Heat Management

[Don_T]

I am putting the final touches on my HT. I have all of the equipment in a closet with two dedicated power supplies; one 15A and one 20A. Since everything has been closed up in the closet (~ 6' X 3' X 8') there seems to be a fair amount of heat building up in there. I haven't measured the levels yet but will do so soon. Does anyone have any info on acceptable heat levels inside the space? Also, anyone else with an equipment closet, how do you manage the heat buildup? I don't know if I should stop worrying about it, install an A/C return vent or install some sort of heat vent. Any help or insight is greatly appreciated.

 

[Johnd]

You didn't mention the amps or receiver you're running. Unless it's a hot amp, passive circulation is usually sufficient. In that case, use a power vent. Cheers.

 

[Don_T]

The receiver I am running is the Sony STR-DA7ES. It is 120W X 7 channels. There is also a second receiver used to power multi-room sound. This receiver is 100W per channel (an old Kenwood 5 channel). The second receiver is not run very often.

What type of power vent should one use? Vent to the room, or vent out of the house?

 

[Johnd]

If passive circulation is insufficient, use a bathrrom vent (with low sones) directed into the adjacent room or hallway. There is absolutely no reason (no moisture, fumes or grease) to vent outside.

 

[Don_T]

Thank you for the info. I will do more in-depth measurements under load and see if I need the vent or not. This amp was always kept in the open before now and never got more than comfortably warm to the touch. Now it is quite a bit warmer now but still not what I would consider hot. That will probably all change when the season changes here to 100+ summer days.

Is the bathroom vent a common solution for people with dedicated equipment rooms?

 

[majorloser]

Computer Rack Fans

In my case I'm using a computer equipment rack fan assembly that blows up from the bottom of the rack toward the top. It consists of 3 ea. - 5" fans 120V. Was designed to be mounted on a conventional computer rack. I picked it up at a local electronics/computer wholesale store. I use a rotary fan dimmer/control switch for speed control.

Heat was a HUGE issue when I was using my B&K 7270 amp (200WPC x7). That amp can cook meat after a couple hours. My new stack of seven Behringer A500's don't put out a quarter of the heat, TOTAL.

You can check out the rack here: http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22943&highlight=loser

In this photo you can see where I mounted the fan assembly below and behind the B&K 7270 amp. It's now below and behind the bottom A500.
http://s58.photobucket.com/albums/g278/majorloser_pics/?action=view&current=Crib004.jpg&refPage=40&imgAnch=imgAnch55

LAST BUT NOT LEAST...
Try this company: http://www.cool-components.com/

But by all means, try to add small AC exhaust and intake ducts to the closet.

 

[Don_T]

Thank you Majorloser. I have my equipment on the same type of shelving. I will look into putting a small return and supply vent to that closet at some point. It shouldn't be too hard to do that. If I go with the bathroom vent I will vent it out to another room or outside. It's hard enough to keep cool in the HT as it is. Don't need a 120WPC space heater as well.

 

[majorloser]

Just remember, bathroom fans are FREAKIN' noisy. Also, the last thing you want to do is just have an open ceiling vent into the attic (can you say "fire code"). Don't know about venting outside. That would make me worry about other problems (condensation, bugs, leaks, etc.) Venting to the next room is good. Dumping the heat into a space that can better deal with it is the best option if you can't add additional AC vents.

Though a little expensive, the kits from Cool Components are quiet and thermostatically controlled. They dump the heat through the wall into another room or space.
http://www.cool-components.com/33.html

 

[Don_T]

They do look good. I was considering doing something similar to begin with. I was going to put two vents through the wall directly behind the equipment rack. I would put one vent low to the ground and one high to possibly build convection current with cool air drawn from the air space outside. Now I like your idea with the computer fans as well. They're quiet, cheap...effective. Now all I need are the parts.

I'll let you know if it works.

 

[Johnd]

Computer fans work well to cool equipment, but not the room. So again, if the room has circulation, you should be ok with minimal treatment. It sounds like you'll want to test it under load in the heat of the summer (no ac?). ...I once installed an air conditioner in a sealed server room, but that's another story.

 

[Don_T]

Thanks for your input Johnd. I am going to do some testing now to see how hot it is getting in the closet. I am going to look around for parts to put two passive vents in the wall behind the equipment rack and go from there.

I looked in the manual for my receiver and did not find any specs for operating environment temperatures. Anyone know any guidelines for operating temps? I know cooler is always better but...