[bapenguin]

Ok...I admit it was my mistake but I included a bi-fold door for my equipment closet under my steps. At the time it seemed like a good idea. But since I got my new sub...the damn thing rattles to all hell. It's like a piece of material is rattling between the two outside edges of the door.


You can see the door in this pic: http://www.happyapplefarm.net/Dsc00409.jpg


If I press on the door and kind of hold it "together" from both sides the rattling stops. What I was thinking of doing is putting a bolt through the middle of the panel, mounted with rubber washers and a attatched on the back with a piece of acoustic foam. Thoughts? Ideas? It's really f'n annoying.

 

[lweisenb]

I would suggest a rubber gasket or roofing felt between the two doors (or even a layer of dynamat, a car audio sound deadener).

 

[Bobby_M]

I actually think your rattle is coming from the roller rattling in the track. You can test this by taking the roller out of the track and cranking the sub.

 

[bapenguin]

Nope, I had the door standing on the hard floor off the track. If I tap the middle of each panel I hear the rattle. I have foam around all the edges of the door, so everywhere it touches there is foam to reduce noise vibration.


Dynamat isn't a bad idea, but it would be kind of expensive. Basically if I can get a nut and washer and pinch the panels together while putting some extra weight with some cheap acoustic foam on the back, I think it should work. I just wondered if anybody else had a similar situation or any other ideas.

 

[nowonder]

So the center panels are moving inside the frame?


Maybe some caulk around the back deges of the panel would hold it in place...


--nw

 

[dynamowhum]

Panels on any door are loose for seasonal changes. This allows expansion and contraction due to heat and humidity changes. If your house temp and humidity are not constant year round I would think hard about doing anything that would stop those panels from being able to move. Cheers.

 

[BasementBob]

Have you tried dumping a bunch of disused pillows on the floor in the cupboard against the door? It'll make the door a bit hard to open, but should provide some outward force.


Another possibility is some of that felt or vinyl weatherstripping (not foam I think which would wear out quickly on the top). Just along the top of the door frame, or thinner material down between the two panels, so that when the door is closed it's pressing on the weatherstripping.


How much is a new door?

 

[bapenguin]

Yeah...I may be better of just buying a new solid wood door for the spot...not sure where I can get a solid wood door though for a decent price. Plus it's an odd shape/height being 36" wide and about 5 feet tall. Gonna give it a go tonight trying to fix it up....if I bust it...then it's off to buy a new door anyway

 

[tlogan6797]

Have you tried glaziers points? They are what holds glass into wooden frames. It's hard to tell from the picture what the door actually looks like since it's painted, but I'd try to force a couple of glazier points (a box should cost about a buck and a half) in between the inset panels and the solid cross pieces (I forget what they are called) where the knob is attached and around the outside edges. You should be able to push them in with the blade of a flat-head screwdriver. If not, a few taps with a hameer on the end of the screw driver should do it. I do the inside first and see if that works, and then if needed, a few on the outside. Should be cheap enough to try before doing anything radical.


Good luck,

Tom

 

[Bobby_M]

Is this already a solid door or a molded hollow masonite type door? If it's hollow, I'd drill a few small holes from behind and squirt some expanding foam in there (careful not to overdo it or you'll bulge the door out).


If it's a solid door with floating panels, I'd just run a bead of caulk all the way around the panels on the inside of the door.

 

[bapenguin]

Well...I think I figured out what's causing it specifically. The way the door is made, there is a cutout through the center of the door. In there, is where the panels are placed. Almost like putting a piece of paper in a folder. The problem is, it's not a tight fit, so these vibrate back and forth. I'm gonna pick up some caulk today and try to caulk the back side of it and force the panels flush against the wood.


It was really a tricky thing to trouble shoot because at first, I wasn't even sure if it was the door making the vibrating noise. It was very hard to localize where it was coming from.

 

[Bobby_M]

This is the preferred method of making a solid door because real wood needs to expand and contract. If they glued that panel in, the expansion would cause the frame to crack or blow out the joints. I think you'll be ok with caulk because it remains flexible but should keep enough tension on the panel to keep it from rattling.

 

[bapenguin]

The caulk seemed to work pretty damn good. The one bottom left panel still rattles a bit, so I'm gonna try to go over it again. Otherwise it sounds like a solid door now. Thanks everyone for their help!

 

[nowonder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bapenguin The caulk seemed to work pretty damn good. The one bottom left panel still rattles a bit, so I'm gonna try to go over it again. Otherwise it sounds like a solid door now. Thanks everyone for their help!

WooHoo! I had the right answer... Do I win a prize? j/k...


--nw

 

[bapenguin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nowonder WooHoo! I had the right answer... Do I win a prize? j/k... --nw

Yes...you win the satisfaction of knowing you helped a fellow Avs member out.