

Acoustic flanking is a prime example. This happens when sound travels around a barrier or through weak points in the construction. If a product hasn’t been physically tested in a lab you are gambling with your project.

If you fail the noise survey the local authority won’t care about your theoretical calculations. They will just demand you fix it. The legal and financial risk sits with you.

The Rules of the Game

Real testing follows strict rules. You cannot just hold a microphone up to a fan.

Take duct silencers. We test our sound attenuators to BS EN ISO 7235.

This isn’t a static test. We put the attenuator in a calibrated rig. We blast air through it at high velocity. We measure the dynamic insertion loss.

This tells us how much noise the silencer stops while the air is actually moving. That matters because airflow generates its own noise. A static test won’t tell you that.

For acoustic doors we use BS EN ISO 10140.

This measures the transmission loss through the entire door assembly. Not just the steel panel. We test the frame. The seals. The hinges. If you don’t test the assembly you aren’t testing the door.

Why Independent Testing Matters

Self-certification is like marking your own homework.

You need a neutral referee. In the UK and Europe that is UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service).

When we say a product is “independently tested” we mean a UKAS-accredited lab did the work. They don’t care if we pass or fail. They just report the numbers.

This gives you certainty.

When you specify a Galloway Acoustic louvre or enclosure you know the decibel reduction on the sheet is the decibel reduction you get on the building.

Moving the Air Effectively

Acoustics is only half the battle. You also need to move air.

A silencer that kills noise but blocks airflow is dangerous. It creates a massive pressure drop.

This forces fans to work harder to push the air through. It burns energy. It strains the motor. In extreme cases it can damage the HVAC equipment.

Our testing verifies the aerodynamic performance too. We measure the resistance in Pascals (Pa) across the operating range.

This allows MEP engineers to size their fans correctly. No guessing. No overheating.

The Galloway Advantage

We build acoustic screens and enclosures for critical environments. Data centres. Hospitals. Power plants.

There is no room for error here.

That is why we prioritize third-party testing. We spend the money on the labs so you don’t have to spend money on retrofits.

We give engineers peace of mind. You can trust the data. You can trust the design.

Contact the Galloway Acoustics team today to ensure your next project is built on verified, certified performance.