# Equipment in the closet question



## Smitty55 (Apr 23, 2013)

I'm new to home theater so please bear with me. I'm planning on putting my A/V receiver, blue ray player & my cable box in a closet that measures 3"x13" (it's the closet under the stairwell going downstairs ) what I'm wondering is will there a heat/ventilation problem?


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

Smitty55 said:


> I'm new to home theater so please bear with me. I'm planning on putting my A/V receiver, blue ray player & my cable box in a closet that measures 3"x13" (it's the closet under the stairwell going downstairs ) what I'm wondering is will there a heat/ventilation problem?


Any time you put equipment in an enclosed space and close the door, you are going to have to consider how to move air through to keep it cool. Is it possible to remove the door?


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## eclipse911t (Jan 8, 2013)

It looks like the dimensions listed are 3x13 inches, is that right?


You will have heat issues with the receiver and the cable box, especially if the cable box is an HD DVR. The best solution I've seen for a such a situation is to trim a tiny bit off the bottom of the door to let air in, and then cut a vent into the door near the top with fans behind it blowing the hot air out.

http://www.bswusa.com/Rack-Fans-Middle-Atlantic-CLS-COOL2-P3610.aspx


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## Smitty55 (Apr 23, 2013)

Removing the door is not an option. Perhaps a small fan like what's used on a desktop computer? I have some that have power supplies that I use on saltwater aquariums for moving air.


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## Smitty55 (Apr 23, 2013)

eclipse911t said:


> It looks like the dimensions listed are 3x13 inches, is that right?
> 
> 
> You will have heat issues with the receiver and the cable box, especially if the cable box is an HD DVR. The best solution I've seen for a such a situation is to trim a tiny bit off the bottom of the door to let air in, and then cut a vent into the door near the top with fans behind it blowing the hot air out.
> ...


Oops, those measurements should be feet not inches. I obviously did not proof read my post!:bigsmile:


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## eclipse911t (Jan 8, 2013)

That's a good size closet, but anything will heat up eventually especially if there is a cable box that runs 24-7. Forced air is the only way to go. You can DIY with a couple computer fans and get the job done of the cheap.


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

If its a closet full of equipment two computer fans is no where near enough airflow. Your going to want to have an opening at the bottom to pull cool air in and another opening at the top to remove the warm air. 
Taking the closet door off or at least cutting the bottom and the top down about 8" each will help a lot.


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## eclipse911t (Jan 8, 2013)

If it is not a "closet full of equipment" and is in fact the items stated in your original post, then 2 computer fans will be sufficient.


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## Smitty55 (Apr 23, 2013)

Yes it's just what's listed in the 1st post (hd/dvr- av receiver - blue ray player) cutting anything more than MAYBE a 1/4" off the bottom of the door will have me sleeping with the dog.


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## Smitty55 (Apr 23, 2013)

As I asked please bear with me as I'm a newbie but I just had a thought about heat. My equipment was in a rack/stand that had glass doors and not a lot of opening in the rear. Would there be that much more heat in the closet?


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## hjones4841 (Jan 21, 2009)

Is it possible to move the gear into the closet for a day, leave it powered up and put a thermometer in there?


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## Smitty55 (Apr 23, 2013)

hjones4841 said:


> Is it possible to move the gear into the closet for a day, leave it powered up and put a thermometer in there?


Never thought of that, yes it would be. I also have one of those digital infrared temp guns. I could see what's putting out the most heat.


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## MrAngles (May 1, 2012)

At my old house I had my equipment in a closet, and I installed a bathroom fan vented to outside hooked up to an attic thermostat set to 75 degrees. The fan pretty much ran constantly.


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## BD55 (Oct 18, 2011)

However you do it, I would size your ventilation to future-proof your equipment room. The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) recommends a CFM of incoming air at 68°F to 75°F of ~160 CFM for every 1000W of electrical load.

If you've got two components (BD player and Cable box) only running around 30-50W each plus receiver which could peak at what ~900W? Take a normal loading of 40-60% for the receiver for normal use which would be 450W at 50% load. This gives you ~550W of heat to dissipate = ~88 CFM ventilation requirement. Future-proof and get fans to handle 2x or 3x that amount.


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## Smitty55 (Apr 23, 2013)

hjones4841 said:


> Is it possible to move the gear into the closet for a day, leave it powered up and put a thermometer in there?


I just checked the temp in the closet with my digital temp gun. The ambient temp in the closet with the equipment running for less than 24hrs ( plus it was only about 65degrees today) was 81. I Shot the A/V receiver & it was 91 on the side of the case & 102 down inside, the HD DVR was 85 degrees. I don't know if it matters or not but that was just with equipment turned on sitting idle, no TV hooked up.


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## eclipse911t (Jan 8, 2013)

Wow. That's too hot. I'd make active cooling a priority. 80 degrees is the cut-off for a dramatic reduction in equipment lifespan.


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## Tonto (Jun 30, 2007)

Bear in mind that all doors in your house have a gap at the bottom which allows for the air to circulate when the door is closed. That gap is sufficient to circulate enough air to cool the entire room given the speed that the air is coming throuht the vent(s) of the ac/heat system.

How big is the existing gap currently?


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## Smitty55 (Apr 23, 2013)

Tonto said:


> Bear in mind that all doors in your house have a gap at the bottom which allows for the air to circulate when the door is closed. That gap is sufficient to circulate enough air to cool the entire room given the speed that the air is coming throuht the vent(s) of the ac/heat system.
> 
> How big is the existing gap currently?


It's about 1/4" on top & maybe 3/8" on bottom. I checked the temp after I shut everything off & it dropped to 72 degrees.


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