Standalone Cabinetry
This is the most common application for cooling, equipment is installed in an AV cabinet and it needs to be vented!
The First Step is Free! The first step and best practice which doesn't cost anything is when planning to install a system in cabinetry consider natural airflow. Consider how the air will flow naturally in the cabinet and air should be able to flow freely between shelving and the components. Most likely and realistically will never meet manufacturer recommendations for component spacing but do your best, don't stack heat producing components on top of one another or if do, use a Component Unit between the components (4 Fan w/Cover is a good option). Also ensure that wiring is kept neat, no rat's nests... Also and a perfect segue to the proper cooling and ventilation products to use!
How & Where to Vent Standalone Cabinetry. The main challenge is that in reality there are many options for exhausting the cabinet so you have to narrow that down first. You can vent out the left side or the right side, the back or the top... Each of these options would potentially come with a recommendation for a different fan unit.
Different Mounting Approaches. Now one thing should point out is there are also a couple ways that products are installed. One approach is where a hole is cut and then a unit installed into the hole. Another approach is there is an opening (usually a round hole which is easy to cut) and then a fan unit is mounted inside the cabinet covering that opening and blowing air in or out of the hole. Then typically a vent is used to cover the hole on the outside of the cabinet. This is important to note moving forward.Intake vs Exhaust. We strongly recommend focusing on exhausting hot air as there are a lot of ways for air to enter a cabinet naturally but nothing to force the hot air out. The ultimate goal as well is to remove the hot air and injecting cooler air does not guaranty that that will occur. Also when using a fan to exhaust, air is typically brought in from around the door on the cabinet which is perfect, it's drawn in more evenly through the system and even a small 1/16" gap allows a lot of air through! Now with all of this said still going to have folks insist that they need a fan for intake and because of this we sell A LOT of the fan packages that include 2 Fan units and one is used for Exhaust, one for Intake. These are available with Slim Vents, Cabinet Vents, HiFlo Lite Vent Units.So moving forward most of the discussion will focus on exhausting the hot air.Cabinet Locations. We should also note that should vent from high in the cabinet as heat rising is definitely our friend and we should work with the concept.Vent Options (Options for Where to Install the Vent)Top. I would typically recommend the SlimSix for the narrow footprint and it's pretty aggressive. This is the approach where cut the opening the size of the unit and mount the unit into the opening. Now if using the other approach can use a HiFlo Lite or HiFlo Pro unit and perhaps a inset grill but he problem with this approach is the fan opening could easily get blocked so this is not hugely recommended but sometimes other options aren't available.Side. Out one of the sides is the most common place to vent from as it is usually the easiest. Simply drill an opening into the side of the cabinet, mount the fan/s and done. Now for selecting products lets present it like this, any of these products could be used but it will depend upon the necessary and desired amount of airflow. So in order of least to most airflow.
Slim Vent > Cabinet Vent > Duo > HiFlo Lite (Regular & Pro) > SlimSix > HiFlo (Regular & Pro)For a little perspective, the HiFlo is a massive amount of air for a 'regular' cabinet, this would be for if have a rack full of equipment installed inside the cabinet. The Slim and Cabinet Vent is minimal airflow but we sell a lot of them and without complaint but we also sell a lot of the packages that come with two vents in the package. The HiFlo Lite is the 'middle of the road' unit and will handle most situations so it is more of our go to product.
Temperature Controllers. While not every system requires automated control, cabinetry and especially cabinetry in areas where noise is a factor, variable speed control is an important feature as it keeps the fan speed as low as possible and only speeds up as the cabinet gets hotter. This means using the TC-ALT or ASC controllers.Back. We don't hear about too many people venting out the back but it is a viable option because rarely is a cabinet pushed absolutely flush against the wall and this may be a better aesthetic option as some cabinetry you simply do not want to cut into. Pretty much the same products are recommended above but need to be careful that the product doesn't get in the way of equipment or isn't obstructed with components or wiring.Front. If by chance there is not a door to the cabinet or perhaps a cloth cover, then would revert to using cooling/spot coolers which will simply remove heat pockets within the system and air will find it's way out the front. This would be products like the DUO, Spot, Component Units and in particular the 4 Fan with Cover. Another option would be to mount a Universal Cooler in the top back of the cabinet and the angle would draw air from within the cabinet and blow it forward and out the front of the cabinet.Toe Kick. This is a real scratcher of a concept because no, you cannot exhaust out of the toe kick however, if there are really no other options, then you can inject a good amount of air into the cabinet from the toe kick. This will require ensuring air flows freely through the cabinet, through shelving, wisely spacing components and then also using spot coolers especially near the top of the cabinet.