How to keep dust out of a fan cooled amplifier?
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Lavane
Lunatic Member
Take a look at sites that sell computer parts. I have two cooling fans on the front of my gaming rig. The fans have thin silk like screens. They pop out for cleaning. There are others as well with open cell foam filters. You might find something that will work or fan and filter combo's that will fit the amp. Most of these cooling fans come in various standard sizes and bolt patterns.
Harvestor
Addicted Member
Obtain some Air Conditioner Thin Foam Filter then make an External box Frame with Foam Filter hot glued inside box frame, then use the Low Temp Hot Glue and glue Box Frame with the Filters I've the Air Inlet of Cooling Fan...
Glue will remove easy with frame ...or you can use Plummer's Putty but that can be messy when cleaning off
Glue will remove easy with frame ...or you can use Plummer's Putty but that can be messy when cleaning off
nj pheonix
Lunatic Member
You probably can't prevent it completely.
A couple of suggestions though.
First keep room ( house) clean. Less dust around, less dust to suck in.
Next get some ac filter material and cut to size slightly larger than the intake openings of the amp.
Fasten over intake holes somehow (tape , velcro).
That should help a lot. Change filter material as needed
A couple of suggestions though.
First keep room ( house) clean. Less dust around, less dust to suck in.
Next get some ac filter material and cut to size slightly larger than the intake openings of the amp.
Fasten over intake holes somehow (tape , velcro).
That should help a lot. Change filter material as needed
nj pheonix
Lunatic Member
great minds think alike. I guess I just type a little slower
Blue Shadow
Waiting for Vintage Gear from this century
professional clean room is about the only way.
The foam air filters will allow some dust into the unit. HEPA filter will block most of it but that means the fan needs to work harder to provide the same cfm. If you can put the unit in a cabinet that has filtered air inlet and then the filter on the amp going in, maybe you won't get this:
All filters need regular maintenance to keep things working right.
After cleaning:
Filters were not in use in the before pics. I'll have to look at the amp to see if the foam filter is doing its job for new after pics with the amp in use.
The foam air filters will allow some dust into the unit. HEPA filter will block most of it but that means the fan needs to work harder to provide the same cfm. If you can put the unit in a cabinet that has filtered air inlet and then the filter on the amp going in, maybe you won't get this:
All filters need regular maintenance to keep things working right.
After cleaning:
Filters were not in use in the before pics. I'll have to look at the amp to see if the foam filter is doing its job for new after pics with the amp in use.
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century tek
Addicted Member
That's a good fan. You'd think it would suck the dust out.
nedseg
Well-Known Member
I got some of these magnetic stick on intake filters
https://www.demcifilter.com/
(also on amazon)
for my PC as well as audio rack.
Work great, come in colors, choice of magnetic tape strip for non-metallic surfaces, etc.
https://www.demcifilter.com/
(also on amazon)
for my PC as well as audio rack.
Work great, come in colors, choice of magnetic tape strip for non-metallic surfaces, etc.
tyeeslayer
Super Member
Check Amazon for oxygen concentrator filters.
gizzyman47
Addicted Member
I was thinking ladies panty hose! Cut some up to fit and attach. Lots of things you could use actually.
AudioFeline
Super Member
A good piece of lateral thinking! However, the air must get into the equipment for a flow to occur when the the fan suck it out. So if the fan sucks the air out of the unit, the ventilation slots in the unit will then draw the dust into the device. It's probably easier to put a filter on the fan blowing in rather than all the vents in the device.
JoeESP9
ESL's & tubes since 83
Reversing the fans is really no help. The fans on my Crowns suck air in the front and blow it out the rear. The dust buildup is just as bad. I know because I vacuumed both yesterday.
Stillhouse
Well-Known Member
One of the things I learned from many years of PC building is that postitve pressure inside a component leads to less dust. Seems counterintuitive, but I've seen it myself. Either add more fans or a larger one with higher CFM.
Also keep it at least a few feet off the floor level.
Also keep it at least a few feet off the floor level.
damacman
Resident Psycho
this
Lavane
Lunatic Member
The two large fans I put in the front of mine do just that. Along with the filters the inside stays cleaner than the other computers I've had. One I had I put fans front and rear. Pulling air through the front and sucking it out the back. It just made it worse.
As an aside, I know exactly what you are talking about, but where do you buy that foam? I would like to have some for several projects but I can't find any sort of source for it. (most pressing, I have a tap and die set where the foam insert is missing, so if anyone doesn't carry it flat I need to reorganize it)
And yes, Comark industrial PCs and I assume others use foam filters in front of the fans, and they do need to be cleaned out occasionally.
Lavane
Lunatic Member
As posted earlier, just buy a furnace filter. The open cell type. Kind of like a scrub pad only way less dense. Then just cut to size. I had this type once. You just pulled it out and clean it with soap and water. Then rinse with a pressure nozzle.
Blue Shadow
Waiting for Vintage Gear from this century
If the fan is reversed and it sucks air out of the unit all air going into the unit will need to be filtered to keep the unit a bit cleaner. The filter needs to be on the air going into the fan and if the unit is between the dirty air and the fan inlet the dust will fill the unit but quick.
Better air control and filtering is needed to address this issue. First try to filter the air that the fan has access to to push into the unit and filter what the fan pushes into the unit. If the amp can be put in a cleaner environment, a cabinet, the air flow in the cabinet can be set up to provide cleaned air to the fan which also has a filter on it and then the air from the amp can be exhausted out of the cabinet.
There are numerous types of air filtering media and the foam ones even have differences in pore size. Ultimately, you need an air cleaning media that will take out the dust from the air flow, not just the chunks.
McMaster Carr has a large selection of air filter media. Maybe you can learn a bit about filtering from those pages. Filter efficiency, MERV rating and particle removal percentage will all have effect on the results.
https://www.mcmaster.com/filters
Better air control and filtering is needed to address this issue. First try to filter the air that the fan has access to to push into the unit and filter what the fan pushes into the unit. If the amp can be put in a cleaner environment, a cabinet, the air flow in the cabinet can be set up to provide cleaned air to the fan which also has a filter on it and then the air from the amp can be exhausted out of the cabinet.
There are numerous types of air filtering media and the foam ones even have differences in pore size. Ultimately, you need an air cleaning media that will take out the dust from the air flow, not just the chunks.
McMaster Carr has a large selection of air filter media. Maybe you can learn a bit about filtering from those pages. Filter efficiency, MERV rating and particle removal percentage will all have effect on the results.
https://www.mcmaster.com/filters
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