Adding HVAC to existing basement studio

[Downsound]

Hello fellow Slutz! I was not part of the community when I built my basement studio, so there is no diary of my build. Sorry. Basically, it's a control room, a sound lock, and a vocal booth. I don't do live drums, nor do any guitar amps. I'm 100% ITB. So there's a little background for you - now, about my problem . . .

The biggest thing I did wrong was not planning for any HVAC system, after all, it's in a basement, right? WRONG! The winters are fine, but in the summer it's crazy hot, sticky, and stale. All those electronics plus a coulple of guys really heat things up. SO, I need a solution. I never planned for a HVAC system because I didn't want to tap into my home's system due to studio noise transfering to the rest of the house. I also didn't install a dedicated system because of $$, time, logistics, and expertise. So, now I just sit in there and sweat all summer . . . not for long. I have decided to tap into my home HVAC system, and I will take some pictures and lay out my plan for you soon. I would love comments and suggestions during the planning process after seeing my ideas, and I will document everything with photos. Thanks for looking!! Scott

[soulfield]

I'm no mechanical engineer but I will suggest a few things.

You may already know this, but others might not.

One dont "tap" into any existing lines, particularly if they are flex. just abad idea. I know that if theres a duct run above the CR you might be tempted to "steal" alittle bit of that air flow but it wont do much. You want new lines from the plenums at your air handler. When installing the take-offs you can put dampers in that will allow you to adjust the flow into the ducting of the studio.

Two, make sure you provide supply and return. Pumping cold air in wont do much if you cant get the hot air out. this could be returned back to the unit (which will affect the rest of the system) or could be simply exhausted to the exterior, and since its not bathroom exhaust you dont have to worry about being 10' from a operable window ect.

Three, make sure the existing unit can handle the extra load. I know most residential builders pu in systems undersized for the finished level of the house, so the extra load could strain your heat pump/condenser or maybe reduce the comfort of your existing conditioned spaces.

Is the Air handler acessible from the basment?

Whats the budget?

[Downsound]

Thanks Soulfield - all good suggestions. I wasn't planning on tapping in from any existing ducts. There is currently a duct running off the main trunk to our living room that we currently have turned off, so I was going to re-route that into the studio. I am planning on having a return, too. The room I want to cool is only 13 by 11, so I'm sure my system can handle it. I'll take some pictures and detail my plan this weekend. It's not really that big of a job, I just thought I'd share with the community!

[soulfield]

Excellent. I figured you knew most of this. Post pics and let us now how it turns out.

Good luck

[bdenton]

One thing you might want to consider is incorporating "duct silencers" into your design. They prevent the transmission of sound into / out of your recording space.

I bought mine from these folks...

Duct Silencers - SoundControl4Less- Oeler Industries Inc.

They're a bit pricey, but they do a good job...

[Downsound]

Originally Posted by bdenton

One thing you might want to consider is incorporating "duct silencers" into your design. They prevent the transmission of sound into / out of your recording space.

Yep, I'm going to incorporate duct silencers into the design - thanks for the suggestion. I saw these:



And this gave me the idea of making something myself. I have a bunch of 2" rigid Roxul laying around so I'm going to make something with MDF and the Roxul that's similar, and it will also maintain the 6" duct size throughout. I also found these which I ordered today:



they are butterfly dampers that open automatically with air pressure. When there's no air pressure, they close on to a foam seal. I'm thinking that would help too, and I'll place one of those on both the send and return lines. I know it'll be best to put this damper close to the trunk on the send duct, but what about the return line? Does anyone know where I would get the most pressure on a return duct? Close to the register in the room or close to the main trunk?

[JWS]

Have you taken a look at the Mitsubishi Mr. Slim ductless units?

[Downsound]

Originally Posted by JWS

Have you taken a look at the Mitsubishi Mr. Slim ductless units?

Yes, I have looked at those split units in the past. I have a ruled them out for this particular situation for a number of reasons - although I think they are a great alternative in the right situation (adaquate cooling and quiet). First is cost, they are not cheap. Second is installation - I probably can't do it myself. And third, it's my understanding that the indoor unit needs adaquate drainage, and I would have run pipes UP to ground level, since I am in a basement. I don't think that's going to work. But thanks for the suggestion!

[Downsound]

I thought I'd post some pictures today of my studio and my plans for adding some much needed ventilation! The first picture is taken in my basement next to my studio. The wall on the right side of the picture is my studio, and that is the wall I will adding the send and return lines. The main trunk on the left is the send, and the one on the right is the return. If you look down at the end of the send trunk, you will see a duct coming off of it on the right side. That is currently going to my living room, but due to a couch, is currently not in use. I will re-route this duct to the studio. Collar -> Butterfly damper -> home made duct silencer -> flex duct -> register.



Studio entrance - the door on the right in the sound lock is the vocal booth, straight ahead is the control room. The vocal booth is nice size (about 5' by 7'), so I do acoustic guitar recording in there too.



This is the wall where the registers will go (on the other side of the wall is the rest of the basement from the first picture). In the upper right will be the send, and the lower left will be the return - they are marked with blue tape. Obviously, the cd/book tower and the instrument hanger will be relocated. I'm going to take the drywall off the other side of the wall, and line the stud cavity that I will be using for the return with rigid insulation, then . . collar -> flex duct -> home made silencer -> butterfly damper -> return duct.

[Chauvin]

Very nice thumbsup

[soulfield]

[QUOTE I'm going to take the drywall off the other side of the wall, and line the stud cavity that I will be using for the return with rigid insulation, then . . collar -> flex duct -> home made silencer -> butterfly damper -> return duct.
[/QUOTE]

Maybe i'm misunderstanding the flow on your return, but make sure the damper is where your take off connects to the "return trunk" rather than @ the register in your room. Air pasing over the damper itlesf can create whistling noises.

my $0.02

Disregard if I read the return air scenario incorrectly.

[Downsound]

Originally Posted by soulfield

Disregard if I read the return air scenario incorrectly.

Opps. I didn't do a very good job of explaining my plan. Sorry. I'm using the stud cavity as my return, with a collar attached to the drywall outside the room. The collar is a self adhesive collar, so it'll mount directly onto the drywall over the hole I cut out. THEN the flex duct -> silencer -> damper -> return trunk. So the damper will be the last piece before the trunk. Thanks for helping me clarify!!

[soulfield]

Originally Posted by Downsound

The collar is a self adhesive collar, so it'll mount directly onto the drywall over the hole I cut out. THEN the flex duct -> silencer -> damper -> return trunk. So the damper will be the last piece before the trunk. Thanks for helping me clarify!!

thumbsup

Excellent! Hope you and your gear is nice and cool this summer. Let us know how it turns out.