how hot is too hot for amps?

[jsluss17 10+ year member]

my amp can get pretty hot sometimes almost to the point where it's too hot to the touch. i also live in arizona though so i'm guessing that could be part of the reason but how hot is too hot? i'd rather not have my amp catch fire and if there's anything i can do to cool it down that'd be nice

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[Kangaroux 5,000+ posts]

Where is the amp located? What amp? What do you have your subs wired to? Any voltage drop?

 

[jsluss17 10+ year member]

Where is the amp located? What amp? What do you have your subs wired to? Any voltage drop?

it's in the trunk mounted to the back seat, it's a 2011 kicker dx1000.1 and my sub is wired at 2 ohm and it used to have pretty bad voltage drop where the bass would cut out and everything but i did the big 3 and that stopped that

 

[hispls 5,000+ posts]

Most amps have thermal protection circuits which should shut them down if they get too hot.

 

[Kangaroux 5,000+ posts]

Most amps have thermal protection circuits which should shut them down if they get too hot.

This. I imagine the kicker definitely has that. However it shouldn't be getting *that* hot. If I play music for a while my AQ will be sorta warm but no where near too hot to touch. Do you have a volt meter keeping track of your voltage?

 

[Full Tilt 10+ year member]

If it's getting to the point where you can barely touch it, I say it's time for you to find a new place for your amp. How close is it to your sub's enclosure? From what I've heard, running an amp that hot can really take some time off of it's lifespan (rattling parts around while they're fragile, stuff like that.). Again, that's all I've heard; I have no experience with this problem. Anyway, like I said, I'd find a new place for it if I were you. Especially in the heat of Arizona - try mounting it on your hood, the wind will really keep it cool. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

 

[audiobaun 5,000+ posts]

find a different location for that amp.its cooking on the back of that seat/getting no air under it..move it to the trunk, and elevate one end of it with 6 washers on each tab so its not mounted flush/flat,so it gets some air circulation..if its still getting too warm,spend the $30, and get a 59cfm scroll fan off of ebay,and blow under that joker..you should never have any issues after that,,i usually run a fan on all my mono amps..will be running 2 on bottom,and one on top in my next install..if you dont want to spend the $30 for a good cfm fan,get the cheaper ones for like $15/computer style,,any air movement is better than none at all..it gets hot here in tx too,just as your area, so id get the scroll low profile 59cfm, and be done with it,,put washers under all the tabs of the amp get the whole amp up!! heat.. the real amp killer!!!

 

[05fronty 5,000+ posts]

i could fry a egg on my orion hcca amp's

 

[SPLaudio 5,000+ posts]

160F is where most amps shut down. its not good to get class d amps hot all the time cause you dry the lower temp caps.

what happens is solder gets soft at high temp and vibration over time.

most heat is from bad ground or voltage drops....

 

[Danometal 10+ year member]

I put .75 inch bolt spacers under the mounting feet of both my amps. It really helps a lot. I just installed a relay circuit for a future fan setup to hang under the rear deck to blow straight down on the amps.

 

[Buck 5,000+ posts]

160F is where most amps shut down. its not good to get class d amps hot all the time cause you dry the lower temp caps. what happens is solder gets soft at high temp and vibration over time.

most heat is from bad ground or voltage drops....

This.

I will add if you have good electrical and you beat the shit out of your system for extended periods, it'll warm up good but should stabilize and not get any warmer if you have a good electrical. My amps get pretty warm, 64% efficiency is all I can give you, I don't drop below 14. Probably flirting with clipping, especially when I play decaf.

I've had my amps pretty warm, if not hot, and they just reach a certain level and stay there, never go above it, never stop performing, no hick ups. Good electrical, imo, is the best way to fight heat with your amps.

 

---------- Post added at 09:27 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:26 AM ----------

 

I put .75 inch bolt spacers under the mounting feet of both my amps. It really helps a lot. I just installed a relay circuit for a future fan setup to hang under the rear deck to blow straight down on the amps.

I like your system.

 

[Dirtrider4eva 10+ year member]

Some amps do run hotter than others naturally, my USX 600f runs pretty warm, but not hot, just how they are at any volume range, and have internal fans, my aq1200s tho run cool,

 

[LBC]

Amp manufacturers often use a very thin piece of plastic between the heatsink and the fets/transistors. Some say it is to electrically insulate them. Others believe it is to actually minimize heat transfer to the heatsink due to end users believing that particular amp "runs hot". At any rate, fets/transistors put off a lot of heat and it needs to be removed. That heat should be transferred to the case efficiently so that it can dissipate into the air. An amp seeming a little warm is NOT the bad thing most people believe it is. That just means the heatsink is working.

 

[Spooney 10+ year member]

Amp manufacturers often use a very thin piece of plastic between the heatsink and the fets/transistors. Some say it is to electrically insulate them. Others believe it is to actually minimize heat transfer to the heatsink due to end users believing that particular amp "runs hot". At any rate, fets/transistors put off a lot of heat and it needs to be removed. That heat should be transferred to the case efficiently so that it can dissipate into the air. An amp seeming a little warm is NOT the bad thing most people believe it is. That just means the heatsink is working.

That is the worst advice EVER! Do not ever think about removing the insulators found underneath the fets/transistors in your amp. There are many fully encapsulated fets,transistors,rectifiers that do not need isolation from the heatsink but much more typically you will find fets with a metal backing that NEEDS to be fully isolated electrically from the heatsink. Kapton film,mica insulators,sil pads , etc with good heatsink compound do a more than adequate job of transferring heat. If your amp came from the factory with insulators behind the fets never remove it unless you like owning blown amplifiers.Amplifier manufacturers wouldn't spend the extra money for these insulators if they weren't a necessity.

 

[LBC]

That is the worst advice EVER! Do not ever think about removing the insulators found underneath the fets/transistors in your amp. There are many fully encapsulated fets,transistors,rectifiers that do not need isolation from the heatsink but much more typically you will find fets with a metal backing that NEEDS to be fully isolated electrically from the heatsink. Kapton film,mica insulators,sil pads , etc with good heatsink compound do a more than adequate job of transferring heat. If your amp came from the factory with insulators behind the fets never remove it unless you like owning blown amplifiers.Amplifier manufacturers wouldn't spend the extra money for these insulators if they weren't a necessity.

What advice is it that you think I gave? I'm pretty sure you misunderstood and you owe me an apology.