Buyers Guide to Rigid Fiberglass

Mali,

> would that be with the foil paper facing out from the walls and into the room, or facing the walls? <

Did you happen to see the photos that accompanied that article? ;)

--Ethan
 
hahaha...yes, i did see the pictures, but to my eyes, i see pictures with the foil facing out, and also pictures with the foil not facing out. i realize that you were testing to see which was more effective, with the FRK or without, so i suppose my question is, is it assumed that "with the FRK" means "FRK facing into the room"?
 
Mal,

> i see pictures with the foil facing out, and also pictures with the foil not facing out <

The photos where you see no foil are panels that have no foil. We tested them with foil, then peeled the foil off and tested again.

Anyway, sorry to be a pain. :D

The short answer is they all absorb bass better when the foil faces the room.

--Ethan
 
Ethan Winer said:
Mal,
Anyway, sorry to be a pain. :D

The short answer is they all absorb bass better when the foil faces the room.

--Ethan
Click to expand...


its alright, i appreciate your help :)

so my question then is, i understand that having the foil face the room increases the higher reflections compared to if the foil was not facing the room...wouldnt that make an undesirable noticeable difference? another thing, i was planning on just getting a lot of 1 inch thick, and then just stacking them according to what i needed, stacking 4 for the corners and then 2 or something for the walls/ceiling...should i still do that, and get all 705-FRK? or should i just get 705-FRK for bass trapping and then get just plain 705 or even 703 for the walls/ceiling?
 
SOOM,

> i understand that having the foil face the room increases the higher reflections compared to if the foil was not facing the room...wouldnt that make an undesirable noticeable difference? <

Not for bass traps in the corners, but you don't want to use the faced type for other places where mids and highs need to be absorbed.

> i was planning on just getting a lot of 1 inch thick <

Yeah, you can do that, but I think it will be more work to wrap them and get them to stay lined up and looking good. If it were me I'd get 4-inch 705 FRK for corner trapping, and 2-inch 703 for everything else.

--Ethan
 
Ethan Winer said:
SOOM,
> i was planning on just getting a lot of 1 inch thick <

Yeah, you can do that, but I think it will be more work to wrap them and get them to stay lined up and looking good. If it were me I'd get 4-inch 705 FRK for corner trapping, and 2-inch 703 for everything else.
Click to expand...
That has not been my experience, at least with unfaced boards. The fiberous nature of the 703 makes them cling together quite nicely. That would be an entirely different matter with the slippery surface of FRK.

If I were manufacturing panels for sale it would be a different matter, but I like the flexibility of just taking a bale of one inch panels and experimenting with thicknesses and positions until I am happy with the result, then covering them.
 
Inno,

> The fiberous nature of the 703 makes them cling together quite nicely. <

Good point. I was thinking about the edges possibly looking a little uneven. But you're right, it's a minor point.

--Ethan
 
ethan, i had a question for you. i was just checking out the specs on the 700 series on the owens corning website, at this link - http://www.owenscorning.com/comminsul/documents/Fiberglas700Series.pdf.

i was looking at the absorption coefficients on the second page. looking at the 2 inch thicknesses, it looks to me that actually 703-FRK has a higher absorption than 705-FRK! i know you say that 705-FRK is the best for bass trapping, but wouldnt this suggest that 703-FRK would be better? what do you think?
 
Rockwool

Ethan,

You mainly use the 3lb fiberglass. What are your thoughts on the more dense rockwool or mineral wool at 8 lb. would the thick density reflect rather than absorb? The product is still soft enough to soak up the sound. wouldn't denser be better...
 
If you hunt around there is a link to some experiments that Ethan did about 3 vs 5 lb stuff and faced vs unfaced.

What is sometimes lost from those comparisons is that you don't pay much for air.

In other words the 5lb stuff is more expensive than the 3lb stuff because there is more fiberglass and less air. The small difference in bass absorbtion is not really justified by the extra cost.

If you were a manufacturer or an architect you need to come up with an optimal design right off. The advantage to a home based personal studio is that you can just get a bale and experiment until you are satisfied. I have a hard time envisioning the home space that could not be pretty well tamed with one bale of 703.
 
I have exhausted all efforts to buy a bale of OC703 in New Mexico. I travel to Mesa, AZ pretty frequently, does anyone know of a source in the Phoenix/Mesa area that will sell me one bale? Or a place that will mail me a bale?

Please help,

rpe
 
iN CHICAGO CALL 630-862-2623.

AMERISAFE STOCKS FIBERGLASS BOARD 3# WITH FSK FACING.
THEY WILL SHIP ANYWHERE UPS.

I THINK THE CHEAPER PRODUCT WOULD BE MINERAL WOOL...
 
providence

anyone know of a Providence, RI area supplier?

Ethan, the information you disseminate is extremely helpful, thank you. I know you have a product you could push instead of giving away research, someday I hope I'll have the budget to get some of your traps. thanks.
 
figure I should follow up

I contacted SPI today in Pawtucket (pronounced puhtuckit by the locals) and a guy named Pete helped me out and got me all the type 703 OC I wanted. Thanks very much Ethan, again your information has come in very handy.

I must admit that calling places that contractors are the typical clients and asking for small quantities feels odd, but they made me feel very welcome with my small order.

With that in mind I'll throw this little tidbit out there -> for plumbing supplies in the Providence area The Portland Group is equally friendly and has a lot of stuff not available in the Lowes Depot type stores.
 
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