[cheesetogo]

I'm currently in the process of finishing a room in my basement for eventual theater use. I'm looking for a product that I can use to insulate the rather extensive amount of ductwork within the room. My primary concern is noise going into the ducts rather than coming out of them -- I've never had any issues with them making banging noises or anything of that nature.


Due to the low height underneath the ducts (only about 7'1"), I need something that's fairly compact.


I've tried searching around this forum quite a bit, but I haven't really found a whole lot. Linacoustic and Frost King have come up a few times, but I'm not sure if those products are what I need or not.


Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[Mazlem]

I'd look at sound-deadening sheets - like Dynamat, but you can get much cheaper stuff through SecondSkinAudio or RAAMAudio. Or if the ducts don't get too hot you can go down to Lowes / Home Depot and get some sheets of Peel an Seal in the roofing dept. (The main difference being the Peel an Seal stuff is asphalt-based and the others are usually a rubber-based material.) Do 1-2 layers and only cover ~80% of each side (no need for 100% coverage.) That'll lower their resonant frequency.


Then put insulation all around the ducts and create your ceiling - acoustic drop ceiling tiles or drywall (5/8" at least or two sheets of 1/2" or more with green glue in between.) Make sure the ceiling doesn't come in contact with the ducts.

 

[cheesetogo]

Thanks for your help Mazlem. Are there any rubber based materials that can be bought cheaply (i.e. not designed for sound insulation)? It seems like the products designed specifically for that purpose have a pretty substantial markup.

 

[Mazlem]

I don't know of any rubber based stuff that's not designed for sound/vibration dampening. The cheapest I've seen just doing a quick look is $2 per sq ft at www.edesignaudio.com .

 

[cheesetogo]

Would this be a good choice? It's 1lb/sq ft and seems to be fairly reasonably priced. http://store.soundproofingcompany.com/product_p/mlv.htm

 

[Mazlem]

That should work. It does say for ductwork!