by Kevin Gallucci
If you have ever felt the top of your home theater equipment, you know they can put off heat. In some cases, a lot of heat. As a general rule of thumb, too much heat isn’t good for your electronics. Most electronics operate just fine with a nominal amount of heat. In fact, some audio amplifiers sound best after they have warmed up to their normal operating temperature, but surplus amounts of heat can cause a lot of issues.
Excessive heat over a long period of time can shorten the life of your electronics. The audio and video equipment that make up your home theater system can provide you years of worry-free operation, but actively trying to mitigate too much heat will go a long way in increasing the overall lifespan of your products. Here are some of the questions you should ask yourself when thinking about heat management:
Are you keeping your electronics in a sealed cabinet?
It’s best not to starve your electronics of fresh air. You should always put home theater electronics into a cabinet that has plenty of vents to allow cooler air to enter the cabinet. Some cabinets have built in electric fans that help force air into or out of the cabinet to help remove excess heat.
Do you have your electronics all stacked on top of each other?
When possible you should always leave space between your electronics. When home theater gear is stacked close together they will feed off one another and conduct heat collectively. A gap between them will allow air to flow around each piece of equipment, and it will also permit heat to dissipate from your electronics.
Check out these equipment racks designed to provide natural ventilation
Have you dusted your electronics recently?
Regularly cleaning out dust from the vents on your electronics is one of the best things you can do to prolong the life of any electronic. It’s difficult to control dust in your home, but with a little regular dusting, you can lessen the buildup of dust on your equipment. Electronic engineers design their products to handle heat through carefully engineered thermal management systems such as fans, vents, or heat sinks that assist with dissipating excess heat. By taking the time to keep dust out of your electronics, you will help these fans, vents, and heat sinks work more efficiently thus ensuring your product is operating at a normal temperature.
Below are few good products to help keep your audio and visual electronics clean and cool:
Dust-Off – $13.49/can www.dust-off.com
Swiffer® Dusters™ Cleaner Starter Kit – Price Varies www.Swiffer.com
BDI Corridor Audio Tower – $1,849.00 www.BDIUSA.com
AC Infinity Multifan S3-P – $19.00 www.ACInfinity.com
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