Cooling Fan - In or Out?

[AlterEgo99 5,000+ posts]

OK, here's a "which came first, the chicken or the egg question"...

I installed a 3" super quiet 12 VDC cooling fan in the lid of my center console. It's nice and hidden and blended into the interior quite well. There are 2 Alpine PDX amps in the console, 1 is an Alpine PDX 1.600 and the other is an Alpine PDX 4.100. They are stacked.

There are three one inch holes inside the "box" (console) so that I could get the power wires and speaker wires to the amps. So, these holes are also adding some ventilation. Even though these two amps are Class D, they can get a bit warm inside that console with the top cover shut, which is the reason I installed the fan. Now, the big question...

Should the fan be blowing OUT to remove heat as it is generated from the amps OR should it blow IN so that cooler air from outside the console is blowing over the amps/heat sinks.

What say y'all????

Let the battle begin! //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/tongue.gif.6130eb82179565f6db8d26d6001dcd24.gif

Click to read more...

 

[terra 5,000+ posts]

In

 

[jpexpc 10+ year member]

In

this

 

[gotparts90 10+ year member]

If the fan is up high I would make it blow out. but you can play around yourself by putting a thermometer in there and try both ways. out just makes sense to me if especially if the fan is up hing on the lid. heat is going up then forced out quick. just make sure you have open intakes down low to let cool air get sucked in. Blowing in would just blow hot air back down at the amps

 

[jamesw 10+ year member]

If the fan is up high I would make it blow out. but you can play around yourself by putting a thermometer in there and try both ways. out just makes sense to me if especially if the fan is up hing on the lid. heat is going up then forced out quick. just make sure you have open intakes down low to let cool air get sucked in. Blowing in would just blow hot air back down at the amps

I agree with that too. If you have vents at the bottom to let in cold air while the fan is pushing out the hot air will create a good circulation.

 

[DB-Audio 10+ year member]

i agree with gotparts90 but if you wanted you could try using 2 fans one facing in and one facing out I had success with that when i did that to my friends xbox

 

[Ryguy588 10+ year member]

out. learn from your car...it cools a hot room faster to blow out hot air then it does to blow in cool air. Any physicist knows this.

Out

 

[91Chevy 10+ year member]

Depends on the location. If the fan is up high, out, as heat rises. If the fan is down low, in.

 

[AlterEgo99 5,000+ posts]

Out it is then...as it is at present...as it is located directly above the amps that makes sense! Thanks everyone for the input...and no, I'm not gay. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

 

[nineball 10+ year member]

since you have 3 why not put one on the bottom blowing in cool air and leave 2 on the top blowing out? would get more airflow than just the little bit of room around your wire holes.

 

[Reborn 10+ year member]

Deleted