8mm Forum: Sound Proofing in Basement

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Posted by Ernie Zahn (Member # 274) on January 09, 2014, 11:46 AM:

I just set up a new home theater in the basement. Unfortunately the furnace is loud and right in the middle of the basement. I won't go into why but I can't build walls to split off the home theater side.

I was thinking about a pseudo partition with heavy drapes or building a sort of foam fort around the furnace. Perhaps a PVC frame wrapped in fabric and stuffed with fiber glass.

Any suggestions for others that have basement home theaters?

Posted by Bill Phelps (Member # 1431) on January 09, 2014, 03:21 PM:

I have my set up in the basement (see screening room pictures thread...a couple pages behind the current page) and my furnace and hot water tank are the unfortunate center pieces. I thought about draping a curtain around them but with the ducts and pipes getting hot I didn't want to cause any trouble (like a fire) so there just there. I've worked around them. And with the sound from the projector and sound of the film showing they don't interfere with anything.

Bill [Smile]

PS-the first pic I posted is gone and has been replaced with someone else's photo because we named the pictures the same thing...

Posted by Bill Brandenstein (Member # 892) on January 09, 2014, 10:04 PM:

Ernie, my in-laws have a noisy air system in their roomy lower level and I was recently trying to imagine a solution to this very scenario. In their case it is a water-flow heat pump system and the risk of fire is exceptionally low. Foam can be extremely flammable, and of course curtains can burn too. If your system is like theirs, air flow must be maintained because the return air intake is there. You would have to literally build a muffler that would prevent any noise from having a direct path to the room; that could be some pretty large thick curtains staggered to leave an air path. Naturally, a little gap around the edges would greatly reduce the effectiveness, so this would require some engineering.

So add to your resume "acoustician," and when you find a solution, please let us know what you did!

Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on January 10, 2014, 03:32 AM:

Ernie, I assume you will not be keeping your films and equipment near your furnace as the conditions will not be favourable for either.

Posted by Martin Jones (Member # 1163) on January 10, 2014, 03:45 AM:

I love the American "Furnace", which for us "Brits" conjures up an image of a roaring coal,oil or wood fired device giving out a fiery glow and waves of heat!
We use "Boilers", usually oil or gas fired and tucked away in as small a space as a kitchen wall cupboard and drawing the required air back through the outside of its coaxial flue pipe.

Can either of you gentlemen (for our education) post a picture of such a basement "furnace"?

Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on January 10, 2014, 05:34 AM:

To me a "boiler" is something for generating steam.

My house for example has circulating hot water heating.

-No boiling!

My parents house has steam radiators.

-That's a boiler!

Yet they are both "Furnaces".

Posted by Graham Ritchie (Member # 559) on January 10, 2014, 01:42 PM:

I think you folks are much better equipped to handle a harsher climate than we are, just don't see that type of heating out here which is a pity. [Frown]

Posted by Ernie Zahn (Member # 274) on January 11, 2014, 09:39 AM:

Hi Martin. Ive never been able to post any pictures on here before. Currently looking to resolve that but our furnaces can be quite large. Mine is about 3 feet wide by 6 and a half feet tall by 3 and a half feet deep.

It's also very noisy. Maurice I think you might be thinking of the kind of furnace that Martin is referring to. This furnace has no duct for the basement. Despite it running and being loud it doesnt effect the environment in the basement. My basement is very cold and dry. Even right next to the furnace.

Thanks for the input folks.

Bill, I'm going to try and build a modular wall around the furnace using hard insulation foam board. It looks like rigid foam board but it's pink/purple and blocks sound. Then I'm going to attach metal feet to it.

I'll let you know what happens!

Posted by Guy Taylor, Jr. (Member # 786) on January 12, 2014, 04:57 PM:

Down here on the Texas Gulf Coast I run my heater about three or four days a year.

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