What will happen if...

M

MrLip

New member
What will happen if I use a "split system" air-con (one that does not add fresh air from the outside) in a practically air-tight room?

I know the simple answer: I'll eventually run out of fresh air.

That's the answer, theoretically speaking. But I was wondering, if in practice, this type of setup was admissible?

According to The SAE site:

Lots of home studios have a split system (That's when the compressor is external and the fan unit is in the room) There is no air exchange and if you are recording quiet instruments you just turn it off for a while. It is the cheapest system and, to be honest, the most common. Fresh air is achieved by leaving the doors open when isolation is not required.
Click to expand...

I will be working in this room everyday, often for 2-3 hours without leaving the room. And it's not always convenient to leave the doors open (heat and/or mosquitos.)

The room is approx. 6x4 meters and usually there will be 1-3 ppl working in the room at a time.

If this is a bad idea, are there any ways to ventilate a room without investing in an expensive "fully external system" that provides fresh air from the outside?

How are you guys ventilating your rooms?

Thanks
 
I'm not as versed on AC as I need to be (yet) but I wouldn't recommend the "open door to breathe" method with that small a room and more than one person - oxygen depletion isn't something you want to mess around with. My last room was 4m x 12m x 2.7m high, and with just me in it I still started to notice stuffiness in an hour or two.

Where heat and bugs enter into the picture, I don't know of a cheaper way than REAL fresh air AC, that won't cause problems... Steve
 
The typical method for meeting indoor air requirements on that type of system is to have a correctly sized second duct piped from OSA to the fan return inlet, preferably prior to the filters. If the room is truly air tight, you'd want an exhaust path of some means also.
Taken a step further, would be to increase both paths and add temperature controls and economizer dampers for free cooling.
:D
Wayne
 
Thanks everyone.

knightfly: would the type of S duct vent mentioned in the vocal booth thread work?

mixsit: OSA?
 
"would the type of S duct vent mentioned in the vocal booth thread work?" -

Sound wise, yes - the runs would need to be relatively longand lined with duct board, and the ducts large enough in cross-section to keep air velocity down - noise caused by moving air is roughly equal to the 4th or 5th POWER of the velocity, so a reduction in velocity by using larger ducting is VERY noticeable by a large decrease in noise.

However, I don't think a mini-split would fare very well in high humidity areas when bringing outside air in. The bug problem is another reason not to.

IF you have acoustic guitars and/or piano, humidity is another reason to go with a real system - you want to keep humidity down to around 42-44% for both pianos and acoustic guitars, for best instrument health. This is not easy without a complete AC system taking moisture out of the air by chilling the outside air... Steve
 
Health concerns aside, I would imagine that an AC system that blows without sucking (pardon me) would endure great strain and soon go belly up.

These systems are designed for free ingress and egress of airflow. Mess with that at the peril of your unit.
 
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