Anybody know how to tame a fireplace screen?

[Early B.]

I have a fireplace screen in my den where the HT is. When my Hsu sub starts to rumble, the fireplace screen vibrates. It's a bit annoying. I really don't want to remove it every time I watch a movie or listen to music.

Any suggestions?

[brettw22]

Is that a fireplace screen with glass? interlinked chains? what's it made out of?

I can't think of a way to silence either of those other than to remove them.......or if possible put some sort of foam feet/padding on them at the contact points to see if the vibrations can be controlled from the ground source. Through the air though might not be possible to do...

[phoneisbusy]

Is it free standing or part of the fireplace?

regards

Dave

[Early B.]

The fireplace screen is one of those tri-fold, freestanding types. No glass, but with a metal mesh throughout.

[phoneisbusy]

I'd try Brett's suggestion of foam padding or something under the feet/contact points of screen. Probably won't work if you want to use the HT and have a fire though...

[RuSsMaN]

I'd start from the other direction, at the sub itself.

Got anything under it? Garden Slate perhaps?

Just a thought.

Cheers,
Russ

[faster100]

I have wood floors and had terrible vibration until i installed 2 16x16" slabs under it, of the garden variety. and painted it black. works great, The sub weighs 115 lbs, so it weighs the stones down nicely.

[madmax]

You could use the subwoofer box as firewood.
madmax

[Early B.]

Yeah, I got a concrete slab under the sub. I guess my only option is to remove it when listening to bass heavy movies or music. Because of the mesh screen, I think it's gonna rattle no matter what I do to it.

[Vr3MxStyler2k3]

You can attach vibrapods under each of the feet on the fireplace screen. Just a thought...... not sure if that would work

[Jstas]

Originally posted by Early B.
Yeah, I got a concrete slab under the sub. I guess my only option is to remove it when listening to bass heavy movies or music. Because of the mesh screen, I think it's gonna rattle no matter what I do to it.

Unfortunatly, I don't think there is much you can do. I spoke with a gentleman here at work who does iron work. He has made a few fireplace screens from everything from brass to iron. He said that the screens are usually a fairly heavy guage for a screen to protect against a log rolling out and such too. Because they are a heavy guage, they need to "float" like a raised panel in a cabinet door. If they are tack welded or secured in another way, they will warp and disfigure when heated by a fire in the fireplace. What causes that is the inability of the screen to expand and contract evenly if it is secured in place.

The advice he offered was to get some putty or even clay and stuff it in strategic places in the channel that holds the screen. It won't stop the screen from vibrating but it will cut down noise. He said that it may endup hardening over time but he can't really think of anything besides lead that wouldn't harden but still allow semi-free movement of the screen under expansion and contraction. Lead, with kids and pets around, is not a good idea and IMO, not a good idea at all in a living space.

[phoneisbusy]

Okay, it's probably a dumb idea but have you tried covering the screen with a heavy blanket (one you don't mind getting dirty) or something? Something to smother the screen so that it won't rattle? Not sure if I described it properly. Grasping at straws anyways.

regards

Dave