Sound traveling into apartment via air shaft. please aid

pentajigga · Post by **pentajigga** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 10:09 am

gents, I recently relocated to a brownstone in brooklyn and i have an interesting problem:

the brownstone has forced air heat which comes into the living room and the bedroom through an 8"Wx12H"x6"D cut-out in the wall... The wall, besides this cut-out area, is 1" plaster and 5" brick.

the problem is that sound flows between the floors of the apartments and from the brownstone next door through these shafts.

so..... i need to fill-in this hole. optimally, id like to fashion some sort of removable cork that would allow me to remove the "cork" during the coldest nights of the year when i really need the heat.

what do you fellers recommend?

much thanks from a new poster. perry

guitardad72 · Post by **guitardad72** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 11:11 am

Hey pentajigga welcome to the forum,

Please:

Edit your profile to include your location. This is very important, because this is a worldwide resource, and as such, material costs and availability vary widely. For example, masonry is cheaper than gypsum in some parts of the globe, whereas it's the exact opposite in other regions.

And check out forum guidelines:

http://www.johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3231

I’m new to all this but have spent countless hours over the past month, pouring over this web site and others like it.

My best guest is two options, or a combo of both options.

1. Create a plenum for the duct, basically a muffler.
2. Create something like a window block.
3. A combo of both.

I don’t know if cutting out the air all together is the best option but completely up to you.

This thread and links referenced in thread describe a plenum (which is part of the plan for my own studio):

HVAC - What to use? Is DIY an option?

This one has pics of a window block & short description:

LaptopPop's Studio

Further, a good search and read through this web site and others like it should lead you more towards your solution.

Marc

pentajigga · Post by **pentajigga** » Fri Feb 24, 2006 11:43 pm

i think a muffler or plug would be a good idea. we are sneaking out of cold season for the next 8 months, so the air flow can be fully resticted. so basically i need to create a plug that is 8"x12"x(3"-6").

materials and assembly is what i need help with the most. especially since i dotn own the apartment, i dont want to spend more that $75 or so, however i might be able to convince the landlords to help pay for costs.

thanks

knightfly · Post by **knightfly** » Sat Feb 25, 2006 2:59 am

Is this hole your only source of fresh, breathable air??!? Steve

pentajigga · Post by **pentajigga** » Tue Mar 07, 2006 1:56 am

no, not at all.. i got tons of windows.. the shaft is only for heat from nov-march...

knightfly · Post by **knightfly** » Wed Mar 08, 2006 7:31 am

Check out the REFERENCE section, look for window plug - in your case, you'll want inner AND outer masses, something like at least an inch total of MDF each side, with insulation between them, and a GOOD SEAL... Steve