Question #17

What is the proper spacing for U-Boats?

This is asked very often. U-Boat spacing is as follows:

Joist Spacing = 24'' o.c.* = U-Boat spacing 16'' o.c. along the joist minimum and not to exceed 24'' o.c.

Joist Spacing = between 12''-16'' o.c. = U-Boat spacing 16'' o.c. along the joist minimum and not to exceed 32'' o.c.

Most (>99%) of applications will work fine with 16'' o.c. spacing of U-Boats along the joist. Spacing further apart will improve low frequency isolation below 40 Hz. However, spacing should never exceed 32'' o.c.

*o.c. stands for ''on center'' and represents measuring spacing from center-to-center of, say, joists or studs (or U-Boats). This is to prevent confusion caused by sometimes erroneously measuring from edge to edge.