Stereo Components Cooling Fan - Question

[Reddog900]

I want to place some stereo equipment within an cabinet but I am concerned about the heat buildup within this cabinet. It is a enclosed cabinet, without a front panel that is going underneath stairs and I want to install a 120v radial fan on the back panel to draw the hot air out of this cabinet. I will also vent this hot air that will be pushed under the stairs out into an adjoining room so that this crawlspace does not become pressurized.

 

That being said, I am not able to find any information about the size/cfm radial fan I need or how I can wire this unit into some thermocoupler that will automatically start the fan as the temperature within the cabinet increases. Radio Shack has a 4 inch radial fan that puts out 65 CFM and another that puts out 35CFM. How much CFM do I need and where can I get a 120v thermocoupler?

 

Does anyone have any insight?

 

Thanks for your help

[David]

There's a thread over on the AVS forums that's loaded with info and options: clicky

 

And this looks like a fairly simple solution, from SmartHome.

 

I'd be wary of noise issues.

[Jerry Johnston]

If you want inexpensive, I'd put two of these 120mm fans in and use a 12vdc power supply from Radio Shack to drive them. The fans are $4.95ea from mwave.com mwave.com url

[Aluminum_Butt]

Personally, I'd skip the thermocouple. Seems like it's making it overly complicated. If the equipment is on, just turn the fan on. You can likely do that with a 120V switched outlet on the back of your receiver/amp.

 

As for CFM - I think that would require some serious math. I don't know the equation, but I suspect several pieces of information would be needed:

 

1. Dimensions of cabinet

2. BTU output of equipment

3. Temperature of ambient air

4. Desired temperature in cabinet

 

As for me, I'd buy the 65CFM fan and see how that works - trial and error.

[Ken H.]

What kind of wattages of equipment are we talking about here? A typical off the shelf home receiver/amp, or a mega-watt theater system?

 

If the former, I think the days of high heat producing equipment and the potential for damage are pretty much gone. Allow for some natural air flow, I.e. - an inlet vent low and an outlet vent high from the space and you will be fine.

 

OTOH if you are talking about several 1000 watts or something, then some math needs to be done.

[Jake]

I agree with Ken. If you have the kind of stereo equipment that necessitates the use of a cooling fan, the last thing you want to do is attach a Radio Shack fan to anything connected to that stereo equipment!

 

You'd be surprised how well a vent under your receiver/amplifier and a vent above will efficiently exchange air - so a router with the right bit might do the trick. Unless this space is hermetically sealed, you shouldn't have any pressure issues. Decent equipment runs decently, even when uncomfortably hot. I would be sure you are not looking for a complicated solution to a problem you might not have.

[steveknapp]

I would be sure you are not looking for a complicated solution to a problem you might not have.

 

*checks URL*...even with the new format this IS BMWST.com right?

 

Of course you need a complex solution to a problem that may not exist.

[questrider]

I've wondered about this as well since I have an 800w 7.1 system that gets pretty hot in its cabinet with a glass door. Seeing that the space around the glass door and the hole in the back for wiring is sufficient to vent the system, I've only had one issue in the four years I've owned it. A few years back, we had an all day "Lord of the Rings Extended Editions" marathon party and after about 10 hours of it pushing out DTS 6.1 discrete (7 channels) at -18.0 on the volume knob, the amp just shut itself off with an error message. It was pretty hot to the touch, but not anything you could fry an egg on. Let it cool down 30 minutes, giving everyone an impromtu intermission, and it worked great again through the rest of "Return of the King". I chalked it up to it being pushed to its heat limit with 10 hours straight of pretty dynamic music and sound effects—not just your run-of-the-mill comedy/drama with mostly dialog and light music—at a theater-like volume.

 

I would say if you're not going to be doing that everyday, there isn't too much to worry about. Since then my regular two-hour movies here and there and regular television viewing habits haven't as much as hiccuped the amp. And with modern amplifiers, they usual sense when they're hot enough to start doing damage and shut themselves down. I would say try your setup first and if it doesn't shut itself off, then you're good to go. If it does, then pursue the fan issue you are trying to head off at the pass now.

[Rinkydink]

Check guitarcenter.com and search rack fans. They have rack mount setups at different price ranges. Also check musciansfriend.com. This is a long term setup you're planning and I wouldn't want to go too cheap as I don't like having to **** with it at a later date.

[Reddog900]

Thanks for all your insight. I am running 2 amps, reciever, CD and a cable/TIVO system so heat is pretty constant. The ONKYO amps are noted for be heat generators, one has a cooling fan on it. I found a source for a temp driven coolign system that will support 4 fans, YampaNet. System is a little pricy, but I would rather be safe, maybe a little overkill.

 

Thanks for all your assistance.

 

Ride safe, Ride often.