Any ideas for heat insulation on racks with tube amps to protect the wood??

[audio]

On my shelf where I keep my tube amp, right above it is my turntable. The wood gets pretty hot and I can feel the heat on the other side after the amp has been playing for a couple hours. I want to staple or tack something to the wood inside the shelf right above the tube amp to absorb the heat and keep the underside of the turntable from getting warm, some kind of insulation? I would appreciate any suggestions.

[aashton]

My choice would be Carbon fibre sheet :)

Andrew

[petermwilson]

Hi,

You might try a cork or thin particle board dining table placemat with double sided tape so it can be easily removed.

Peter m.

[Metralla]

Originally posted by prix
On my shelf where I keep my tube amp, right above it is my turntable.
Time for a redesign mate. Better airflow around that valve amp will extend tube life, and a bunch of other things.

Regards,
Geoff

[audio]

Originally posted by Metralla

Time for a redesign mate. Better airflow around that valve amp will extend tube life, and a bunch of other things.

Regards,
Geoff


Well, what am I supposed to do Geoff, keep the amp on the kitchen table with two industrial fans on either side so I can save $150 on tubes every 10 years? Take a look at the photo of my vintage system in the other thread. You can see that it's got just about as much ventilation as is possible for a unit on a shelf. There's plenty of air in there. I just want to protect the underside of the turntable, motor, etc, from any residual heat that absorbs through the thin wood that the shelf is made of.

[Metralla]

Originally posted by prix
Well, what am I supposed to do Geoff, keep the amp on the kitchen table with two industrial fans on either side so I can save $150 on tubes every 10 years?
Don't lose it, mate.

Take a look at the photo of my vintage system in the other thread.
OK - I did that.

Well, I'd definitely try it with the amp on the top shelf next to the turntable. Clean up all those loose CDs you have sitting around there, and there would be heaps of room. You would find it easier to adjust the volume etc. if the amp was next to the turntable.

I don't know how your speaker wiring works, of course. I'm just looking and thinking.

Regards,
Geoff

[audio]

Originally posted by Metralla

OK - I did that.

Well, I'd definitely try it with the amp on the top shelf next to the turntable. Clean up all those loose CDs you have sitting around there, and there would be heaps of room. You would find it easier to adjust the volume etc. if the amp was next to the turntable.

I don't know how your speaker wiring works, of course. I'm just looking and thinking.

Regards,
Geoff


I was going to put the cd player up there next to the turntable so it would be further from the vibrations of the speakers. Maybe I'll drill some more holes in the shelf for ventilation and air flow. Thanks for the ideas.

[Metralla]

prix,

Your shelf on which the turntable sits ... is there a slot at the back so that you can send the tonearm lead down to the amp? Or are there small holes?

As you say, you could make more holes. If you can make this into a widish slot (got a jigsaw?) that runs the full length of the shelf, then heat from the amp below might be able to escape. The way it looks in the picture - it seems to be a box, and I can't see how much ventilation you have.

If you do want to insulate the bottom of the t/t shelf, I'm thinking some fiberglass material with the reflective surface facing towards the heat source (the tubes) might help. You might have some lying around that you could try. You'd have to find a way to hold it in place - maybe some wooden laths screwed in could work. You could try something temporary, perhaps, just to see if it makes a difference to how hot the upper surface gets.

I didn't mean to put you off your experiments.

Regards,
Geoff

[Gary Freed]

Hi Prix,

Try to keep your amplifier running cool.

How about a 6" x 6" x 1 1/2" high 12 volt DC fan from radio shack. Don't laugh I use two hooked up in tandem runnning at reduced current at 6.5 volts each. Wisper quiet and they work amazingly well at keeping the
amplifier cool.

Fans not only save tubes but more importantly they save every component
in your amplifier.

As we all know, fans are critical important in computers too why shouldn't they be just as important for use with amplifiers.

Best regards,

Gary:)

[Clay]

You can buy small sheets of aluminum and steel at orchard supply possibly a home depot. Heat sinks are made of aluminum so a sheet of steel or aluminum under the wood would catch the heat. Just have a small air gap so the metal does not transfer all the heat to the wood. Or whatever material replaced asbestos could be used. Even aluminum foil with an air gap would divert/reflect some heat.

[audio]

Originally posted by Metralla
prix,

Your shelf on which the turntable sits ... is there a slot at the back so that you can send the tonearm lead down to the amp? Or are there small holes?

As you say, you could make more holes. If you can make this into a widish slot (got a jigsaw?) that runs the full length of the shelf, then heat from the amp below might be able to escape. The way it looks in the picture - it seems to be a box, and I can't see how much ventilation you have.

If you do want to insulate the bottom of the t/t shelf, I'm thinking some fiberglass material with the reflective surface facing towards the heat source (the tubes) might help. You might have some lying around that you could try. You'd have to find a way to hold it in place - maybe some wooden laths screwed in could work. You could try something temporary, perhaps, just to see if it makes a difference to how hot the upper surface gets.

I didn't mean to put you off your experiments.

Regards,
Geoff


What worries be about fiberglass is the fibers. I would think that vibrations from the music might drop them in the amplifier underneath.

[Gary Freed]

Originally posted by prix



What worries be about fiberglass is the fibers. I would think that vibrations from the music might drop them in the amplifier underneath.


Prix,

Fiberglass is also highly flammable.

[Metralla]

Originally posted by Gary Freed
Fiberglass is also highly flammable.
Excellent point. Given that, and the concern prix has over the fibres, covering this with a board could work out. The fibreglass insulation would be sandwiched between this board and the underneath of the top shelf.

I'm liking this whole idea less and less. Improving the ventilation and thus allowing the heat to escape from this little box has to be the first step. Though I still like my original idea of putting the amp on display next to that pretty turntable. :)

Regards,
Geoff