overheating rack problems

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walters

New member
Another problem is how many spaces should i have because of the HEAT problem because if a unit is digital and it overheats alittle it malfunctions its in every manual and its very common for heating malfunction problems?

If u put fans in the back of the rack does it really help because they racks are squashed together the tops and bottoms so there is no breathing and venting room and most racks are digital units and if they get to hot they malfunction what do u guys do about this problems??
 
fans would help if you can spare the noise.

i suggest removing power amp(s) if you have any and putting them in a separate rack by themselves.

if you can spare the space, just leave a half or a full rackspace in between some of the hotter components. organize stragtegically based on heat output and on where you need the units to be.
 
Heat rises, so hot rack units go to the top of the rack and cooler ones lower. This helps avoid having the hot units heat up the gear above them.

Empty rack spaces between units is also very important. If it means buying a rack with more spaces, then that is something to consider.

Another solution is mounting a fan on the back of the rack, or a small personal sized fan blowing into the back of the rack. That can help a lot as well.

But ultimately, if a unit gets so hot that it malfunctions (and I've had that happen) you either need to fully address the issue with airflow, or you need to simply not use that unit in situations where it overheats.
 
It is very important not to overheat gear. Allow for airflow around units that produce heat. As previously posted, units that produce a lot of heat should go above units that don't. Tube equipment will produce the most heat along with power amps. I wouldn't rack power amps in the same bay as processors and other "computing" type gear. Even allowing space between gear that runs warm may not be enough if the heat is allowed to rise into the unit above it. Gear with transformers definitely should be carefully monitored for overheating since heat degrades the insulation in the windings and will shorten their life. You can buy quiet fans that run at lower speed to remove heat.
I hate to see high end gear racked up at GC and Sam Ash with no spacing at all sitting there turned on 12 hours a day just cooking. The gear will be sold to someone who doesn't know better and probably will fail prematurely. Of course they will sell you an extended warrany for a couple hundred bucks, just in case.
 
I have a power amp in my rig that weighs about 60+ lbs. so it definitly needs the supports on the bottom rack space. Unless you rig up some kind of outrigger to support the back of the power amp I don't see it being practical in mounting a heavy amp on the upper racks, unless of course you have it stacked in it's own dedicated rack case. But as far as how much room to leave for ventilation depends on the racks built in cooling system, (if any). my JMP-1 pre has small slots to let heat out the top of the unit and that's it, so I leave one empty space above it. My amp on the other hand has two fans that intake for the front and blow out the back, but even with that I leave three empty spaces above it to leave room for it's 16 tubes to breathe.
 
My whole home record room is so hot from the computer monitors,rack equipment and otherthings else what can i do to make everything cooler
from computers to rack mount gear to power amps to guitar amps?
 
walters said:
My whole home record room is so hot from the computer monitors,rack equipment and otherthings else what can i do to make everything cooler
from computers to rack mount gear to power amps to guitar amps?
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Turn up the AC?

Seriously, all this gear is basically space heaters. I've got a room full of gear and you can really feel the heat coming off the equipment. You basically need to pump more cold air into the room.

The other thing is to only have on what you are using at that time. So any gear that you aren't using stays off and therefor is not adding to the heat buildup.
 
Just be glad you do not have a large format console. Now that is a heater. I put a thermometer on top of the knobs a while ago. in 30 seconds the temperature reading on the thermometer went to 105 degrees. This was about an inch and a half off of the metal on the channels themselves. The metal is much hotter. Add 10 feet wide and almost 5 feet deep of that and you have an excellent quiet heater.
 
FajitaTone said:
vented blank panels.


avalon makes some pretty ones.
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This is what I do. I've got vented panels in a couple of places in my mobile rack, between certain pieces of gear.

It may also be worth mentioning that some (most?) gear is also vented on the side, and rarely do pieces go flush against the side of the rack. Get a little plug in gooseneck fan from the dollar store and point it in there. Couldn't hurt...
 
walters said:
My whole home record room is so hot from the computer monitors,rack equipment and otherthings else what can i do to make everything cooler
from computers to rack mount gear to power amps to guitar amps?
Click to expand...


Walters, have you considered turning all of the gear off while you record, then turning it back on only while mixing? That way, your equipment will only be on for half of the time and shouldn't heat your room nearly as much. Let me know how it turns out.
 
Seeker of Rock said:
Walters, have you considered turning all of the gear off while you record, then turning it back on only while mixing? That way, your equipment will only be on for half of the time and shouldn't heat your room nearly as much. Let me know how it turns out.
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Should make for a pretty quiet mix... :p
 
walters said:
My whole home record room is so hot from the computer monitors,rack equipment and otherthings else what can i do to make everything cooler
from computers to rack mount gear to power amps to guitar amps?
Click to expand...

walters, hose the shit off for fucks sake.
 
All gear that develops heat has a natural heat flow Make sure there is plenty of entry vents on bottom or bottom on the sides and exit vents on top or at the top at the opposite end of the entries. An exhaust fan pulling the heat off or exhausting is more efficient than blowing air towards.
 
I hope not. Regardless of the past, a few of his more recent posts have actually spawned some decent information lately.
 
xstatic said:
I hope not. Regardless of the past, a few of his more recent posts have actually spawned some decent information lately.
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Sucker!

walters is cyclical. Same thing everytime. Start off mild, get 'em roped in, then unleash a Fripperbomb. Push it right to the limit, lay low for a couple of months, return.

Lather, rinse, repeat. Lather, rinse, repeat........
 
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