AMP Mounting location

[Talisman]

Hey guys I just want to see/hear what everyone has.
I have an ECSB with a dual downfiring 10" enclosure under my rear seat. My amp is currently mounted on the back of the cab with 1 small fan running over it. It still gets very hot.
Where else can I put the amp for better cooling? Or just add more fans? Thanks in advance!

 

[borahshadow]

Hey guys I just want to see/hear what everyone has.
I have an ECSB with a dual downfiring 10" enclosure under my rear seat. My amp is currently mounted on the back of the cab with 1 small fan running over it. It still gets very hot.
Where else can I put the amp for better cooling? Or just add more fans? Thanks in advance!

What kind of amp do you have? Wattage? Impedance of the load (2,4 8 ohms?) How thick is the amp and how much gap does it have between the cooling fins and the back of the seat?

I've got both of my amps mounted behind my seat and they usually don't get very hot. Rarely are they hot enough that it's uncomfortable to touch. My setup is pretty efficient though.

 

[Talisman]

Its a cheapy Sony Xplod 1000 watt. 4 ohm load bridged, about 2.5 inches to back of seat. Gains at about 75%.
It works for what I want just gets hot when turned up for long periods of time. Went into protection mode 3 nights ago.
When I had it wired to one 12" and it just sat below the seat I had no issues

 

[Chevyboy95]

What kind of amp do you have? Wattage? Impedance of the load (2,4 8 ohms?) How thick is the amp and how much gap does it have between the cooling fins and the back of the seat?

I've got both of my amps mounted behind my seat and they usually don't get very hot. Rarely are they hot enough that it's uncomfortable to touch. My setup is pretty efficient though.

pretty much irrelevant in this case. i had the same issue a couple years back, and so did my brother, the only thing i can tell you that might help other than putting behind one of the seats is to get it up as high as possible on the back of the cab under the window line and try and run fans that generate a smooth flow of air. if the box is down firing, you might be able to mount the amp on the front of the box in the middle.

 

[Chevyboy95]

Its a cheapy Sony Xplod 1000 watt. 4 ohm load bridged, about 2.5 inches to back of seat. Gains at about 75%.
It works for what I want just gets hot when turned up for long periods of time. Went into protection mode 3 nights ago.
When I had it wired to one 12" and it just sat below the seat I had no issues

big question is this, how did you set your gain? the excessive heat could be due to the gain being to high/clipping issues even though the main culprit seems to be the location. going into protection is not normal, you need to find out if it is thermal protect or not.

 

[borahshadow]

pretty much irrelevant in this case. i had the same issue a couple years back, and so did my brother, the only thing i can tell you that might help other than putting behind one of the seats is to get it up as high as possible on the back of the cab under the window line and try and run fans that generate a smooth flow of air. if the box is down firing, you might be able to mount the amp on the front of the box in the middle.

Why do you think that was irrelevant?

big question is this, how did you set your gain? the excessive heat could be due to the gain being to high/clipping issues even though the main culprit seems to be the location. going into protection is not normal, you need to find out if it is thermal protect or not.

I agree you could be getting a little bit of excessive heat from clipping.

Maybe try fabricating some sort of air evacuation system that instead of moving the hot air around behind the seat it will actually exhaust the heat under the seat into the main portion of the cab. Possibly just some sort of flexible tubing fixed to a fan.

 

[Chevyboy95]

Why do you think that was irrelevant?

Ohm loads wouldn't make a measurable difference in heat, unless it is .5 or lower, and sometimes it doesn't even then. Over driving the amp or clipping one of the only real feasible options that can cause ENOUGH heat to throw an amp into protect, that or the location not letting air circulate.

Also the way the heat sink and boards in amp are, being on the back wall can cause a little extra heat. That's why you never see amps mounted on roofs unless it is a show install that isn't built truly for performance. Heat rises, and the flatter you can get the amp to be(mounting feet down, top of heat sink up), the easier it can disperse heat of the board and keep it cool.

edit: and to tell you the truth, I'm not sure if the Sony is this way, but some amps just run hot/warm, and non optimal circulation can cause thermal protect. probably not your issue, but worth mentioning imo.

 

[Cablguy184]

not having enough battery power to push the amp will cause the amp to get too hot too quick ...
when you had it on 1 sub you wasn't generating enough current to push it over the edge ... now you probably doubled your current draw, your amp is working harder ...
might need better battery cables going to your amp, maybe a extra battery, stronger alternator, or maybe you might have a ground cable loose ...

and you might want to double check the ohm load you are running ... Sony's do not like going below 4 ohms mono, you may have it crossed up by mistake ...
Remember ... amps will go into protect if they have a reason, and hardly ever go into protect without a reason ... you have a problem somewhere
Find it and fix it before you burn your amp, or maybe even your truck up ...

 

[Talisman]

Well put the amp on the floor in front of the enclosure and zero heat issues for the past few days. Guess I need more fans! Anyone know where to grab some really quiet ones that move good air?

 

[ChrisAU]

pretty much irrelevant in this case. i had the same issue a couple years back, and so did my brother, the only thing i can tell you that might help other than putting behind one of the seats is to get it up as high as possible on the back of the cab under the window line and try and run fans that generate a smooth flow of air. if the box is down firing, you might be able to mount the amp on the front of the box in the middle.

I disagree with placing it as high as possible. Hot air rises. The bigger concern though is the angle of the seat, the higher up it is the less air is available on the surface of the amp, and the seat may in fact contact the amp which can really help overheat an amp.