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A/V Cabinet Ventilation Suggestions

post #1 of 12
6/12/07 at 12:23pm
Thread Starter 
Presently, I have an A/V Cabinet that has practically no ventilation. The cabinet has 2 doors in the front that contain 8X10 flosted plastic inserts in each door so that a remote can be used. In order to better ventilate my cabinet, I have placed 2 usb driven adjustable fans in the cabinet but all this does is push air around and when my PS3 gets warm, I need to open the cabinet doors to create air flow. I'm thinking of replacing the 8X10 frosted glass inserts with either speaker cloth or perforated metal to create ventilation. Has anyone does this and what do I use to attach the cloth or metal to the back of my cabinet doors? Suggestions? I believe that speaker cloth would be easier to apply but will a remote work through speaker cloth? Below are pictures of the items I plan on using.

Speaker cloth:



Perforated Metal:

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post #2 of 12
6/14/07 at 5:11am
A remote would work through the speaker cloth, but you won't get much ventilation.

Was the link to perforated metal supposed to be an alternative option, or to be used with the speaker cloth. If it is an alternative, it should provide sufficient ventilation, but again, with the speaker cloth there won't be much air movement.
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post #3 of 12
6/14/07 at 6:04am
What is the back of the cabinet? Could you mount the existing fans in the back material (wood?) and exhaust the air out? You would need some type of intake opening/vent to allow the air to flow. If the cabinet shelves are not tight (against the door or the back), cutting a vent hole in the bottom-front (floor) of the cabinet with the fans in the top-back, this may work. If the shelves are tight, perhaps cutting a few holes in both the front and back of the shelves to allow air to move from the bottom to top. This is how I made my built in cabinets.

Another option would be to put the perforated metal on the back. If this is a standalone cabinet, and the back is needed to keep the cabinet stiff, you can (assuming you have the tools) cut out a rectangle in the back, keeping 4-6 inches of the current material on the 4 outside edges. Cover the opening you create with the metal.

Pictures would help.

Tom
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post #4 of 12
6/14/07 at 11:15am
Thread Starter 


My cabinet is very similar to this and has a "false" back and not needed for support. Although, the way my cabinet is positioned, you can see the back of it from other places in the room. It is not flush against a wall but at a 45 degree angle similar to a (K), with the back being the wall. The fans I have now can be positioned anywhere in the cabinet. I was thinking that I could use the perforated metal sheet in the front to replace the plastic glass and in the back to replace the fiber board cutout.

I did not realize that speaker cloth would not allow are to flow. I see it on all kinds of cabinet units.
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post #5 of 12
6/14/07 at 1:48pm
You might be surprised at how much ventilation you can get by putting stick-on rubber bumpers on the inside of the cabinet doors to keep the cabinet doors slightly open. If one isn't enough, try stacking up two.

One more idea. I've used the cane which is used for chair seats to ventilate cabinet doors. It looks good, it's strong and it allows for lots of ventilation. You need to soak the cane in water and install it tightly. When the cane dries it shrinks and becomes very tight. It's not cheap but it looks very nice.

Randy
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post #6 of 12
6/14/07 at 7:32pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by RandyFreeman View Post

You might be surprised at how much ventilation you can get by putting stick-on rubber bumpers on the inside of the cabinet doors to keep the cabinet doors slightly open. If one isn't enough, try stacking up two.

One more idea. I've used the cane which is used for chair seats to ventilate cabinet doors. It looks good, it's strong and it allows for lots of ventilation. You need to soak the cane in water and install it tightly. When the cane dries it shrinks and becomes very tight. It's not cheap but it looks very nice.

Randy

You're are correct, I'm surprised. I'll pick up some rubber bumpers at the store tomorrow. I'm confused by the "cane" idea, can you explain in more detail? How do you attach the cane to the door, glue or nails? Thanks for the advice.

Mike
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post #7 of 12
6/15/07 at 1:01pm
Hi Mike,

The chair cane is available in several different colors, patterns and widths. I like the look of the hexagonal pattern. Check with a good woodworking store in your area to see if they carry chair cane. There are also some good mail order sources for this material.

I've made a frame out of hardwood to mount the cane. Then I've attached the frame to the inside of the cabinet door. The cane gets very tight when it drys so it puts some strain on the frame. A strong hardwood frame is necessary to stop the frame from distorting too much. I've always stapled the cane to the frame using lots of 1/4" monel staples. After the cane was dry I used a good bead of yellow glue to permanently attach the cane to the frame. The staples were hidden behind the door frame. This probably works best if you build the cabinet or at least the doors. I would consider this a good project for someone who is an experienced woodworker.

http://www.wickerwoman.com/seatweaving.html

Best regards,
Randy
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post #8 of 12
6/19/07 at 10:10am
Thread Starter 
Ohh, that's wicker. Thanks for the information.
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post #9 of 12
6/19/07 at 11:17am
I think what would look better would be to raise the glass away from the doors a bit and have it connected at the corners otherwise having a gap around the edges. And even then, I wouldn't rely on soly that for ventilation.
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post #10 of 12
6/26/07 at 1:38pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by DonoMan View Post

I think what would look better would be to raise the glass away from the doors a bit and have it connected at the corners otherwise having a gap around the edges. And even then, I wouldn't rely on soly that for ventilation.

The glass is inset into the door. Is there a small tool that I can use to saw a couple of holes in the back panel? The back panel is made out of very think cardboar/fiberboard. Can I use a Dremel tool or something similar?
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post #11 of 12
6/26/07 at 4:53pm
I have raised panel solid oak doors on ours.

The back is a diamond pattering wire mesh from home depot painted black.

Rip that cardboard out, put in the mesh, attach a 120v fan from radio shack to the mesh. Plug the fan into the switched outlet on the A/V receiver.

Quote:
Originally Posted by mbroadus View Post

The glass is inset into the door. Is there a small tool that I can use to saw a couple of holes in the back panel? The back panel is made out of very think cardboar/fiberboard. Can I use a Dremel tool or something similar?
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post #12 of 12
6/27/07 at 10:08am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by tanneritekid View Post

I have raised panel solid oak doors on ours.

The back is a diamond pattering wire mesh from home depot painted black.

Rip that cardboard out, put in the mesh, attach a 120v fan from radio shack to the mesh. Plug the fan into the switched outlet on the A/V receiver.

Great idea, how see thru is the wire mesh? Curious because the back of my cabinet can be seen because it is not flush against the wall but at a 45 degree angle from the wall. Would hate for everyone to be able to see all my wires.
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