Question from a newbie

[Cyphon]

Hello all!

I have a dedicated home theater room I'm trying to get up and going, and had some general questions about noise, heat, and light insulation.

The specified room is upstairs, and the stairway entry into the room is open (no door). directly to the left is a door that goes out into a 25' x 5' sunroom w/ 7 windows. The only window in the theater room itself is along the back wall, which will be directly to the left of the viewing angle when everything is setup.

What kind of device can I build to help block out the light and heat, as well as dampening audio? I have seen a similar thread here someone posted but I have no idea about the materials being discussed, and if anyone has the time available would really appreciate a detailed description on what I can do.. whether it's a plug or material I can drap over the window itself, I'm all ears.

Also, I live in Texas so it's no shocker that it is hot. Especially right now, and unfortunately I only have two 10" A/C vents upstairs, and the cold air just doesn't seem to keep. I'm thinking I need to apply some weatherproof stripping along the door between the Sunroom, as that little area gets very hot and has no ventilation... so I'm sure there is a lot heat that seeps into theater room. I'm going to try and get someone to come out and re-insulate the crawl space over this room (it was initially an addon built by the previous owner about 15 years ago) so that should help. But any extra ideas here would help out as well.

[salvasol]

Cyphon wrote:

... I have seen a similar thread here someone posted but I have no idea about the materials being discussed, and if anyone has the time available would really appreciate a detailed description on what I can do.. whether it's a plug or material I can drap over the window itself, I'm all ears...

Here is the link you were looking for ... http://www.hometheatershack.com/foru...ut-window.html ... he used wood, fiberglass and fabric

What I did in my HT to cover the window was a sliding door/panel ... I used 3/4" MDF, painted a a piece of accoustic carpet (you can see the picture here) ... but my window is in the back wall, so I think whta the Prof. did will work better in your sitaution.

... unfortunately I only have two 10" A/C vents upstairs, and the cold air just doesn't seem to keep. I'm thinking I need to apply some weatherproof stripping along the door between the Sunroom, as that little area gets very hot and has no ventilation... so I'm sure there is a lot heat that seeps into theater room. I'm going to try and get someone to come out and re-insulate the crawl space over this room (it was initially an addon built by the previous owner about 15 years ago) so that should help. But any extra ideas here would help out as well....

Don't even mention heat problems ... I live in San Bernardino County, CA couple of week ago we got 110+ F ... and I'm also having heat problems in my HT because the window gets full sunlight in the afternoon and with all the equipment running

All your ideas will help, add stripping to the door to try to isolate the sunroom; I don't know of instead of adding more insulation to the crawlspace adding a vent will help more (you won't have hot air inside that room ).

Do you know if the two 10" vents are outlets (where the air comes out) or one outlet and one return???
If both are outlets, I suggest to add a return (that pulls the hot air to the main unit to recirculate it) ... I know that in this forum is a member that work in A/C's ... he helped me with my heat problem, but I haven't done the job yet ... hopefully he will see this and give you a suggestion .

[Prof.]

Yes..The window plug idea worked well for me, for both sound and heat insulation..
In your situation, you won't need the paper faced FSK OC703 since you're filling in a side window..just use the plain 2" insulation..

[Cyphon]

I hate to ask this but as I am a computer guy and not a woodworker I need some assistance with the plug... can you (or someone else) give me a quick rundown of all the materials I would need and how it needs to be crafted? This way if it's something I cannot build I can get with a buddy of mine who is more adept at this stuff than I am.

I am under the impression that a plug is just 2 flat boards the size of the window with a 2" - 4" gap for insulation?

[salvasol]

Cyphon wrote:

... all the materials I would need and how it needs to be crafted? This way if it's something I cannot build I can get with a buddy of mine who is more adept at this stuff than I am.
I am under the impression that a plug is just 2 flat boards the size of the window with a 2" - 4" gap for insulation?

You need 2" fiberglass (OC 703, you can get it here http://www.gikacoustics.com or you can contact Bryan (bpape) here at the forum and he can help you with all you need).

You also need wood (1" x 2" or 1" x 3" depending on your window dept to make the frame), some accoustic fabric or speaker cloth will be fine. Your plug will serve two purposes: cover window for light and help with accoustics; that's why you need to use a fabric that can let the sound pass through.

Remember that you will also need accoustic panels for the room ... I think the best idea is to contact Bryan to get everything from him and just ask your friend to help you build the plug .... or maybe you can even order a big panel to hang in front of the window and remove it when not used

I'm sure the Prof. will explain better the process ... or I think he already did in his thread http://www.hometheatershack.com/foru...ut-window.html

Edit: yes he did ... start reading post #9 (he posted pictures too)

[Prof.]

David has covered it fairly well...

You're basically making a shadow box frame, that fits inside the window frame and has a flange around the outside perimeter..

The width of the timber needs to be the same depth as your window frame..PLUS about 1" more to allow for the perimeter flange to be attached..You can see it in the photo where I'm spraying the plug..

The flange fits over your window frame to provide an air tight and light tight seal..
I just used some stick-on door seal tape around the flange to make it light proof..