Help with powered duct venting

[bcdal]

My house has a built in entertainment center, with shelves on either side of the TV. These shelves are 12" wide, which is way too small for DVD and satellite receivers, etc. So I need to place the items in the built in cabinents below the center. Even with the doors removed, it is getting way too hot in the summer in this enclosed space (the wall behind the entertainment center is the garage!). The new electronic equipment coming out these days generates insane amounts of heat (XBOX

360 I'm talking to you).

I want to place a 6" or 8" duct to pull warm air out this cabinent space with a fantech inline duct fan. My question is: Where do I take this warm air. Do I need to route is back to the return air duct to prevent negative pressure? Can I vent this to the attic, and perhaps enough air will find it's way in to the house? Or could take it through the back into the garage as well. Does anyone have a suggestion for a solution. Thanks in advance!

[Speedy Jim]

Not permissible to breach the wall to the garage for this.

Up to attic should work. Screen the outlet. I really don't think neg pressure will be a problem.

Jim

[Joseph Meehan]

If you have a good option to do so, I think I would put it into the return air duct.

[dkhedmo]

The house we're buying has a hood over the stove which does not vent, it has a filter and recirculates the air back into the room. I take it from your response that when we get around to making a few adjustments to the kitchen, we would not be allowed to change the hood to a vented one and exhaust it into the garage, which is on the other side of the wall behind the stove, but we could theoretically vent it through the attic and out (ranch house)?

-Karen-

[Speedy Jim]

Yes, metal duct thru attic to a "roof jack".

Here is one style:

Your city bldg dep't may have additional requirements.

Jim

[bcdal]

Thanks for the response Jim.

It is possible to vent through the wall. Fantech makes a fan especially for this:

My only concerns are noise, since I will be facing this fan with only an insulated wall separating the couch and the fan motor. Also, the fan pulls anywhere from 100 to 200 cubic feet per minute. Do you think this flow is too high?

Thanks

[Speedy Jim]

Vent thru an exterior wall, but not into a garage.

Yes, I think you are planning way too much CFM. Something like 50 CFM should do it. Try an experiment: Purchase the cheapest bath vent fan with the lowest CFM rating. Duct tape it to the cabinet and exhaust into the room. Measure the equip temps inside the cabinet.

As for noise, if you can get a fan to mount remotely (in the duct), there will be little noise in the living space.

Jim

[lee houston]

Why not vent to garage, Jim? possibility of garage fumes entering house?

lee

[Speedy Jim]

That too. But it's mainly a fire code issue restricting penetrations of the fire-rated wall between garage and house. Jim

[Speedy Jim]

Given the small air flow and the low (presumably) BTU Load from the cabinet electronics, don't overlook Joseph Meehan's suggestion to discharge into the return air duct.

Jim