How does a cabinet fan work?

An efficient fan system helps accelerate natural convection by rapidly exhausting warmer air out the top of the cabinet while pushing colder air in at the bottom. Cabinet fan systems that contain only one fan should have it configured to exhaust hot air out the top of the cabinet.

Where should a fan be located in a kitchen cabinet?

In an ideal set up, there should be a fan located near the top of the cabinet configured to exhaust out air, and a fan located near the bottom to push in air. Electronics such as receivers and computers within a cabinet will cause air to heat up. Due to natural convection, warmer air which is less dense than colder air will rise on its own.

How does air flow into a kitchen cabinet?

Because air moves naturally from high pressure to low pressure areas, outside air will flow into the cabinet from the ventilation holes. Poorly designed systems include set-ups where there are one or more fans to exhaust air, but no other fans or ventilation holes to act as the air intake.

Where should fans & blowers be placed?

Carefully positioning fans and blowers in the cabinet improves cooling efficiency. Mount blowers near cold air inlets preferably at the bottom of a cabinet, away from major heat sources such as transformers and power supplies. If possible, hot devices should be placed near the exhaust so that heat can vent directly to the outside.

How does a cabinet cooler work?

A typical cabinet cooler has two heat exchangers. The interior fan draws hot air over the heat exchanger inside the cabinet and blows the cooled air back into the cabinet. The heat absorbed is transferred to an outside heat exchanger where it is cooled by the ambient air using another fan.

Does an open base cabinet waste a lot of cooling air?

An open-base cabinet sitting only one-quarter inch off the floor can waste a substantial percentage of cooling air even if the air is directed upward initially. A properly planned air path will avoid all “short circuits” or losses by forcing the cool supply air to pass through the components that are to be cooled before reaching the exhaust area.