***Working Man's DIY Dedicated Home Theater*** - Page 3

Originally Posted by mjg100

I would also experiment with our main placement. Try placing them behind the screen and that would improve your spacing on the wides. If you like them behind the screen, then I would cut out the AT fabric of the wall so that the mains do not have to pass through the AT fabric of the wall and the AT fabric of the screen.

Have you given an thought for a masking system for 1.78 material? Should be pretty easy to do. By the way, you will have a nice room when you are done. Shaping up nicely.

Originally Posted by NicksHitachi


Thanks!

have been on vac for last 7 days so haven't been able to use Internet or phone..... Sitting in MIA right now trying to get home

Those are some good points..... Remember, I only brought the wides closer in for the picture, they can be moved out to accommodate the recommended angle but they wouldn't fit in picture.......

I toyed with putting them all behind the screen, and still may, but it was awful close to the screen boundary and would certainly be behind the masking. As of right now I don't intend to make the masking AT. Even if I did i would have to EQ separate for different aspects since the tweeters would now be firing through the masking. I'll prob use the rest of the black felt I have left over and mount to foam board. Maybe hold in place with Velcro? Masking plans are not final yet......

Originally Posted by Rob Flanery


If it were mine I would pull air from the room and vent it out. I don't think I would like the idea of pulling air straight from the duct into the electronics rack. Perhaps introduce some added venting from downstairs into the opposite end of the room and you have yourself a good air exchanger for the room. .

Originally Posted by J_P_A

I'm not particularly familiar with HVAC, but it seems like pulling air out of your room and into the attic will also pull the cool air out as well, even if your ducting is located at the equipment rack and the PJ. But, it seems like the cheapest and simplest thing to try. If it doesn't work, you won't be out much.

EDIT: Are the rack fans on a thermostat? If so, you could try moving one to the back to vent into the attic as you suggested. The way you have the vent in the bottom open to the room, and then maybe put an exhaust into the attic at the top (in the back) seems like it would keep things cool even when not in use. Again, seems like a cheap fix you could try.

I know this wasn't on your list of options, but could you put an electronic damper in your supply and return and add a thermostat (or even a remote sensor) for your theater? That way you could cool the room independently of the rest of the house.

Another option might be adding a dead vent that pulls cool air from another room and exhausts it back into the house using your existing ductwork. Without knowing more about the routing of your duct work, it's tough to make many recommendations.

Originally Posted by J_P_A


I was thinking use your existing fans and setup your rack to pull room air in, and exhaust into the attic. I don't think your HVAC will overpower the exhaust fans in the rack because they are only creating a negative pressure in the rack as opposed to the entire room. However, this would just be a test using your existing equipment. If it works fairly well, then you might consider upgrading to a higher cfm fan like mhadley20 is suggesting if you feel like this might fix the issue. Otherwise, you haven't spent much, and you can look at HVAC changes.

I'm sure there are reasons that this is bad from an HVAC standpoint (e.g. you have to replace the air you exhaust into the attic), but it certainly seems like its worth a try.

Originally Posted by Rob Flanery

I guess I am making an assumption, but you have an adequately ventilated attic? If so you should have little problem with venting to the attic. Since your room is in the attic anyway you will be pulling the hottest air in the house through the equipment rack and expelling it into the attic. A bit of careful creative ducting should provide adequate protection to the gear. I would think a larger fan with lower rpm would be less intrusive than a smaller one would.

During the winter you would want to have a system that you could block off and circulate the warm air back into the room. I am sure there are other ways of doing it but if I was doing the work I would go this route. Lucky for me my theater is in the basement where it stays cool constantly. That makes for some nice summer viewing.

BTW. Nice build. I am envious of the way you have built out your space. Nice work.