Soundproofing stand?

[dedfish]

Has anyone sound proofed a stand before? I am thinking about using some 1.5" thick styrofoam to make a sound barrier in the back openning of my stand. I figured I could do it in 3 or 4 sections and carve out where the plumbing is. This would almost completely block the opening in the back of the stand and trap the noise inside. Anyone try anything like this before? Any reason this is a bad idea?

 

[ReeferMedic]

Might trap alot of heat in there also.......

 

[dedfish]

I'll install fans.

 

[nunofs]

I was going to mention you might run into heat issues too... where will the fans draw colder air from?

Nuno

 

[dedfish]

I could install a fan in one of the styrofoam "plugs" and then leave some space on the opposite end for air to escape. It could draw fresh cool room air in and force hot air out.

I have to try something because I think I have thought of everything to make this run quiet and with the way it sounds now there is no way I can have this tank in my bedroom. I'm beginning to feel defeated and I am thinking about giving up on having a tank in this room.

 

[nunofs]

I know the feeling, I was hoping for a quiet living room tank but even with a near-silent pump (the T4), all the remaining equipment (return pump, skimmer) makes so much noise...

If you put a couple of fans on the side or back of the stand (maybe one blowing in, the other blowing out) you could build "sound baffles" (much like the baffles in a sump, but made of sound proofing material instead of glass) on the inside of the stand, covering the holes where you installed the fans... this would reduce the amount of noise that would be able to escape through the holes/fans, while still allowing for air to flow through. And if you get really quiet fans to begin with, it might be almost silent.

Nuno

 

[NateHanson]

Also lining the inside of the stand (not just the opening) with acoustic foam might go a long way towards quieting things down by absorbing the noise before it bouces out into the room.

There's a really effective soundproofing material sold for lining the engine-rooms of boats. I think you can get it at West Marine or Boat/US, and there are also adds in the back of Cruising World and Ocean Navigator. It's a 3/4" thick sheet with a mylar layer, a foam rubber layer for low frequency noise, and a 1/8" layer of lead impregnated rubber or something that's supposed to stop the high frequency noise (or maybe I have those backwards). Anyways, it does wonders to blocking diesel noise in a boat. It's a little pricey though, if I recall.