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burnt cabinet - RichK - 01-12-2017

I am refinishing a wardrobe-sized cabinet that stores several printers and office supplies in my office. One of the cabinet walls is a little scorched from a printer exhaust vents. It's a pretty tight fit side-to-side. I removed the back of the cabinet years ago to give the heat a place to escape but it's obviously deflecting off the side. I've had this same setup for over 5 years and have had no problems with the printer (yet). I would like to put everything back where it was when I'm done repainting. If I can figure out how to wire it, I have a spare computer fan that I can add to draw heat out. That won't solve the deflection issue.

Anyone know of a thin material that I could attach to the side to minimize future scorching? I'm thinking something like black aluminum foil, if that exists.

Rich


RE: burnt cabinet - jteneyck - 01-12-2017

The way automotive engineers deal with localized heat is to use a heat shield, a piece of sheet metal with an air gap.  You can dissipate a surprising amount of heat that way.  The more heat you need to dissipate the larger you make the heatshield and the greater you make the gap.  If you are jambed right up against the side of the cabinet then clearly you aren't going to have much of an air gap.  But aluminum or even better copper sheet stock might just do the trick.  Black is better, but even the shiny stuff would work. 

John


RE: burnt cabinet - JimReed@Tallahassee - 01-13-2017

Putting a hot printer in a wooden cabinet is a bad idea. The scorching you have observed is a warning sign of an impending fire and you should be alarmed. Printers are built to sell as inexpensively as possible and that means heat removal is low on the requirements list. Most of them are designed to be used on an open table with generous air flow. Even then, some models get uncomfortably warm in use. Users should be advised to monitor their devices and make sure they are properly ventilated.

I am a former IT manager and have managed printer fleets numbering in the thousands. Safety was my #1 concern and I would never allow this practice. Please reconsider your equipment layout and get that printer out into the open.


RE: burnt cabinet - Cooler - 01-13-2017

Exhaust fans for electronics (computers mainly) are very cheap, exceedingly quiet and draw micro amounts of electricity.

I built a "cat cabinet" that contained my cats' litter boxes and used one of those fans to constantly exhaust the interior outside the house using a dryer vent and vent hose.  They are low CFM but more than enough to ventilate the cat house
Smile, and more than enough to cool the cabinet I would think.

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=fans%2C+electronics

I would add a couple of grills too.  

https://www.amazon.com/AC-Infinity-Ventilation-Computer-Electronic/dp/B010FBZZFS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484314058&sr=8-1&keywords=grills%2C+electronic+cabinet

I think you will need more than passive ventilation though.

Heat shield material might also be called for but that material is pretty pricey:  http://www.autozone.com/sandpaper-and-body-repair-tools/heat-shield-material


RE: burnt cabinet - akertesz - 01-14-2017

I agree with JimReed that printer needs to be out in the open. You have dodged a bullet so far but it's only a matter of time...


RE: burnt cabinet - tnff - 01-14-2017

If you're getting scorching, that is a serious amount of heat.  Just a few degrees away from disaster.


RE: burnt cabinet - Roly - 01-14-2017

Is it scorching from heat or ink or toner fumes depositing on it ?     Being hot enough to scorch the wood seems unlikely without printer failure.  Roly


RE: burnt cabinet - Cecil - 01-14-2017

(01-14-2017, 11:23 AM)Roly Wrote: Is it scorching from heat or ink or toner fumes depositing on it ?     Being hot enough to scorch the wood seems unlikely without printer failure.  Roly

+1  In the shop where I work, the metal screens over the computer fans look scorched.  In our case, it is mostly air born lubricates.  It helps the bits and bytes to flow better
Laugh .

Electronics do not like heat or cold.  I suspect what you are seeing is a deposit from the environment, like Roly said.


RE: burnt cabinet - RichK - 01-15-2017

There may be some ink and oil involved, but the cabinet side is definitely scorched. Revised plan is to build a replacement cabinet for the printers. The old cabinet will be repainted and re-purposed in another room. The new cabinet will have more airflow and elbow room for the printers.
Thanks for the input.

Rich


RE: burnt cabinet - JimReed@Tallahassee - 01-15-2017

Great plan. I am relieved.