Time for treatment

[howiedrum]

Hi Everyone,

I made eight corner bass traps yesterday, two per corner, each half the distance from floor to ceiling. The total distance is 9'-4" from floor to ceiling. So each trap is 4'-6", leaving a 2" space up top which we may cover with molding or not.

For the bottom traps I used left over Safe n Sound and for the top traps I used mostly attic R30 insulation. To avoid compression, my carpenter put a partial shelf half way up in the bottom Safe n Sound traps, and for the top R30 traps, he stapled the paper backing of the insulation to the frame and then filled in with long vertical pieces of insulation.

Is the paper stapled to the frame a problem? I couldn't think of a reason, but I hadn't seen anyone do it before.

Here are photos.

Thanks.

Howie

Bottom Trap

Top Trap

Top Trap with stapled paper

Stacked in Room SE Corner

Stacked in Room West Wall

[endorka]

Is the paper cover against a wall? I can't see it making any difference acoustically, but you may want to check your building code for fire retardant requirements of "furniture" attached to walls. The paper might not meet them.

Part of me wonders about it rasping against the wall in the presence of loud sound giving a kazoo effect, but that might just be silly

If there is any doubt could you replace it with fabric or the fire retardant wadding Starlight uses.

Cheers!
Jennifer

[Starlight]

The kazoo effect went through my mind too.

What do you want the paper to do? My guess is nothing as the traps will be backed into the corners and so the backs won't be open to the room. If it is there to keep fibres in and you don't think the wall is up to the task, I would replace the paper with the cheapest fabric to hand, either old bed sheets or burlap with a fire-retardant spray.

Hang on a minute about the wadding I use being fire-retardant. I have just done a test, holding a lighter under a scrap. It shrivelled because polyester is a plastic. Holding the lighter under the polyester batting for longer, as would be the case in a real fire, it ignited. That is not fire-retardant enough for a real (out of control) fire, one that may happen when a studio is unoccupied.

[howiedrum]

Hi Jennifer and Starlight,

Is the paper cover against a wall?

Yes, the corner walls.

What do you want the paper to do?

My carpenter thought if we stapled it on as we did it would keep the insulation from compressing and keep fibers in. I had no other reasons for doing that. The Kazoo effect you both mentioned was something I did not think about. As a drummer I should know better. I think I will have him tear off the paper and install some wire or something for compression and then wrap in fabric.

Howie

[endorka]

Source of the post Hang on a minute about the wadding I use being fire-retardant. I have just done a test, holding a lighter under a scrap. It shrivelled because polyester is a plastic. Holding the lighter under the polyester batting for longer, as would be the case in a real fire, it ignited. That is not fire-retardant enough for a real (out of control) fire, one that may happen when a studio is unoccupied.

Thanks for the heads up on this. The wadding I bought is rated as fire retardant, for the purpose of stuffing furniture and so on. I haven't tested it though.

I did test the MSL Firecheck spray I used on calico by the same method as yourself, and it worked really well. Untreated calico from the same roll went on fire.

Cheers,
Jennifer

[Starlight]

This is stuff worth sharing, worth knowing. Thanks.

Sorry to hijack your topic, Howie.