Ive Been Planning This Garage Studio for 10 Years!

#31

Hi guys, thanks for the feedback. That's a bit of a concern about the Yellow Tongue!
My builder and Engineer said it was OK as long it was behind a moisture barrier, and well.. I've gone ahead and used it. Now I'm worried! Is there any extra precaution I should take at this point?

#32

as long as it is really protected, then ok, but if it is exposed to moisture then i would be concerned.

#33

It will have a moisture wrap covering it and then fibre cement cladding, so hoping that is enough protection.
I will also go around and silicone seal all gaps for extra measure.

#34

I have a question about Silica Gel.
I read in this thread (https://www.digistar.cl/Forum/viewtopic.php?t=714) that I should use 200 grams of Silca per cubic metre in between my fixed glass window panes.
Will the gel one day become saturated and no longer effective? Should I put more in to make it last longer? What happens if I use too much?
I plan to be using this studio for at least 20 years!

#35

Also, when Stuart says " 200 grams per cubic metre of air in the cavity", I assume we are referring to not just the window cavity, but rather the entire wall cavity in a decoupled system that the window is part of?

#36

depends on how you've built the windows, in my designs, the window air space is open to the rest of the dividing air space - that is the entire A part of MAM is one contiguous space. the window separation gaps are hidden via semi-rigid insulation and cloth or a very thin cut if going for an all wood surface - which has a layer of cloth under the trim to keep out duct.

so, if your air space needs dehumidification then a) you still have a moisture issue because either moisture is coming in from the outside, or b) you have moisture coming in from your interior space - so if the latter - you'd want to find the air access and seal it.

as far a dehumidification silica packs - depending on how often you need to change them, or dry them, then you'd want some sealed mass-matching access panel, possibly in multiple locations around, in order to change/dry them periodically (6 months? annually? check with manufacturer and also monitor them yourself for your conditions). so maybe a few heavy metal & damped access panels (like 6"x6") in a couple of walls so you can stand up the desiccate packs / cups.

#37

OK thats great thanks Glenn. Pic below showing the frames in builld, I will wrap breathable fabric around that 3cm gap, so my window cavity iwill ndeed be exposed to the main wall and roof cavity.

So if my room is 6x5.5m, with a 180mm air gap, 2.5m high walls and a pitched roof that is 1m high in the middle, I calculated I'll need about 7kgs of Silica gel. Does that sound excessive to you?

#38

yes, 7kgs seems like quite a lot. if you take the idea of using access panels to allow you to swap out the packs/cups, the start smaller and see how much moisture you're actually trapping before deciding to scale it up (or down). something like these will read-out the moisture collect (i.e. you'll see the excess liquid)
https://www.amazon.com/DampRid-Fresh-Re ... B07V3N6KKZ

#39

OK, so I place a couple of these inside the actual wall cavity (not the window cavity) and build access panels so I can change them from time to time. Do you have any examples of how to build these panels so that I don't compromise my air-tight seal?

#40

I made an access hatch in a ceiling for changing air filters. There may be easier ways to achieve this, but it worked. I used 8 screws and a gasket to ensure it was airtight. Details here:

viewtopic.php?p=3833#p3833

#41

do a search for watertight access panels. look for heavy metal units. add a layer of rubber backing for the door just to ensure no resonating

#42

I would like to pile on here. From Rod's book, it states that there is little gain/loss from building the studios windows completely isolated from each other and that its OK to have one frame with a double window assembly.

In this case, the window is a sealed box, does that still need desiccant? I would imagine throwing a minimum in there doesnt hurt, but I wouldnt know how to make an access panel for it....

#43

if it's a single frame (which i disagree with Rod on this, bridging isolation walls reduces the isolation. i watch Eric D. demo bridging an isolation booth @ Galaxy with a single 2x2 and that room went from 80+db isolation to ~40db -- so way more than half of the isolation was gone...), then conceptually you might be ok with the small amount of desiccant inside and not try the access panel, or build a small box under it or the side of it - open into the window space to capture moisture, and the access panel into that box.

#44

endorka wrote:Source of the post I made an access hatch in a ceiling for changing air filters. There may be easier ways to achieve this, but it worked. I used 8 screws and a gasket to ensure it was airtight. Details here:

viewtopic.php?p=3833#p3833

Thanks Jen, that's super helpful!

Soundman2020 wrote:Source of the post Also, you didn't' mention any insulation in the gap: that's important! Filling the entire cavity with suitable insulation greatly increases the isolation. The difference between an empty cavity and a full cavity can be as much as 20 dB in isolation, and 6 dB at the very least. Make sure your entire cavity is filled.

From info Ive picked up in many threads, Im working on these rough guidelines for choosing my insulation:
- Fill the cavity, but do not compress the insulation
- Lower density is better at attenuating low frequencies (12-16kg/m3)
- Gas Flow Resistivity is more important than R Value, however R13 generally indicates a suitably low GFR
Does that sound like Im on the right track, or have missed something critical here?

What Ive found locally here in Sydney is this Earthwool stuff - 11kg/m3 at a cost of about $6 AUD per m2.

https://www.bunnings.com.au/earthwool-1 ... lsrc=aw.ds

Any concerns with this meterial?

#45

GraGra wrote:
What Ive found locally here in Sydney is this Earthwool stuff - 11kg/m3 at a cost of about $6 AUD per m2.

https://www.bunnings.com.au/earthwool-1 ... lsrc=aw.ds

Any concerns with this meterial?

Graeme
No issues - I used it in part. I did find that Bradford Gold which is almost the same density is a little easier to work with - just slightly stiffer and easier to cut.
Andrew

Soundman2020 - Studio Design Forum