AMP FANS

want to ad amp fan the fan i have found pulls .23 amps my question is how much draw is this can i run it all the time or do i need to turn it off when boat is off.

Tony-

You don't want the fan on all the time; even that small draw will drain a battery eventually.



A good way to wire a fan for that use is to use a 30-amp relay. Connect the primary power to the relay to +12 volts, probably at the battery is a best bet. Install a 1/2 to 1 amp fuse in-line at the battery.

Then, use the blue amp turn-on wire from the head unit as a trigger for the relay.
that way, the fan is only blowing when the stereo is powered up. DOn't forget ground connections for the relay and the fan!

If you have a dash-mounted switch to turn your stereo on and off, you can wire the fan power off of that. going this route can prevent you from needing the relay.



Be prepared for the very real possibility that the fan will cause some noise in the stereo system. It doens't always happen, but it does occasionally. If all of the sudden your stereo is buzzing from fan noise after installation try using a 100uF 50v non-polar electrolytic capacitor in parallel with the fan. that has helped on some installs I have been around.

Good luck and let us know!

Phil
Kicker

I run a couple of the stinger "roll cage" fans on my amps.

Before you buy fans, have you tried putting spacers underneath your amps? If you can raise the amp off the carpet even just a little bit, it really helps with cooling.

In some cases, the entire amp casing acts as the heatsink.

As Adam noted add the spacers first. I do it to all the amps I install and dont have a problem with over heating, even a set of 80's on a zx650.4 bridged.

If you still feel the need for fans, give me a shout, I can get them.

Tony,

Phil covered the wiring issue well. But here's another consideration. A fan's effectiveness is determined by the shroud. A fan mounted without a shroud circulates air around the fan more so than around the amplifier. You don't have to cover the entire heatsink, just a significant portion.

And, along the lines of Adam's point, sometimes you can elevate the amp panel a bit, elevate the amplifier a bit and cut the fan into the amp panel and under the amplifier. This would eliminate the need to fabricate a shroud.

David
Earmark Marine

just put a 5 inch .38 amp fan on my amp cranked it for 45 min the temp outside is about 91 degrees today the amp was real hot.Turned on the fan in about 5 min amp cool works great.I did not notice any feedback in the speakers from the fan.