[Cogeco_Guy]

We had a flood in the basement that ruined the carpet (my soon to be HT room) So now I have the wife's permission to tear up the carpet and put down some flooring and I can begin the 1st phase of my HT room

My one immediate concern is, because I have a 3yr & 1yr old I was looking at possible building and in-wall rack mount for my audio receiver, BR player, satellite receiver and Wii.

So my questions are

If these products are enclosed will this affect their life span?
How do you cool cabinet down?
Has anyone else done this or know of someone who has and what problems they ran into?

Thanks again.

 

[Carlos J]

You can use PC fans to help cool your stuff.

 

[eXcessive]

Does the HT room sit near the stairs or other non finished room possibly?

Another idea and what I did in my Media room, was I built a custom cabinet and had it flush mounted against the side wall and it backs into the storage room under the stairwell that we didn't finish.

I have 2 doors on the back of the cabinet so I can open them and easily wire up anything as well I built 4" gaps on the top of the cabinet & bottom for running wires.

Those gaps also allow for great airflow, the cabinet works perfectly for housing all my gear & keeps everything cool. I have room to expand in it since I intend to add atleast 1 more amp maybe 2 in future.

 

[Bent]

finerack

here's my post from some time ago - I did a version of the Finerack.
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showpost.php?p=895620&postcount=2

 

[ScaryBob]

If these products are enclosed will this affect their life span?

Definitely. Overheating will shorten the lifespan of any electronics component.

How do you cool cabinet down?

A minimum 3" space for the full width of the cabinet, both between shelves plus top and bottom is required. Allow extra space for cables. More ventilation space may be necessary if high powered components are used. Adequate space also needs to be left between shelves to allow for individual component cooling. An open back cabinet is the best solution.

Has anyone else done this or know of someone who has and what problems they ran into?

Components will operate erratically, shut down and/or fail with overheating. Fans can be used to aid in cooling but there is a limit due to noise. If building into a wall, I suggest leaving lots of "dead air" space above the cabinet with lots of space at the back for air flow. Putting standard return air vents in the wall, above and below the cabinet, will allow for convection cooling through the air space behind the components.

Bent, Your cabinet works well due to the open front. If doors are added, to restrict access, there would be a ventilation problem. I also do not recommend stacking components on top of each other. This may be Ok for very low power components that have lots of airflow but it often causes heat issues for the top component.

 

[WiredUpSauga]

Venting Equipment Racks

Check out www.middleatlantic.com and under the Resources link is a White Paper on Thermal Management. Enough info on venting racks to melt your brain.