JSChapman Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 Does anyone have any ideas on how to effectively cool off components in an entertainment center? The reason I ask is I feel that my receiver is running a little hot and it seems to almost make the room feel hotter. Weird I know but, I have a few ides and one of them being an external PC fan hooked up to a dc converter. Any thoughts or suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brac Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 PC fans are fine, I even have one that runs on 120v. First though, is there plenty of room for it to breath? There should be space around it anywhere it has vents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSChapman Posted July 7, 2009 Author Share Posted July 7, 2009 First though, is there plenty of room for it to breath? There should be space around it anywhere it has vents.Well it has about 1 inch on the sides,6 inches above and about the same for the back side, open faced. It may be a little cramed in so, that could be an issue. By the way where did you get a PC fan that runs on 120v? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brac Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 That seems like enough room. I don't recall what I took this out of, but it is made by Comair Rotron, and an ebay search shows a few 115v fans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSChapman Posted July 7, 2009 Author Share Posted July 7, 2009 I'll take a quick look on ebay for the fans. Is there a simple way to tell that it is overheating. Like touch or what. I think an infared temp gun would be a last resort LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brac Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 It's not like a pass fail thing, it's just if you keep it cool it will last longer. Unless it is hot like ouch! then you may have an issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSChapman Posted July 7, 2009 Author Share Posted July 7, 2009 I like this one. http://cgi.ebay.com/Cooling-Fan-AC-115V-SUNON-Electronics-Computers-New-NR_W0QQitemZ270417600895QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3ef625217f&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A12%7C66%3A2%7C39%3A1%7C72%3A1240%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50 Correct me if I'm wrong but, I should be able to plug this fan into the back of my receivers switched plug in-put, right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebes Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 Heat being generated from receivers, or amps for that matter, is normal. Some are worse than others, and some, like my tube units, can really add noticeable heat in the warm summer months. Also, the bigger the wattage, usually the bigger the transformers, giving off more heat. After it's warmed up if it's too hot to touch than I would say it's definitely overheating. You could put an instant read kitchen thermometer on it and take a reading. Than pull the unit, place on shelf, let warm up the same amount of time and then take another reading. Chances are it's probably nothing to get worried about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSChapman Posted July 7, 2009 Author Share Posted July 7, 2009 It has never got too hot to touch so, maybe I'm just worrying about it a bit too much. Even when it runs hard like back to back action movies,loud music, or a long night of gaming it never hurts to touch it. You can feel the heat rise off it which leads me to believe that it is giving off more heat than expected. Again I'm just speculating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brac Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 Yep, that fan into a switched outlet would be automatic cooling. Sounds like your equip. is OK, but adding a fan never hurts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSChapman Posted July 7, 2009 Author Share Posted July 7, 2009 Alright, sounds good then. I'll get back to you guys when I get a fan. Thanks for the help so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 I didn't see a dB reading on that fan. You want to make sure the fan you're using isn't too loud otherwise it will be a distraction. I mounted 2 extremely quiet 12v fans on the back of my entertainment center. I ran a 12v trigger to a switched outlet of my surge protector and plugged in a 12v converter to run the fans with. It keeps things nice and cool. I've got 4 pro amps and an Anthem D2 making heat in a very small area and never have heat build up. This is a pic with my old Crown amps. You can barely see the top of one of the fans on the left side over the D2. I also put a fan on top of the D2 (black box on the right) to help pull heat off of it. Click on the pic to make it larger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Islander Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 If the back of your cabinet is closed, you might want to think about drilling a few 2-3" holes in the back panel. If the back and front of the cabinet are open, it sounds like you have enough clearance and ventilation. First, though, have you had the receiver running in the open, like not in a cabinet? It could be it just runs warm. My amps were running warmer than usual a few weeks ago. As I mentioned in a post a couple of months ago, we've got a lot of construction going on with the outside of my building and dust was everywhere, even on the shelves under the components. Last week, I lifted up the amps and wiped off the dusty shelves they were sitting on and soon they were back to their normal cool running. My best guess is that the layer of light-coloured dust reflected the heat back up toward the amplifiers much more than the clean black shelf surface. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 you need a foot or two on all sides to properly cool a component, try putting sound isolating feet under them to space them out, also try venting the top and bottom of the cabinet to let heat out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 I just looked up the specs on the fan you are thinking about ordering. 47.5 dBa. I think that it may be a little loud for your application. I'd be looking at fans rated 15 dBa or less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSChapman Posted July 8, 2009 Author Share Posted July 8, 2009 I just looked up the specs on the fan you are thinking about ordering. 47.5 dBa. I think that it may be a little loud for your application. I'd be looking at fans rated 15 dBa or less.Okay, ya I totally overlooked that. That is just a bit too loud for my tastes so, thanks for pointing that out. When I get time this afternoon I'll try it on top of my entertainment center and see if anything changes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacksonbart Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 an ice cube bath would be good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IB Slammin Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 I just looked up the specs on the fan you are thinking about ordering. 47.5 dBa. I think that it may be a little loud for your application. I'd be looking at fans rated 15 dBa or less.Okay, ya I totally overlooked that. That is just a bit too loud for my tastes so, thanks for pointing that out. When I get time this afternoon I'll try it on top of my entertainment center and see if anything changes. The Rat Shack 115v fans are 26dba and around $20 bucks. Still kind of loud even at that. tc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 I use 3 of THESE to exhaust hot air out of my equipment area. I've also changed out the 4 fans in my QSC's with Panasonic units. With all 7 fans running, it's still virtually silent. All you hear is the faintest sound of air moving but only if the volume is completely off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdotsu Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 http://www.coolerguys.com/840556088417.html Personally I like these there usb powered don't to do any wiring just plug and mount or set on top of where ever you need one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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