10 Easy Steps To Build A Sound Mazes For Soundproofing Air Vents

This tutorial will guide you how to soundproofing Air Vents.

If you’re like me, who cannot sleep enough REM sleep because of loud outdoor noise, I’m sure you’ve made a few attempts to create a soundproofed room.

A room’s soundproofing can be a daunting task. There is a myriad of ways that sound can pass through or out of any space. 

You may have sealed your windows, walls, and doors and find that the sound is coming through the ventilation systems.

Although you can soundproof your vent with the ventilator cover, it’s not ideal since it can block airflow.

Keep reading this article to learn more about ways you can soundproof the vent, including the best method to do so without obstructing airflow.

Typically, vents are located on top of doors. They are prevalent in areas that are prone to high temperatures.

When the air temperature is pushed into a room, it will flow through vents in the door, which helps in reducing the temperature.

A sound maze is an effective way to make air vents soundproof without restricting the movement of air.

This tutorial will guide how to make a sound maze to prevent outside noise from the air vents.

Note: Some links contain affiliate links, which means I may earn a small fee from qualifying purchases at no extra cost.

What is Sound Mazes?

Sound Mazes let air flow easily through the air vent , while they are extremely efficient at blocking the outside sound.

A sound Maze is made of a combination of soundproofing materials such as Acoustic foam, plywood, and other equipment like green glue, screwdriver, measuring tape, and more.

Sound Mazes is the best option for soundproofing air vents.

Let’s see how you can make sound mazes at home.

Also Read: 3 Best Budget Door Sweep Soundproof for Seals Gap Below The Door

Tools Required To Make A Sound Maze

Creating a sound maze could be difficult, but making sure you have the correct equipment at the beginning can help make the task faster and simpler. For creating an in-air sound maze, you’ll need.

• Plywood
• A Screwdriver
• Acoustic Foam
• Green Glue
• A Stanley Knife
• A measuring tape
• A small wood saw
• A step ladder

If you want to make your air vents soundproof, then these above tools are required to finish you job. If you don’t have the required tools, then you can buy it from store or online.

How To Soundproof An Air Vents: 10 Simple Ways To Build Sound Maze

The following diagram shows an outline of how you should construct the ventilation maze.

The plan is to cover the inside of your vent as much as possible using Acoustic foam because this can reduce echo.

To create your air vent maze follow these steps:

1. Remove the air vent covers with the help of a screwdriver.
2. Measure the internal size of your air vent with a measuring tape (note down the size on the piece of paper).
3. Cut the plywood at the same size that you noted down on the paper. Make sure plywood will fit inside the vent.
4. Cut around 30 percent off of the surface of your plywood, to provide enough space for air to flow.
5. At least four plywood inserts, and preferably more if there is enough space in your air vent to accommodate the inserts.
6. The side of the wood with an acoustic foil. This will prevent echoing off of the walls and aid in absorbing the energy of sound before it gets to your vent.
7. Adhere the panel edges with glue, then fix them inside an air vent.
8. You should leave around 1″ approximately 2.5cm in space. The closer your panels are , and the greater number of panels you choose to use, the better your overall soundproofing effect .
9. Cover the sides , as well as the both the top and bottom of your air vents with acoustic insulation as you move. It can be a bit fiddly, so it might be better to cover the entire inside with acoustic foam prior to when you begin adding in the panels. You can then simply cut a small hole in the foam and glue each panel into. This can help to decrease echo.
10. Connect the air vent covers , and it’s done!

The myth about Acoustic Soundproofing Foam

Generally, we don’t recommend using acoustic foam in soundproofing projects.

Because acoustic foam is designed to reduce echo, it is not for soundproofing rooms or air vents. 

It isn’t designed to block sound but rather is intended to improve sound quality in a room.

Acoustic foam is used explicitly in sound recording studios or cinemas. If you’re a musician and want to make a soundproof room, you can go with acoustic foam.

However, reducing echo can make a big difference with air vents as they are often very echoey, especially if they are made of metal.

To make your air vents soundproof by using acoustic foam, remove the covers for your air vents, then apply acoustic insulation to an inside cover of your vent, making sure that the foam can cover every gap.

This applies to both vent covers, both the external and internal.

Although this technique is not nearly the same as creating a maze of sound, it could help to reduce background noise while allowing air to flow freely across the air vent.

Bonus Method for Soundproofing an Air Vents

You can use these two bonus methods to soundproof your air vents.

Method #1. Fill the vent with a sealant

Another method of soundproofing a vent is to seal the gap with a sealant. Make the soundproofing gap.

It is not possible with green glue. Instead of using green glue, you can use expanding foam to fill the entire gap.

Use Insulating Foam Sealant to fill the Gaps (it will cost around $5 to $8).

Apply the sealant generously to the interior of the air vent. The sealant will expand to fill the space (add additional if necessary).

It will take only just a few minutes to set, and once it is set, it will form an the air and watertight seal within the vent.

After it is set, use the sandpaper to smooth it out on both ends of the wall so that you can put the vent cover back onto.

Here’s the final result It’s all done!

It is the most efficient, simple and most affordable method to soundproof your air vent. It is as efficient as the other options that are discussed here.

Method #2. Cover The Air Vent

So, if you don’t want to invest money in soundproof material and don’t want to block air vents, you can go with this method.

In this case, you need to cover the vent with a temporary cover.

For that, you can use a soundproof blanket or a soundproof curtain. If you have a curtain for windows or doors, you can cut it into the size of the air vent and install a curtain rail above your air vent, then hang a curtain on it.

If you don’t want to cut the curtain, fold it into two to three layers and hang it on the curtain rail.

I use this method because the curtain won’t block air from getting through the vent, but it helps to reduce outside noise.

Also, in the summer months, we can open up the curtains easy to get hot air from the air vents.

Final Thought

I hope this article helped you to minimize the outside noise from your air vents. I recommended you use a sound maze for soundproofing air vents.

Sound Mazes allow air to flow freely through the air vent while being extremely effective at blocking outside sound. That’s the reason this technique is suitable for soundproofing air vents.