I'm getting ready to build myself a new shop building. for various
reasons, I'm ending up with a steel stud design. the finish will be
stucco to match the house, and I'm thinking of ways to sheath, insulate
and lath without introducing plywood into the design. I'm figuring that
with the walls framed at 16"OC I can use rigid foam insulation right
over the studs, lath over that and stucco over that. it seems that the
conventional attachment for this type of construction is self-drilling
screws, which sounds ok, but I'm exploring the idea of spot welding,
both to assemble the non load bearing framing and with an autobody stud
welder to fasten the framing to the lath. anybody here have a working
knowledge of this type of equipment? the stud welder looks like it's
meant to be used in direct contact with the metal... can the stud be
extended out the nozzle an inch or so, which would allow me to
penetrate the foam to spot weld the stud to the stud, as it were. this
then begs the question of the length of studs available....

wrote:
I'm getting ready to build myself a new shop building. for various
reasons, I'm ending up with a steel stud design. the finish will be
stucco to match the house, and I'm thinking of ways to sheath, insulate
and lath without introducing plywood into the design.

The way to go. I did a steel stud shop also. 12" thick walls. All the
insulation I could put in.

Ordered the steel precut at 40% of the wood price. All the studs are
10' long/tall. Used the same steel studs for rafters. 12" again. 18'
long so building is 20 X 20 outside. Then OSB with 1" foam and chicken
wire with stucco coat. OSB on the inside. Windows on the north side
only. 5' high so as to not lose too much of the wall. Lathe and mill
are below the windows.

The walls are 10' high. Territorial style. No overhangs. Top of the
walls are stuccoed and painted with the elastomeric roof coating. This
rolls on. It was hot when we did this. So had two helpers rolling the
coating and me cutting the fabric that is saturated with the coating.
Be smart and choose a cool time for this.

Everything was designed around the other 3 walls with shelves. Costco
shelving. Steel door. AC is split type. Outside remote unit is easily
accessed from the street. Inside fan coil is high on south wall and
really cools down the shop nicely. 78 degrees when I run it. Inside
temp never above 87 degrees. Even in the hot summer spell of 100+
degree days.

All steel was ordered to size. Wastage almost zero.

I used screws for assembly. Note they now have a gun that shoots
"nails" in. The nails are copper coated and the nails are effectively
welded in pace. Works like a nail gun. Only the nails are tough to
remove.

There is a site that goes along with this type of construction. A
google search should find it.

This whole project did require extra planning but I would do it again
in a heartbeat.

For the roof I used OSB again and elastomeric roofing. Easy to do. I
live in the desert so snow load is not a factor. Slope ½" per foot. A
drain in the two lower corners. The drains go down to ground level with
the 12" walls and exit the wall just above the ground. There is a huge
oleander hedge there so they don't show.

As erection of the steel progressed the wind would make different
sounds over the steel. As more and more steel was erected the building
got tighter and tighter. One could feel it as work went along. Then
the OSB really tightend things up. I pre-assembled the walls and
erected them with some helpers.

There are holes in the steel for wiring and other utilities. There were
no grommets available for this so I used clear viny tubing from Ace.
3/8" as I recall. I split the tubing and squeezed it in place. City
electrical inspector really liked it. Big smile on his face.

I used metal 4" electrical boxes that have a bracket on them. HD. Used
the same screws to attach them. Then plaster rings as needed to mount
the appliances (receptacles and switches). Bought a 125 Amp electrical
box that would mount between the studs. Just screw it in place. Fed
from a 60 amp breaker on the main service. Gave me lots of spaces for
extra breakers.

Could go on for a long time but I am sure you get the drift. Write if
you would like.

Bob AZ

On 18 Jul 2006 21:37:31 -0700, "Bob AZ" wrote:

wrote:
I'm getting ready to build myself a new shop building. for various
reasons, I'm ending up with a steel stud design. the finish will be
stucco to match the house, and I'm thinking of ways to sheath, insulate
and lath without introducing plywood into the design.

The way to go. I did a steel stud shop also. 12" thick walls. All the
insulation I could put in.

.... snip

I used metal 4" electrical boxes that have a bracket on them. HD. Used
the same screws to attach them. Then plaster rings as needed to mount
the appliances (receptacles and switches). Bought a 125 Amp electrical
box that would mount between the studs. Just screw it in place. Fed
from a 60 amp breaker on the main service. Gave me lots of spaces for
extra breakers.

Could go on for a long time but I am sure you get the drift. Write if
you would like.

Bob AZ

Bob, if you don't mind sharing, about what did this cost? The studs were
cheaper than wood, did everything else come in lower or about the same as
well?




+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

If you're gonna be dumb, you better be tough

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

On 18 Jul 2006 18:41:09 -0700, wrote:

I'm getting ready to build myself a new shop building. for various
reasons, I'm ending up with a steel stud design. the finish will be
stucco to match the house, and I'm thinking of ways to sheath, insulate
and lath without introducing plywood into the design. I'm figuring that
with the walls framed at 16"OC I can use rigid foam insulation right
over the studs, lath over that and stucco over that. it seems that the
conventional attachment for this type of construction is self-drilling
screws, which sounds ok, but I'm exploring the idea of spot welding,
both to assemble the non load bearing framing and with an autobody stud
welder to fasten the framing to the lath. anybody here have a working
knowledge of this type of equipment? the stud welder looks like it's
meant to be used in direct contact with the metal... can the stud be
extended out the nozzle an inch or so, which would allow me to
penetrate the foam to spot weld the stud to the stud, as it were. this
then begs the question of the length of studs available....

You've already got better answers than I can give, other than the fact that my
neighbor does metal stud and texture for shopping centers and says that it's the
"only" way to go...

Mainly wanted to give my opinion on your "OT" post... how can asking for advice
on building a SHOP be OT??

OH... he said that the metal studs don't weld well because of the thin metal or
something and you can distort them... and that he buys "metal stud screws" that
look like drywall screws but are different temper or something..
Mac

https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis
https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis/wood_stuff.htm

wrote:
I'm getting ready to build myself a new shop building. for various
reasons, I'm ending up with a steel stud design snip

Why not wood? How big is this building to be? For commercial use?

JP

Can't see welding a stud through the foam as the foam will melt a large hole
around each stud. If you weld the studs before you foam, you will have
problems aligning the foam against other sheets as you mark the holes to
drill or poke through the foam. Screws allow the foam to be fitted tight and
then drilled through the foam into the stud.

wrote in message
oups.com...
I'm getting ready to build myself a new shop building. for various
reasons, I'm ending up with a steel stud design. the finish will be
stucco to match the house, and I'm thinking of ways to sheath, insulate
and lath without introducing plywood into the design. I'm figuring that
with the walls framed at 16"OC I can use rigid foam insulation right
over the studs, lath over that and stucco over that. it seems that the
conventional attachment for this type of construction is self-drilling
screws, which sounds ok, but I'm exploring the idea of spot welding,
both to assemble the non load bearing framing and with an autobody stud
welder to fasten the framing to the lath. anybody here have a working
knowledge of this type of equipment? the stud welder looks like it's
meant to be used in direct contact with the metal... can the stud be
extended out the nozzle an inch or so, which would allow me to
penetrate the foam to spot weld the stud to the stud, as it were. this
then begs the question of the length of studs available....

EXT wrote:
Can't see welding a stud through the foam as the foam will melt a large hole
around each stud. If you weld the studs before you foam, you will have
problems aligning the foam against other sheets as you mark the holes to
drill or poke through the foam. Screws allow the foam to be fitted tight and
then drilled through the foam into the stud.

yeah, melting the foam is one worry. but the dent puller stud is a
thin piece of wire, and the framing stud is thin sheet metal, so the
amount of energy applied should be pretty small. it MAY be that the
amount of melting would be small enough to not be a problem....

mac davis wrote:

Mainly wanted to give my opinion on your "OT" post... how can asking for advice
on building a SHOP be OT??


I guess because the building construction would be wood free...

Bob AZ wrote:

All steel was ordered to size. Wastage almost zero.

I used screws for assembly. Note they now have a gun that shoots
"nails" in. The nails are copper coated and the nails are effectively
welded in pace. Works like a nail gun. Only the nails are tough to
remove.

There is a site that goes along with this type of construction. A
google search should find it.

Bob AZ

can you give me a keyword?

wrote in message
oups.com...
I'm getting ready to build myself a new shop building. for various
reasons, I'm ending up with a steel stud design. the finish will be
stucco to match the house, and I'm thinking of ways to sheath, insulate
and lath without introducing plywood into the design. I'm figuring that
with the walls framed at 16"OC I can use rigid foam insulation right
over the studs, lath over that and stucco over that. it seems that the
conventional attachment for this type of construction is self-drilling
screws, which sounds ok, but I'm exploring the idea of spot welding,
both to assemble the non load bearing framing and with an autobody stud
welder to fasten the framing to the lath. anybody here have a working
knowledge of this type of equipment? the stud welder looks like it's
meant to be used in direct contact with the metal... can the stud be
extended out the nozzle an inch or so, which would allow me to
penetrate the foam to spot weld the stud to the stud, as it were. this
then begs the question of the length of studs available....

I don't know for sure, but I like the idea of "spot" welding the studs in
place.

Dave



Posted Via Usenet.com Premium Usenet Newsgroup Services
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Jay Pique wrote:
wrote:
I'm getting ready to build myself a new shop building. for various
reasons, I'm ending up with a steel stud design snip

Why not wood?

termites are an issue here. I started out with a more conventional
design, but one component at a time started looking like steel would be
a good fit.

How big is this building to be?

about 1300 sq ft.

For commercial use?

not all of it will be shop, but most of it will. this is a one man,
personal shop. a bit more than a hobby shop, as woodworking is how I
pay the bills, but as it's at my house, on residential land, it will be
built as a garage. yeah, for my big RV... ;)

Mark & Juanita wrote:
Bob, if you don't mind sharing, about what did this cost? The studs were
cheaper than wood, did everything else come in lower or about the same as
well?

Mark & Juanita

The studs were about $11.00 each. 12" X 10'. 18 guage as I remember.
Maybe 16 guage. Wood 2X12 10' were $18.00. I spent about $4000.00 for
the shop including the 6" 3500 pound concrete floor. Concrere was
$54.00 a yard then. Year 2000 pricing. I went overboard on the electric
and AC. Steel door and frame was $12.00 at an auction. Windows were
$54.00 at HD. Custom size. Roofing was about $250.00. Have 10 extra
gallons of elestomeric coating for the future. The electric boxes were
14 cents on closeout at HD. Had almost all the electric wiring.
Engiineering for the studs etc was $125.00. He made suggestions that
saved me twice that. Permits $100.00. OSB was on sale at $4.00 a sheet.

I did all the steel erection myself except for setting up the walls. I
assembled the walls on the floor. Some friends helped me set them up.
About 1 hour. Screw gun was $95.00 from HD. A Dewalt. Figured it
would last for just the job. Still going strong. Found some bits for
$1.00 that lasted all day long. The cheap best ones from HD were junk.
I got my money back.

The secret is to shop-shop-shop. If you don't like the pricing hold on
until you do.

Bob AZ

Jay Pique wrote:
Why not wood? How big is this building to be? For commercial use?

JP

Money. Money Money. Wood is too much wastage. Termites. Rot. Simple
construction.

Bob AZ

wrote:
Bob AZ wrote:

All steel was ordered to size. Wastage almost zero.


can you give me a keyword?

steel stud framing

Bob AZ

On 18 Jul 2006 18:41:09 -0700, wrote:

I'm getting ready to build myself a new shop building. for various
reasons, I'm ending up with a steel stud design. the finish will be
stucco to match the house, and I'm thinking of ways to sheath, insulate
and lath without introducing plywood into the design. I'm figuring that
with the walls framed at 16"OC I can use rigid foam insulation right
over the studs, lath over that and stucco over that.

Snip

I don't do steel stud construction much, but the stuff I've used seems
a little flimsy to use nothing but foam and metal lath on it. Before
you get too far along, I'd do a search or two on shear panel
requirements for steel stud framing- you don't want it blowing over
the first time a big gust of wind hits it! When you do regular stick
framing, the sheathing provides most of the lateral strength of the
building, and it just doesn't seem like foam would be enough to keep
the thing from flattening out given enough wind on the gable ends.

That isn't to say it needs plywood- it might be a matter of lateral
strapping every so many inches on the studs or something similar, but
it's definately worth your while to check on it.

wrote:
Jay Pique wrote:
wrote:
I'm getting ready to build myself a new shop building. for various
reasons, I'm ending up with a steel stud design snip

Why not wood?

termites are an issue here. I started out with a more conventional
design, but one component at a time started looking like steel would be
a good fit.

Those little suckers can really do some damage. I was really just
wondering.

How big is this building to be?

about 1300 sq ft.

Nice. I like the size. A cabinetmaker I worked for built a 3200 sq
ft. pole barn for his shop and I think it was too big. It wasn't so
much that you were walking from machine to machine all the time, but
that there was no real incentive to make things convenient, or
ergonomic, or "boat-like". Even with all that space it seemed like it
got crowded in a hurry with half finished work and repair jobs that
never seemed to be a priority. Plus, I just finished a few of Sara
Susanka's "Not So Big House" books, so that's fresh in my mind too!

For commercial use?

not all of it will be shop, but most of it will. this is a one man,
personal shop. a bit more than a hobby shop, as woodworking is how I
pay the bills, but as it's at my house, on residential land, it will be
built as a garage. yeah, for my big RV... ;)

Good luck, and have fun with it. (The shop and the RV.)

JP

"Prometheus" wrote in message
news

I don't do steel stud construction much, but the stuff I've used seems
a little flimsy to use nothing but foam and metal lath on it. Before
you get too far along, I'd do a search or two on shear panel
requirements for steel stud framing- you don't want it blowing over
the first time a big gust of wind hits it!

Simething to chew on, a builder in Houston IIRC Perry Homes, built homes
with steel studs in the SW Houston, Sugarland area off of HWY6. The homes
used wood for headers but the studs were all steel. These homes are doing
well 10 years later.

Also in SW Houston, Hawthorn Suites a hotel chain, was building a 2 story
hotel and was in the process of adding the roof. At the time no interrior
or exterior covering had been attached to the walls. We had a small front
blow through and the whole structure folded and came down. All wood
construction and at least one person was killed. The whole site had to be
cleared and started from the foundation.

As you stated, the wall covering material adds the strength. The home
builder used sheet rock as he would have had he been using wood studs.

Leon wrote:
in SW Houston, Hawthorn Suites a hotel chain, was building a 2 story
hotel and was in the process of adding the roof. At the time no interrior
or exterior covering had been attached to the walls. We had a small front
blow through and the whole structure folded and came down. All wood
construction and at least one person was killed. The whole site had to be
cleared and started from the foundation.

3 or 4 sheets of shear panels at strategic corners would probably have
held it. that was one expensive mistake.

On 20 Jul 2006 21:35:35 -0700, wrote:


that's the engineer's job...

Ahhh. Well, sounds like you're all set to go then.

When you do regular stick
framing, the sheathing provides most of the lateral strength of the
building, and it just doesn't seem like foam would be enough to keep
the thing from flattening out given enough wind on the gable ends.

the stucco provides a lot more shear than the foam. drywall on the
inside provides a fair bit also. prolly the injuneer will want some
cross brace straps anyway.

I guess my thought was based on hanging the lath over the foam and
attaching that lath with screws or nails through a layer of foam
board. When they're hanging out like that, they're not very strong.
No idea how strong stucco is by itself, as I've only put it over
sheathing on regular framed walls, and old stuff I've removed from
time to time seems to bust up pretty easily. Didn't know you were
drywalling, that does change things a bit.



That isn't to say it needs plywood- it might be a matter of lateral
strapping

diagonal is my guess.

Yeah, or both. Lateral strapping works fine if it's folded on either
edge with relief cuts for the studs. Diagonal straps always look
useless to me, as people rarely get the suckers tight enough.

Anyhow, if you've got an engineer on the job, I'm sure you've got it
under control. I was thinking it might be a DIY job that was by guess
and by gosh, and I'd hate to hear about a guy's shop getting whacked
over by the first good storm to roll along.

On Fri, 21 Jul 2006 13:23:40 GMT, "Leon"
wrote:


"Prometheus" wrote in message
news

I don't do steel stud construction much, but the stuff I've used seems
a little flimsy to use nothing but foam and metal lath on it. Before
you get too far along, I'd do a search or two on shear panel
requirements for steel stud framing- you don't want it blowing over
the first time a big gust of wind hits it!

Simething to chew on, a builder in Houston IIRC Perry Homes, built homes
with steel studs in the SW Houston, Sugarland area off of HWY6. The homes
used wood for headers but the studs were all steel. These homes are doing
well 10 years later.

Oh yeah, I know they're fine when used properly. I just had an image
in my mind of 3" screws holding on lathe through 2" of foam board, and
then thought of how easily I can break off a screw that is hanging out
that far. Even with a good stucco mix, it seemed like it's not quite
enough for a good building- some of these things are designed to a
hair's breadth of disaster.

Also in SW Houston, Hawthorn Suites a hotel chain, was building a 2 story
hotel and was in the process of adding the roof. At the time no interrior
or exterior covering had been attached to the walls. We had a small front
blow through and the whole structure folded and came down. All wood
construction and at least one person was killed. The whole site had to be
cleared and started from the foundation.

As you stated, the wall covering material adds the strength. The home
builder used sheet rock as he would have had he been using wood studs.

"Leon"
Simething to chew on, a builder in Houston IIRC Perry Homes, built homes
with steel studs in the SW Houston, Sugarland area off of HWY6. The homes
used wood for headers but the studs were all steel. These homes are doing
well 10 years later.

Hey Leon, I have a neighbor with a steel stud framed house and if he holds
the bedroom door open just right - he hears a radio station in his head!
;~)

Dave

Prometheus wrote:

Anyhow, if you've got an engineer on the job, I'm sure you've got it
under control. I was thinking it might be a DIY job that was by guess
and by gosh, and I'd hate to hear about a guy's shop getting whacked
over by the first good storm to roll along.

I'll skirt the edge of seat-of-the-pants-diy as close as I can. I think
the engineer will be cost effective both for allowing me not to
expensively overbuild and for easing my drawings through the building
department with that all important stamp on it.

"Teamcasa" wrote in message
...

"Leon"
Simething to chew on, a builder in Houston IIRC Perry Homes, built homes
with steel studs in the SW Houston, Sugarland area off of HWY6. The
homes used wood for headers but the studs were all steel. These homes
are doing well 10 years later.

Hey Leon, I have a neighbor with a steel stud framed house and if he holds
the bedroom door open just right - he hears a radio station in his head!
;~)

Dave

LOL... I often wonder it all that steel would be a problem with radio or
TV reception from indoor antennas.

That said, my house has an Aluminum roof that looks like Cedar Shakes. No
reception problems at all.

TV would be little to no problem. FM radio would be degraded. AM radio would
have the biggest problem. Would need to be near a window or have outside
antenna.

"Leon" wrote in message
.com...

LOL... I often wonder it all that steel would be a problem with radio or
TV reception from indoor antennas.

"CW" wrote in message
ink.net...
TV would be little to no problem. FM radio would be degraded. AM radio
would
have the biggest problem. Would need to be near a window or have outside
antenna.

FM suffers none that I remember from before and AM is fine also. Oddly the
local weather radio stations do not come in at all.

On Sun, 23 Jul 2006 16:46:34 GMT, "Leon"
wrote:


"Teamcasa" wrote in message
...

"Leon"
Simething to chew on, a builder in Houston IIRC Perry Homes, built homes
with steel studs in the SW Houston, Sugarland area off of HWY6. The
homes used wood for headers but the studs were all steel. These homes
are doing well 10 years later.

Hey Leon, I have a neighbor with a steel stud framed house and if he holds
the bedroom door open just right - he hears a radio station in his head!
;~)

Dave

LOL... I often wonder it all that steel would be a problem with radio or
TV reception from indoor antennas.

That said, my house has an Aluminum roof that looks like Cedar Shakes. No
reception problems at all.


The only effective RF shield is a continuous metal grid on all sides,
top and bottom. It is called a Faraday cage. So, if you have a metal
layer in both the subfloor and ceiling, and all of those studs are
electrically connected to them and each other, and you install metal
cross braces every 16", you would reduce the strength of all signals
below about 300 MHz, so channels 7 to 13 might have more snow than the
neighbors do, but 2-6 and FM would be much weaker. The commercial AM
band would be much weaker still, which might not be a bad idea.

For any one interested in the theory, a wire mesh screen will reflect
signals whose wavelength is longer than twice the size of the space
between the wires. Twice 16" would be 32 inches, just less than one
meter. For a wavelength of 1 meter, the frequency is 300 MHz. The
reflection is not total, and the change is not instantaneous, but
gradually becomes exponentially stronger as the frequency drops. At
300 MHz, the signal would be half reflected. at 150 MHz about 3/4,
etc. FM broadcasts are grouped around 100 MHz, between TV channels 6
and 7. AM is way down at 1MHz.

On the other hand, a steel building sitting on the ground pretty much
blocks everything.

Bob McConnell
N2SPP

Good explanation bob. After saying something, I started to wonder exactly
how much steel was in a house. Probably varies depending on the builder.
"Bob McConnell" wrote in message The only
effective RF shield is a continuous metal grid on all sides,
top and bottom. It is called a Faraday cage. So, if you have a metal
layer in both the subfloor and ceiling, and all of those studs are
electrically connected to them and each other, and you install metal
cross braces every 16", you would reduce the strength of all signals
below about 300 MHz, so channels 7 to 13 might have more snow than the
neighbors do, but 2-6 and FM would be much weaker. The commercial AM
band would be much weaker still, which might not be a bad idea.

For any one interested in the theory, a wire mesh screen will reflect
signals whose wavelength is longer than twice the size of the space
between the wires. Twice 16" would be 32 inches, just less than one
meter. For a wavelength of 1 meter, the frequency is 300 MHz. The
reflection is not total, and the change is not instantaneous, but
gradually becomes exponentially stronger as the frequency drops. At
300 MHz, the signal would be half reflected. at 150 MHz about 3/4,
etc. FM broadcasts are grouped around 100 MHz, between TV channels 6
and 7. AM is way down at 1MHz.

On the other hand, a steel building sitting on the ground pretty much
blocks everything.

Bob McConnell
N2SPP

On Sun, 23 Jul 2006 16:46:34 GMT, "Leon"
wrote:


"Teamcasa" wrote in message
...

"Leon"
Simething to chew on, a builder in Houston IIRC Perry Homes, built homes
with steel studs in the SW Houston, Sugarland area off of HWY6. The
homes used wood for headers but the studs were all steel. These homes
are doing well 10 years later.

Hey Leon, I have a neighbor with a steel stud framed house and if he holds
the bedroom door open just right - he hears a radio station in his head!
;~)

Dave

LOL... I often wonder it all that steel would be a problem with radio or
TV reception from indoor antennas.

That said, my house has an Aluminum roof that looks like Cedar Shakes. No
reception problems at all.

As an interesting aside, my window shaker AC unit in the bedroom plays
music very softly when it's running. Took quite a few times getting
up to see which radio had been left on before I tried turning that
off, and the quiet tunes stopped. Must be some kind of wierd thing
with the fan spinning inside a farraday cage, or my brain is just
filling in the static, though it doesn't happen with a white noise
machine. I figure it's probably not me, though- it's usually stuff I
don't listen to, and comes complete with commericals.

"Prometheus" wrote in message
...

As an interesting aside, my window shaker AC unit in the bedroom plays
music very softly when it's running. Took quite a few times getting
up to see which radio had been left on before I tried turning that
off, and the quiet tunes stopped. Must be some kind of wierd thing
with the fan spinning inside a farraday cage, or my brain is just
filling in the static, though it doesn't happen with a white noise
machine. I figure it's probably not me, though- it's usually stuff I
don't listen to, and comes complete with commericals.

Could that be a neighbors radio playing? If you are letting outside air
mix, the sound could be coming in when the unit is on and its out side air
door is open.

"Prometheus" wrote in message

As an interesting aside, my window shaker AC unit in the bedroom plays
music very softly when it's running. Took quite a few times getting
up to see which radio had been left on before I tried turning that
off, and the quiet tunes stopped. Must be some kind of weird thing
with the fan spinning inside a farraday cage, or my brain is just
filling in the static, though it doesn't happen with a white noise
machine. I figure it's probably not me, though- it's usually stuff I
don't listen to, and comes complete with commericals.

Have you done anything to try and fix the problem? ~ maybe an extra
grounding wire attached to the case exterior or something?

On Tue, 25 Jul 2006 02:39:03 GMT, "Leon"
wrote:


"Prometheus" wrote in message
.. .

As an interesting aside, my window shaker AC unit in the bedroom plays
music very softly when it's running. Took quite a few times getting
up to see which radio had been left on before I tried turning that
off, and the quiet tunes stopped. Must be some kind of wierd thing
with the fan spinning inside a farraday cage, or my brain is just
filling in the static, though it doesn't happen with a white noise
machine. I figure it's probably not me, though- it's usually stuff I
don't listen to, and comes complete with commericals.

Could that be a neighbors radio playing? If you are letting outside air
mix, the sound could be coming in when the unit is on and its out side air
door is open.

Could be, but I'm in an awful quiet neighborhood- and the outside air
vent stays closed to keep the humidity out. Probably some oddball
combo of directional placement, circuit boards and dental fillings all
aligned "just so".

On Tue, 25 Jul 2006 01:39:24 -0400, "Upscale"
wrote:

"Prometheus" wrote in message

As an interesting aside, my window shaker AC unit in the bedroom plays
music very softly when it's running. Took quite a few times getting
up to see which radio had been left on before I tried turning that
off, and the quiet tunes stopped. Must be some kind of weird thing
with the fan spinning inside a farraday cage, or my brain is just
filling in the static, though it doesn't happen with a white noise
machine. I figure it's probably not me, though- it's usually stuff I
don't listen to, and comes complete with commericals.

Have you done anything to try and fix the problem? ~ maybe an extra
grounding wire attached to the case exterior or something?

Nah- it's just weird. By the time my head hits the pillow, I'm done
for most nights, so it's really not a problem. Working 12+ hours in
the sun on a day when you *need* a/c is better than a sleeping pill-
the neighbors could be blasting heavy metal next to the window, and it
wouldn't matter a bit.