# Making a media “closet” inside of the ceiling… any suggestions?



## zzzzzzzzzh (Jan 30, 2020)

Hello, I’ve been looking through the forum and couldn’t find a case like this so figured I’d ask before I mess it up more 

I made a ceiling with 2x4’s and drywall between the exposed joists in my house that will hold a marantz 1609 slim receiver, PS4, router, hue hub, remote control sensor extension, projector power cable, and a furman outlet surge (or might get power conditioner if that’s better).. basically a lot of electronics that could make the area hot. The electronics are sitting on very thin plywood that’s on top of the 2x4’s. There are also 4 recessed light housings (not air-tight) and 2 atmos speakers in it.

The space inside the ceiling is 7” tall and also has a 5” cutout at the end across one of the walls, to hide the projector screen and also to allow more air flow. I linked a diagram that shows everything.










Trying to figure out the best way of making sure it doesn’t get too hot/dusty/dangerous.. I looked into some Infinity inline duct fans like the Cloudline T4 / T6, but didn’t buy anything yet. Don’t mind spending a few hundred if necessary though, already set on doing something as ridiculous as housing everything in the ceiling, so whatever works best for years is ideal  With the controller I can set the temp for it to automatically turn on. I’m thinking that the fan can be positioned in front of the electronics, blowing the hot air out of the ceiling end that has the 5” cutout. Perhaps a small vent hole behind the fan should be made in the ceiling as well (for more cold air to come in through)?

Does it make sense to split the electronics between two of the ceiling areas?

Don’t know if this is crazy, but an additional idea is to have some sort of vent that can go from outdoors to the ceiling since 3 of the walls have access to outside.

Any suggestions or insults appreciated!!


----------



## theJman (Mar 3, 2012)

Are you a genius or a madman? Tough to tell really, and often the distinction between them is blurry. If nothing else, you're innovative. ?

Heat you may be able to control, but dust is likely to be much more difficult. If what I'm envisioning in my head is accurate you will have a tough time getting at anything to remove the dust. With only 7" of space you will probably have 3" or less of air gap for the receiver to convect heat so be sure you have good airflow and a way to exhaust that into another space. You mentioned outside venting but that could lead to additional problems, not the least of which are critters. They don't need an opening to get into a house, but if you give them a ready made one they may find the invitation too tempting.

Do you have line of sight to these components? I'm wonder how you'll be able to tell when something needs adjusting or has gone wrong (future servicing), how the remotes would work, etc. What about the antennas on the AVR, will you be able to get wireless access still?


----------



## zzzzzzzzzh (Jan 30, 2020)

theJman said:


> Are you a genius or a madman? Tough to tell really, and often the distinction between them is blurry. If nothing else, you're innovative. ?
> 
> Heat you may be able to control, but dust is likely to be much more difficult. If what I'm envisioning in my head is accurate you will have a tough time getting at anything to remove the dust. With only 7" of space you will probably have 3" or less of air gap for the receiver to convect heat so be sure you have good airflow and a way to exhaust that into another space. You mentioned outside venting but that could lead to additional problems, not the least of which are critters. They don't need an opening to get into a house, but if you give them a ready made one they may find the invitation too tempting.
> 
> Do you have line of sight to these components? I'm wonder how you'll be able to tell when something needs adjusting or has gone wrong (future servicing), how the remotes would work, etc. What about the antennas on the AVR, will you be able to get wireless access still?


Easy access for critters doesn't seem to be a good option!! 

I figured many media cabinets don't even have 3" of space above the receivers so it wouldn't be too bad? Especially if I have air blowing above it and coming out of the large space at the end of the ceiling..

All of the components are easy to access because I'll have that round panel in the middle of the ceiling that pops up. The cap on the panel is actually plexiglass and from the sofa, the remote control for it works. But I was thinking of getting a remote control extender anyways so that I can control it from across the room. The wifi antennas on the receiver and the router create no issues with connections or speeds that I've noticed when testing on the ceiling that's already fully covered (this one just has 2x4's currently, so I can set everything up inside and then cover it). The PS4 controller is bluetooth so no issues there.

Hm, I wonder what else I could do about dust? I could dust everything every few months but that wouldn't be ideal.


----------



## theJman (Mar 3, 2012)

zzzzzzzzzh said:


> I figured many media cabinets don't even have 3" of space above the receivers so it wouldn't be too bad? Especially if I have air blowing above it and coming out of the large space at the end of the ceiling.


True, a lot of media cabinets don't have sufficient space. But just because they have a design flaw doesn't mean it's OK to duplicate it. 

What complicates your situation is your 3" of air space will be on the ceiling, and since hot air rises it will be warmer up there then down toward the ground where you would have an AVR in a cabinet. If you have solid airflow it probably won't be a problem though, just something that popped into my head when I read your original post.



zzzzzzzzzh said:


> Hm, I wonder what else I could do about dust? I could dust everything every few months but that wouldn't be ideal.


Electronic devices attract dust particles, but there's nothing anyone can do about that. Dust also creates static unfortunately, and that's a problem for all electronics. Provided you keep things tidy I don't imagine it would be any more of a problem for what you're doing than for those of us who have their equipment situated in a more traditional manner.


----------



## zzzzzzzzzh (Jan 30, 2020)

theJman said:


> True, a lot of media cabinets don't have sufficient space. But just because they have a design flaw doesn't mean it's OK to duplicate it.
> 
> What complicates your situation is your 3" of air space will be on the ceiling, and since hot air rises it will be warmer up there then down toward the ground where you would have an AVR in a cabinet. If you have solid airflow it probably won't be a problem though, just something that popped into my head when I read your original post.
> 
> ...


I see, thanks for the responses! Do you think one of those fans is enough to blow the hot air out? Also, does the position seem reasonable? Is having the vent hole below/behind it useful?


----------



## theJman (Mar 3, 2012)

I'm not well versed in fluid dynamics so we're getting a bit beyond my area of expertise. However, looking at the specs for the T4/T6 I can't see a reason why it wouldn't be able to move a sufficient volume of air. My only concern would be the pattern of the airflow; the shape of the fan shroud suggests the output would be focused and directional. Based upon your description of the layout it sounds as though something with a wider airflow pattern might be better suited, but I could be misinterpreting how you have things arranged.


----------



## Madmac77 (Jan 5, 2013)

I’m trying to envision what you’re doing and don’t seem to have enough details. The drawing you include is a “plan view”, commonly referred to as a birds eye view. That much is clear. My question is about the “elevation view”, which you would see if you stood on a ladder and looked into the end of your enclosure. Did you build a false ceiling below an existing ceiling? Is there an attic or a floor above this? Please try to explain so my tired old brain can understand!
On the heat issue, a fan is almost certainly required, given the small space. If you really want to control dust, the best way is to use a filter. The smallest filter opening I know of is a 12” X 12”. You could put that in the bottom (the Sheetrock / false ceiling) and put a fan at the opposite end to draw the air out. That way clean air is all that touches your equipment. For the filter, I’d do a MERV 10. The whole enclosure would have to be sealed except for the filter and fan outlet. The holes in the lights will be a problem, as they will draw in unfiltered air. If they are only on when the fan is on, you should be able to seal them up without overheating issues.


----------

