kde Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 How do I know if my equipment is running too hot? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich_Guy Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 What is it you are concerned about? My guess is it may be the Onkyo processor you just bought, Onkyo's do run hot by nature and this is fine but you do need to make sure that it has good ventilation. Do not stack anything directly on top of an Onkyo it should have a minimum of 2 inches above open for ventilation more is preferred, also rack cabinets should have at least either an open front or back or have a cooling fan to exhaust warm air if completely enclosed. My previous Onkyo receivers ran very hot, my Onkyo 885 processor also runs hot but not quite as hot as my previous Onkyo receivers did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kde Posted March 23, 2011 Author Share Posted March 23, 2011 What is it you are concerned about? My guess is it may be the Onkyo processor you just bought, Onkyo's do run hot by nature and this is fine but you do need to make sure that it has good ventilation. Do not stack anything directly on top of an Onkyo it should have a minimum of 2 inches above open for ventilation more is preferred, also rack cabinets should have at least either an open front or back or have a cooling fan to exhaust warm air if completely enclosed. My previous Onkyo receivers ran very hot, my Onkyo 885 processor also runs hot but not quite as hot as my previous Onkyo receivers did. This will be the first time I am using a rack, and all my slots will be filled. Therefore, the onkyo will have another equipment piece directly above it. The pieces will have shelves, but the gap between the shelves is only half an inch. From top to bottom, I'll have furman unit, then a DTV receiver, the onkyo, then an apple tv and a PS3 on the same shelf, then the UPA7, then the sub amp. The rack will be closed (with holes for the wires etc at the bottom) with two fans running to pull the heat out. However, these fans run loud -- thus I was trying to figure out how to not have hot equipment and what to do with the fans. Are the fans enough? Seems like a rack would be designed for this purpose and would be able to handle this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich_Guy Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 I don't think only 1/2 inch above the Onkyo is enough and that you definitely should do something to get at least one empty rack unit (1.75 inch) open clearance above it. It also would probably be best if the Onkyo was at the top of the rack or nearest the fans. If the racks fans are too noisy you might consider replacing them with some quieter fans, but if the rack is completely enclosed you definitely want to use exhaust fans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Kde, I don't know what type of fans you are using but this little guy dropped the inside temp in my Onkyo TX-SR705 about 20 degrees F. It will plug into the outlet on your 885 and will switch on when you power the Onkyo on. It has about (5) speed settings and sound level is whisper quiet(lowest speed) to steady hum(highest setting). It is only .67 inches tall and is placed over the warmest vent on top of your pre/pro. It extracts the hot air out the sides. http://www.buyextras.com/evavcoblfanf.html Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted March 23, 2011 Moderators Share Posted March 23, 2011 Now that is pretty slick Bill. I haven't seen one of those quite like that. Does it lock into the grooves of the receiver or just sit on top? My previous Onkyo did get pretty hot, just the nature of them. Heat is always an enemy of electronics. The cooler you can keep them, the longer they will typically last. I think 1/2" is definitely too thin of a gap for proper ventillation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kde Posted March 23, 2011 Author Share Posted March 23, 2011 This sucks... then why do people even have racks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted March 23, 2011 Moderators Share Posted March 23, 2011 Heat is always an enemy of electronics. The cooler you can keep them, the longer they will typically last. I think 1/2" is definitely too thin of a gap for proper ventillation Your right, the last thing you want to do is let the magic smoke out, there never the same again. [:@] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Does it lock into the grooves of the receiver or just sit on top? My previous Onkyo did get pretty hot, just the nature of them. Heat is always an enemy of electronics. The cooler you can keep them, the longer they will typically last. I think 1/2" is definitely too thin of a gap for proper ventillation. I have had mine for about (3) years and it keeps plugging along. You can use tiny screws to keep it in place. I just lay mine over the vents, it is not going anywhere. I just ordered me another one for my amps in my TV stand. They really do a great job of keeping the heat down. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted March 24, 2011 Moderators Share Posted March 24, 2011 That is a good idea to make one that just sits on top, and the idea to plug it in to the back of the receiver is perfect. [Y] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted March 24, 2011 Moderators Share Posted March 24, 2011 This sucks... then why do people even have racks! To tidy everything up. Good news is that you can add a fan and be ok. That is a good idea to make one that just sits on top, and the idea to plug it in to the back of the receiver is perfect. No doubt! Pretty smart idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich_Guy Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 This sucks... then why do people even have racks! There is nothing wrong with racks but you simply cannot fill up every usable space without proper planning. While it may be OK for cool running equipment to be butted up to one another, many pieces of equipment run warmer and need a little space to breath and get rid of the heat they produce. Some makers even intentionally make their rack ears so that they use more rack units than the actual equipment size to be sure that their equipment has a little breathing room and is not right against another component. You can also get rack vents to fill unused rack units between equipment which can improve ventilation and appearance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olorin Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 This sucks... then why do people even have racks! Racks are for making things look neat, and for setting up your gear in such a way that it can't get knocked over. Most gear that is designed from the outset to be rack mounted is set up with integrated forced air cooling that runs either front-to-back or back-to-front so that it doesn't need additional space for heat dissipation. Home gear, though, is generally designed to be shelved since that's how it will be used 99.some percent of the time. So, if you're going to rack up consumer gear, you have to plan for its ventilation needs and lay out your rack accordingly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kde Posted March 24, 2011 Author Share Posted March 24, 2011 Not all racks have fans... right? So, if my rack has fans... then I would think that would be sufficient to keep the gear cool enough. If it doesn't, then why add the fans in the first place? I'll see how warm it gets... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich_Guy Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 Not all racks have fans... right? So, if my rack has fans... then I would think that would be sufficient to keep the gear cool enough. If it doesn't, then why add the fans in the first place? I'll see how warm it gets... I think that you will have problems with only 1/2" above the Onkyo they do require proper ventilation and without it may have a very short life. Just because some racks, cabinets or other HT furniture is designed with little or no ventilation does not mean you are safe putting all equipment in them. Some equipment runs very warm and needs the proper ventilation to remove the heat and function properly if the the proper ventilation is not provided damage can happen in a very short time. Having a shelve directly above the Onkyo will not allow it breathing room. If nothing else eliminate the shelve above the Onkyo and use spacers about 1 inch high (taller if possible) then set the next piece of equipment above the Onkyo with the small spacers under its feet so that you can get as much free space as possible above the Onkyo. Example small round spacers 1 inch high plus maybe 3/4 inch tall feet on the component above the Onkyo = 1 3/4 inch space above the Onkyo for ventilation. Also since the vents on the Onkyo are only near the rear if the component above the Onkyo is not as deep it may not cover the vents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 I think that you will have problems with only 1/2" above the Onkyo they do require proper ventilation and without it may have a very short life. I had about 2/3" above my Onkyo receiver and then I bought one of the fans that I suggessted. It barely fit in the space above the Onkyo but it sure sucked the hot air out and dropped the temp approximately 20 degrees F. Never any thermal issues and coming up on (4) years. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rivernuggets Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 Thanks for the suggestion Bill. Just purchased one to ensure my UMC-1 stays cool in the summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich_Guy Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 Yes Bill that fan would be similar to turbo charging the ventilation and could have definite benefits for low clearance as long as the sides that the fan blows the air to can remove the heat. Also a closed cabinet still needs some form of ventilation, so the cabinet fans or other good cabinet venting is still necessary to prevent heat build up inside of the cabinet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted March 24, 2011 Moderators Share Posted March 24, 2011 When the police knock on the door. [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kde Posted March 30, 2011 Author Share Posted March 30, 2011 I ended up moving some equipment out of the rack, and giving the onkyo some room to breathe. Things are running well and I am worry free.... until the temp crack 100 in texas soon... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.