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Glenn Moore Been Here Awhile
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Joined: 24 Jan 2005 Posts: 240
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Posted: Tue May 22, 2018 8:21 pm Post subject: Booth Ventilation (and Cooling) System- I Need a Better Way |
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Like some of you, I have a (4x4 Enhanced, 6 years old) WhisperRoom booth. I have the ventilation system on it which consists of a small noisy fan attached to a hose that is connected to the booth. I have never been able to have this fan on while recording because it is far too loud and is right outside of the booth. The Ventilation Silencing System that WhisperRoom sells is well over 500 bucks and MIGHT help, but I am not willing to plunk down 5-Large on it unless I know for sure it would cool the booth down dramatically. Sometimes I am in the booth with the door shut for over 30-45 minutes at a time and the little thermometer I put in there regularly approaches 80 degrees after just a few minutes. Now that summer is here, it's gettin' hot in here.....even in my basement where my studio is. If you have a booth, is there a better option? Anyone had any success with the Ventilation Silencing System?
In the past, I have even put a dryer vent hose on my A/C vent and then attached that to the ventilation system fan. It cooled the booth down but I still got a little noise from it so I do not want to go that route again.
Outside of sitting on a block of ice, or having an ice chest in the booth (which I have considered) does anyone else use a reliable cooling system so you don't sweat...and/or faint?
Glenn |
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jim edgar Contributor
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Joined: 27 Jul 2015 Posts: 40 Location: SF Bay Area, CA
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2018 7:29 am Post subject: |
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The speed of the fan has a lot to do with how much noise you hear, so if you can find the slower speed draw fans, that should help. There are also "silent" cooling fan units designed for home entertainment systems.
A slow speed draw fan on the other end of a long flexible dryer ducting with a baffle-box between it and your booth shouldn't really cost $500 to add on. The baffle-box (essentially a foam-lined unit with a L-R-L-R maze inside it) will reduce the noise of the attached fan. The length of the ducting will help, as will chunks of foam in there as well.
However, the most helpful addition I found was a remote on/off switch to trigger the fan.
I'm pretty heat-tolerant, which helps... but we do get in the 90-100 range in late summer. I've put every ice pack from the freezer into a bowl at the intake vent, and it does make a difference. I've been thinking about a Redneck Air Conditioner where my draw tube is connected and I omit the fan.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITtlxjvLQis _________________ JimEdgarVoices.com | JustAskJimVO.studio | Source-Connect: jimedgarvoices |
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Lee Gordon A Zillion
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Joined: 25 Jul 2008 Posts: 6844 Location: West Hartford, CT
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2018 11:34 am Post subject: |
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If nothing else, I would replace the dryer vent duct with something like this:
http://www.quietflex.com/qas-flex-duct/ .
For my booth, I have a Fantech FG-4 like this.
The fan is very quiet, so with isolation boxes on both the intake and outlet, I can't hear the fan itself, but I can still hear the flow of air into the booth, so I generally don't run the fan while I'm working, but I will switch it on while I'm editing or between takes, _________________ Lee Gordon, O.A.V.
Voice President of the United States
www.leegordonproductions.com
Twitter: @LeeGordonVoice
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Glenn Moore Been Here Awhile
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Joined: 24 Jan 2005 Posts: 240
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Posted: Thu May 24, 2018 11:54 am Post subject: |
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Good stuff. Thanks for the ideas. Any more are welcome. |
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Foog DC
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Joined: 27 Oct 2013 Posts: 608 Location: Upper Canuckistan
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JohnV Been Here Awhile
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Joined: 25 Feb 2016 Posts: 230 Location: Md/DC
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Posted: Fri May 25, 2018 6:04 am Post subject: |
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You need 2 things that are opposed to each other...
THING ONE- a fan that can push reasonably serious amounts of air through your room.
THING TWO - a fan that is quiet.
the answer is called a baffle-box.. it's a sizable wooden box (variably 2x4x1 feet) that, inside, is a labyrinth path for air with sound damping. It is in line of your air-flow for your booth, your booth vent is on one side and your fan on the other, well isolated from the room.
https://goo.gl/images/V2StW6
hope that link works.. couldnt figure how to post a jpg... _________________ SoundscenesDC, main talent and production offices just 385k km up the gravity well in LuNoHoCo Center, old satellite studios still bookable at the future site of Johnson City! |
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Lee Gordon A Zillion
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Joined: 25 Jul 2008 Posts: 6844 Location: West Hartford, CT
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Posted: Fri May 25, 2018 8:19 am Post subject: |
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I built two such boxes, one on the intake side, and one on the outlet side between the booth and the fan. Both are connected to the booth with lengths of insulated flexible ducting. If I had it to do over, I would have connected at least the inlet side directly to the booth with no run of flexible duct. _________________ Lee Gordon, O.A.V.
Voice President of the United States
www.leegordonproductions.com
Twitter: @LeeGordonVoice
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Foog DC
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Joined: 27 Oct 2013 Posts: 608 Location: Upper Canuckistan
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Posted: Fri May 25, 2018 9:19 am Post subject: |
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Good call on the bafflebox, John. I did the 2 fans + baffle box thing initially. If you expect to record with the fan on, it's definitely a good idea and does make things quieter. Unfortunately for me, I personally still found the fan sound to be a bother. Then again, I'm the guy who tested a dozen monitors before finding a pair that didn't give off the tiniest of hums that drove me nuts. So it's probably just me.
At any rate, with my workflow, workspace, climate, etc, I'm lucky enough to just be able to shut the fan off when recording without really suffering for it. And I even found that one fan on its own was enough for my needs. (anyone wanna buy a barely used panasonic whisperline?) _________________ Andrew Fogarasi
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georgethetech The Gates of Troy
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Joined: 18 Mar 2007 Posts: 1877 Location: Topanga, CA
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Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2018 12:38 pm Post subject: |
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I installed one of these on the opposide of the wall (made a hole in drywall for the 4" duct), and it runs through 3 baffles (VSS) into the WR. Haven't heard it since in his booth. _________________ If it sounds good, it is good.
George Whittam
GeorgeThe.Tech
424-226-8528
VOBS.TV Co-host
TheProAudioSuite.com Co-host
TriBooth.com Co-founder |
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ballenberg Lucky 700
Joined: 10 Nov 2004 Posts: 793 Location: United States
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Posted: Fri Jun 29, 2018 11:25 am Post subject: |
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George...does this mean you're using the WhsiperRoom's ventilation silencer, or is it a custom built unit ...or 3? |
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Quicksilver Been Here Awhile
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Joined: 29 Oct 2012 Posts: 217
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Glenn Moore Been Here Awhile
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Joined: 24 Jan 2005 Posts: 240
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Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2018 8:52 pm Post subject: |
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Yes I have been thinking about a portable A/C like that too. Thanks for the link. I bought a small one (table top) at Target a few weeks ago but returned it because it did absolutely nothing to cool the booth. Saw this on HSN today too-
https://www.hsn.com/products/delonghi-evaporative-3-in-1-portable-space-cooler-with-/8610633
The only drawback with these is splashing/spilling the water all over the floor when moving it in and out of the booth. Does the one you have spill easy when you pick it up? |
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Bruce Boardmeister
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Joined: 06 Jun 2005 Posts: 7926 Location: Portland, OR
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Posted: Sat Jul 07, 2018 8:13 am Post subject: |
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Both types of air conditioning have big difficulties for cooling a booth. Unless you port the exhaust from the room air conditioner all the way outside it will just put the heat it removed from the booth into the room the booth is in, basically negating the effect over all.
Evaporative coolers only work if the air in the booth is dry and there’s an exhaust vent. If not your booth will just fill up with wet air. They work well during dry months in homes in the desert where they’re known as “swamp coolers”.
Blowing or sucking fresh air through the booth is the most practical solution.
B _________________ VO-BB Member #31 Enlisted June, 2005
I'm not a Zoo, but over the years I've played one on radio/TV. . |
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Quicksilver Been Here Awhile
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Joined: 29 Oct 2012 Posts: 217
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Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2018 11:55 am Post subject: |
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Glenn Moore wrote: | Yes I have been thinking about a portable A/C like that too. Thanks for the link. I bought a small one (table top) at Target a few weeks ago but returned it because it did absolutely nothing to cool the booth. Saw this on HSN today too-
https://www.hsn.com/products/delonghi-evaporative-3-in-1-portable-space-cooler-with-/8610633
The only drawback with these is splashing/spilling the water all over the floor when moving it in and out of the booth. Does the one you have spill easy when you pick it up? |
There isn't any water, mine is a de-humidifier. And yes, you have to exhaust the air outside of the booth, preferably outside of the home but it will work as long as you are venting from the booth, even if it's just into another room. That's not ideal and you will need to run the AC more but I worked plenty of full days that way before I got the extra exhaust tubing to vent outside. |
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