A considered approach to thermal management is the key to ensuring the longevity and performance of your AV equipment.

Maintaining the temperature inside racks is critical to the proper functioning and survival of the circuits. There are two airflows in a thermal system: how the heat travels through the rack and how the heat moves throughout the room. The interaction between them is important and must be considered when taking an integrated approach. Therefore, you must understand and calculate when to vent a rack using natural convection and when to use fan-forced air.

For digital equipment, the room itself should be about 24°C. This gives a 5°C temperature difference between the room and the recommended 29°C internal rack temperature for optimum equipment life. Additionally the cooler the room, the fewer fans or vents you need. But ensure the temperature is above the dew point, so condensation doesn’t occur.