John Sayers' Recording Studio Design Forum Archive

I run a private studio out of my house and I've got a couple design issues, the first and most important is a heat build up in my control room. I'm using the same AC unit that cools the rest of the house and with all of the gear and warm bodies in my control room it gets about 15 degrees hotter than the rest of the house with the door shut.


I was thinking about putting some sort of exhaust fan in the ceiling to remove all of the heat build up and keep the air flowing. I'm trying to keep the cost down below 6 or 7 hundred on this project and I would like licenced contractors to do it. Any advice is welcome

Thanks for your help, Paul.

Paul, I'm not a super HVAC whiz (don't even play one on TV :=) but it sounds to me like since you already have air circulation, just not enough cooling, that you should ask your local HVAC guy about a small "mini-split" - they don't provide air circulation to outside, but they can be VERY quiet and only require a couple of small holes thru the wall for installation. The cooler part mounts inside, and the heat exchanger is mounted outside, with a couple of copper tubing lines between the two.

Installed, this would crowd your budget slightly, but the quiet operation and minimum sound leakage would be a definite plus... Steve

Thank you Steve,

That sounds like a good solution. What does HVAC stand for? Couldn't find it in the yellow pages.

Sorry - Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning... Steve

Carrier and Samsung both carry ductless A/C units that would work. My HVAC guy has installed plumbing for a dual zone Samsung unit in my place. . . cost/benefit ratio heavily favored the Samsung units. I have experienced one of the Carrier units in another small control room. . . very quiet and efficient little guy.

The required hole in my place was 'bout 2" diameter. . . 2 copper tubes with foam insulation around them, plus a drain line for condensation. There are maximum distances the tubes can run both horizontally and vertically. . . shold pay attention to those.

-'Chung

Hitachi Sells a mini-split for about 550.00 (634.00 Deliverd to my door)

Bryan Giles

Wow I guess it depends on where you are in the industry I was taught High Volume Air Conditioning Here in MI. Good to learn alternatives.

Giles...

Didn't know you even needed AC in MI...

We Got Jokes huh. LOL

Temp is 50 outside and CR is cooking had to turn on the A/C yesterday. Boy those computers throw off heat.

LOL

Yeah, gotta have a littler humor once in awhile.

As far as this topic of AC...??? I'm about to have to figure this out myself. Just started framing the control room, so I guess AC duct work is going to be the next issue for me too.

Steve or Giles...what exactly is a "Mini-split" and what's its purpose or how's it work?

"Mini" refers to size, and "split" means that the heat exchanger and the "coolness deliverer" are SPLIT instead of all in one unit like a window-type AC unit. The upside is that the inside unit is smaller and you don't need a window for it, plus it's generally quieter - the downside is, there's no fresh air recirculation. You can, however, get these with auxiliary heating coils for a bit more $$$.

Using a Mini-split would mean you still need a way to get fresh air into the studio, without letting all the noise in at the same time... Steve

Gotcha...

Did a little reseach myself after that last post. Fresh air is an issue w/ sealed rooms.

Some of the Mitsubishi 'Mr Slim" mini-split systems have a prot for fresh air inlet.

http://www.mrslim.com/

Good info here. I was told a mini split would be about 3 g's installed

I decided to go a different route. I found a guy who will install a larger supply duct and a return crossover for around 3-4 hundred so I'll give it a try.