derekdun101 wrote:While I was in the building phase of this I thought all along that a front cover alone would do the trick. Now that the unit is in place and the project 95% done (5 % for acoustic treatment left to remain {thank goodness I found this site before jumping into THAT one}) I find that sound is just oozing through that unit and I'm trying to find a way too remedy it.
By this do you mean the unit is too noisy or that the noise from your room (I'm speaking from your neighbors' point of view - I'm SURE you make lovely music ) is getting to the outside world?
If you mean the latter, I don't see why a nice, tight (air) cover couldn't be made. Like, make a frame of 2x2s to go on the wall around the front of the A/C, calk all around it so the wood to wall "interface" is air tight, then make a box out of some 3/4" plywood or MDF and a couple of layers of drywall (and perhaps some insulation for good measure) then use the same clips that hold the front of a road case on (you can get them on eBay for a couple of bucks) then just clamp it over the A/C unit when you need to.
If the problem is the former, then that's a little more problematic for all the reasons I mentioned before.
Fortunately then , the problem is the latter. When I close the lid I have on there now it helps somewhat, but not enough. You really think double drywall added will help? Also I currently have it hinged so it just stays open, but this presents a challenge in sealing it. Should I take a picture? I really just need the optoin to play loud past 9:00pm. Got a close neighbor who wakes up early and bass is a problem.
Unless it's an optical illusion, I can SEE LIGHT through the unit in the first two pictures! That means that your door flap is the only thing blocking the sound from getting through.
While it might be a big hassle (depending on how hard it is to get from your room to the back of the A/C, you might need a nice beefy box on the BACK of too.
That is light you see! But from what others have been saying on this thread, putting a box on it would hender or hurt it's intended purpose. What should I do?
Well, yes - If you enclose an A/C completely in an air tight box, you MIGHT get a really cold box but not much else.
There are some laws of physics and economics that just can't be changed because we don't like them or we can't afford them.
What I was suggesting (making an air tight seal on the front and back) was not intended for actually using the A/C. You'll have to cool the room, cover it up, record/practice/scream & hollar, then when it gets too hot in the room, STOP and uncover the unit and turn it on to cool down the room.
This forum (and others like it) have been around long enough that if what you are are trying to do was easy (and doable) and cheap, we'd all be doing it. Believe me, if I could spend a couple hundred bucks for a couple of wall units, some duct board and a little pixie dust instead of $6,000 on an HVAC system, I would have. Clicking my heels together three times didn't make it happen either.
You have to realize sooner or later that what you want to do for what you want to pay might not happen. You've been given several suggestions that might work so give them a try.
I've decided that the A/C is going on the other side where there's a tool shed. I'll do the A/C on the outside of the shed, and then use one of the hrv/srv units to handle the air. I don't mind spending money, but when my entire house doesn't even have an HVAC system, installing one just for a 16x12 room seems a bit ridiculous when all I really want is some fresh air. And money or no money, I have yet to see a clear descriptive method for ventilation at all on this site. The only people (HVAC contractors ) who I'd expect to be of help, haven't got a clue about soundproof ventilation.
I have talked about ventilation extensively on the site. If you do a search for "ventilation" with my name as the author, plus change the "Display results as" to "posts," you'll find lots of stuff.
Not that I'm the only one who's talked about it... But I have yapped about it quite a bit. It was a big stumbling block for me in my design, and once I dislodged it, everything fell together fairly quickly and I was granted my permit soon thereafter.
) is getting to the outside world?