Tag: atex cabinet cooler atex air conditioner

Resources for Finding the Right Cabinet Cooler System

Published on by John BallLeave a comment
From right to left: Small NEMA 12, Large NEMA 12, Large NEMA 4X

During the warmer weather, electrical panels will start to feel the “heat.”  Freon-based coolers can be less effective in higher ambient conditions; and opening the electrical panels to have a fan blowing air inside creates a dangerous hazard.  To reduce loss in production and premature equipment failures, it is important to keep electrical components cool.  The EXAIR Cabinet Cooler Systems are an easy choice for consistent, long-lasting results. 

Cabinet Coolers are powered by Vortex technology, which uses compressed air to generate cold air flow.  They do not have any moving parts to wear.  They do not require any Freon or a refrigerant compressor that can fail.  They require very little to no maintenance to keep them operating for a long time.  EXAIR offers a variety of types and cooling capacities to work inside some of the toughest of conditions.  We range from 275 to 5,600 BTU/hr (80 – 1641 Watts) of cooling power.  They are easy to install, and EXAIR has several ways that can help you start using our Cabinet Cooler Systems. 

At the start, we do have a Cabinet Cooler Sizing Guide to help determine the total heat load.  This can be sent to us for calculations and recommendations.  We also have a Cabinet Cooler System Calculator on our website if you wish to tackle this yourself. 

EXAIR does an excellent job of helping our customers purchase a Cabinet Cooler System.  We use multiple methods to make sure that you are getting the correct information and the best out of our system.  So, if it is your first time ordering a system, here are some areas to help you quickly and easily install your new unit. 

We have our Installation Guides on our website for instructions and troubleshooting.  If you are more visual, like I am, we also have informal videos to give some tips and tricks.  Here is a list: 

How to install a Cold Air Distribution Kit

How to install Side Mount Kit

The Electronic Temperature Controller upgrade

Using the Cabinet Cooler Sizing Guide

Measuring internal and external air temperatures

Installing the Dual Hardware Kit for Dual Cabinet Coolers

Installing NEMA 4/4X Cabinet Coolers

Connecting the Thermostat to the Solenoid Valve

Resetting the thermostat

If you still have any questions, you can reach us by phone at 800-903-9247 or contact us through Chat.  An Application Engineer is waiting to help you.  For our U.S. customers from now until the end of August 2026 with qualified purchases, you will receive an AC Sensor for free, a $77.50 value, as a promotional item.  As I mentioned above, EXAIR has a number of ways to assist you from start to finish.

John Ball
Application Engineer
Email: johnball@exair.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_jb

How Can I Stay Calm When My Control Panel’s Overheating?

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

We’re in the dog days of summer (in the Northern Hemisphere) for sure…or, as we call it, “Cabinet Cooler Season.” If you’re having heat-related problems with a control panel, there are plenty of cooling options out there, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find one that’s as durable, reliable, available, and easy to install as an EXAIR Cabinet Cooler System. All we have to do is find the right one for your enclosure, and we have a couple of different ways to do that:

Cabinet Cooler Systems Sizing Guide: We’ve had this on our website, and in our catalog, for years now. We can also email you one, if you want to print it out & fill in the blanks. Then, you can either email it back, or you can call us with the data. It only takes a minute to do the calculations, and we do it over the phone all the time.

Cabinet Cooler System Calculator: This one’s for the do-it-yourself-ers, and it uses the exact same formulas that an Application Engineer will use if you submit a Sizing Guide. There are still some situations where you might need to contact us — if your enclosure is in an explosive environment, an area with a hazardous classification, or if the heat load is outside the parameters of our stock Cabinet Cooler Systems, the Calculator is going to politely decline to make a selection and refer you to an Application Engineer. Of course, if you have ANY questions about the application or the Cabinet Cooler products, don’t hesitate to call, even if the Calculator doesn’t make you.

Here’s what we’re going to ask for, and why:

  • Enclosure dimensions. To calculate the heat transfer surface area
  • Current Internal Air Temperature. This is the starting point for figuring out the internal heat load…how much heat the components inside the box is generating. This needs to be the air temperature – don’t use a heat gun, or you’re going to give me the surface temperature of something that may or may not be close to what I need. Just put a thermometer in there for a few minutes.
  • Current External Air Temperature. We’re going to compare this to the internal air temperature…the difference between the two is proportional to the heat load. Also, if there’s anything cooling the enclosure right now (like circulating fans; more on those in a minute), this reading is key to figuring out how much heat they’re removing.
  • Maximum External Air Temperature. How hot does it get in the area on, say, the hottest day of summer? We’ll need this to calculate the external heat load…how much heat the enclosure picks up from its surroundings.
  • Maximum Internal Temperature Desired. Most electrical and electronic component manufacturers publish a maximum operating temperature of 104F (40C) – it’s kind of an “industry standard.” Based on this, a lot of us in the enclosure cooling business set our products’ thermostats to 95F (35C) – if we’re maintaining the air temperature a decent amount cooler than the components are allowed to get, history and practice has shown that we’re going to provide more than adequate protection. If your enclosure houses something with more sensitive temperature limitations, though, we can work with that too…that’s the only time you’re going to want to put something other than 95F (35C) in this field.
  • Cabinet Rating. This is all about the environment…we offer three levels of protection, per NEMA standards:
  • Other: If the enclosure is mounted to the side of a machine, or a wall in the plant, you really don’t need to put anything there. If it’s outside and exposed to direct sunlight, tell us what the surface finish (i.e., polished metal, painted grey, etc.) is so that we can account for solar loading too. If anything else is unusual or peculiar about the application, let us know that too.
  • My Cabinet Is… Not Vented, Vented, Wall Mounted, Free Standing, Fan(s). We’ll use what you tell us here to verify the heat transfer surface (a wall-mounted cabinet’s back surface isn’t a radiative surface, for example.) Also, I mentioned fan cooling before, so without further ado…
  • Fan diameter or SCFM. If there are fans circulating air into (and/or out of) the enclosure, they’re providing a finite amount of cooling right now. Proper installation of a Cabinet Cooler System is going to require their removal. Running a Cabinet Cooler System on a vented enclosure is just like running your air conditioner with the windows open. So, if we know the size (or the SCFM…sometimes there’s a label on those fans, and we LOVE those folks who do that) then we can use that, and the temperatures you gave us above, to take the fan cooling into account.

Once we (or the Calculator) have that data, we’ll calculate the heat load & specify the right system. Easy as that.

Before I go…here’s a nice little video, walking you through the Cabinet Cooler Sizing Guide. Yes, I just made you read the book before watching the movie…feel free to tell me which one you liked better.

Cabinet Cooler Systems are in stock and available for same day shipment with an order received by 2pm EDT. If you have a panel that needs cooling, we can fix that right now…give me a call.

Russ Bowman, CCASS

Application Engineer
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The Cost Of Cooling Electrical Panels

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

Heat, dirt, and moisture are natural enemies of electrical and electronic gear. Dirt and moisture are relatively easy to eliminate as dangers: just seal up the enclosure so they can’t get in. Heat, though, is a real “apex predator.” Whether the enclosure is sealed or not, the components inside will generate heat if they’re energized. And no matter what, the enclosure will get as hot as its surroundings in time, as long as the Second Law of Thermodynamics is in effect (spoiler alert: it’s immutable.)

So how do you keep the components in those panels cool? If the environment is clean enough and the temperature and humidity aren’t too high, fans can circulate cooling air from the environment through the panel. These are readily commercially available starting under $100.00, and generally won’t cost any more than about $50.00 a year in operating costs (electricity). If the environment is climate controlled and relatively free of contaminants, you can’t beat them. If you’re on a desktop computer, and it hasn’t burned out, there’s your proof.

Many, if not most, industrial panels, though, are in areas where fan cooling just won’t cut it. Not only will those aforementioned natural enemies like dirt & moisture be allowed in, they’ll be DRAGGED in. Luckily, modern technology presents us with a number of options, depending on the particulars of the environment. The following are some details on “the usual suspects”, and a table with total cost of ownership:

Panel air conditioners work on the refrigerant cycle and are capable of the highest cooling capacities of the methods detailed here. They’re also the most expensive, with a typical annual cost of over $1,100.00.

Aside from the high cost, they can be maintenance intensive and prone to failure, especially in dirty or oily environments. Their cooling capacity is also adversely affected by higher ambient temperatures.

Air-to-air heat exchangers transfer heat continuously through a sealed, hollow tube by vaporizing and condensing a refrigerant-type fluid. Instead of using compressors with electric motors and other mechanical components with lots of moving parts, they rely on capillary action to effect the phase changes. They can’t cool below ambient temperature, but they are the least expensive of these, coming in at around $370.00 in annual cost.

*Hot air (inside the panel) causes refrigerant in heat pipe to flash to a gas.
*Cold air (from the environment) causes the refrigerant to condense to a liquid.

Liquid-to-air heat exchangers work an awful lot like a car radiator: they circulate liquid (usually a water/glycol mix, like anti-freeze) through a heat exchanger/heat sink inside the panel and then through a heat exchanger outside the panel. Like the fan and refrigerant-based coolers, their cooling performance drops as the ambient temperature rises, except for the ones that use chilled water. In facilities that already have chilled water, that might not be a big deal, but if you need one that comes with the chiller, they can get pretty expensive. And, you still have the maintenance & durability issues that come with any refrigerant-operated cooler. Liquid-to-air systems can run as low as ~$425.00 a year in total cost, for the ones that don’t need chilled water.

Thermoelectric coolers use the Peltier effect: when voltage is applied to two electrodes connected to a semiconductor, heat is transferred from one side to the other. Their compact design with no moving parts makes them popular for high-performance gaming computers (like the one my son spends WAY too much time on), small coolers (wine experts like them because they don’t cause any vibration which can affect the wine’s quality), and certain lab, medical, and laser cooling equipment. They have a limited cooling capacity, and because electric current generates heat, that gets added to the overall heat dissipation. The annual cost for these is around $950.00.

EXAIR Cabinet Cooler Systems can be installed in minutes, have no moving parts to wear, no electric motors to burn out, aren’t affected by environmental contaminants or humidity. In fact, of all the methods available for panel cooling, they have the widest range of where they can be used:

They do require an adequate supply of compressed air, which makes up the bulk of their total cost of ownership, which is around $410.00 a year.

I’ve mentioned cost of ownership several times, so I had better get to what that means: it’s the cost of the equipment itself and installation (spread across the effective life of the equipment), plus the annual maintenance & operating costs. Here’s a table with a comparison of the panel cooling options above:

If you have electrical or electronic panels that need heat protection RIGHT NOW, we can help. ALL of our systems are in stock and available for same-day shipment. We can even help out with determining which one is right for your needs with the information from our Sizing Guide, or you can do it yourself with our online calculator. If you want some help with it, give me a call.

Russ Bowman, CCASS

Application Engineer
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Freon-based Air Conditioning Units or Cabinet Coolers for Electrical Panels

Published on by John BallLeave a comment
Whatever you do, DON’T do THIS to your panel.

These hot summer months can bring some elevated temperatures within electric control panels.  With freon-based coolers, higher ambient conditions make them less efficient; and opening the electrical panel to have a fan blow inside creates a dangerous electrical hazard.  For every 10oC rise above the operational temperature, the life of an electrical component is cut in half.  To reduce loss in productivity and premature equipment failures, it is important to keep your electrical mechanisms cool.  The EXAIR Cabinet Coolers are designed to do just that.

From right to left: Small NEMA 12, Large NEMA 12, Large NEMA 4X

We receive many questions when it comes to panel cooling as the Vortex technology is relatively new in this area.  The main question is the comparison between the Cabinet Cooler System and the Freon-based A/C panel units.  In short, the Cabinet Coolers have no moving parts to wear, do not use Freon, and require no maintenance.  But they do require clean compressed air to operate.  The Freon-based A/C units do not use compressed air, and only need electricity to operate.  In this blog, I will cover a term to consider: Total Cost of Ownership.

What do I mean by Total Cost of Ownership?  I mean that you not only take into account energy use, but also other, very real issues of owning the system.  There are some significant financial impacts on the bottom line when one considers the need for using electrical Freon panel coolers.

Initial Unit Cost – The initial cost to acquire a vortex-style Cabinet Cooler is between 1/3 and ¼ the cost to acquire a Freon-based air conditioner system. And if we consider that a typical life span for a Freon-based cooling solution is 5 years, then the yearly cost is $500.00/year.  An EXAIR Cabinet Cooler system, by comparison, will have a 20-year life span as there are no moving parts to wear out. That makes for a yearly cost of $36.45 / year. Quite a large difference between the two. Also note that over the 20-year life of an EXAIR Cabinet Cooler, the Freon unit will have to be replaced four times. We’re not taking that into account for our calculations, but assuming the cost remains the same over that time.

Installation – Because it is so easy to install an EXAIR Cabinet Cooler system, the estimated time to install is only 1 hour. One small hole to mount the unit on the top of the panel and another hole to route the thermostat to the solenoid.  With some small amount of plumbing for the compressed air and cold air distribution kit, the extent of the installation is complete. Compare that to the estimated 3-hour minimum time in order to install a Freon-based solution. With this unit, it will come with very large cut-outs on the panel to allow for the airflow to process through.

Maintenance – In this comparison, we are stating that there are no maintenance or downtime requirements for EXAIR Cabinet Cooler systems. This is another area where the EXAIR Cabinet Coolers really pull ahead of the Freon-based solutions. Yes, there is some small amount of annual filter maintenance for the compressed air supply, but a quick washing and re-installation of the sintered bronze element, and you are back in business in a very short time.  The Freon-based solution, by comparison, will require a minimum of 4 hours per year (one time per quarter) for charging Freon (due to any leaks), cleaning and replacing filters, washing the condenser, and performing compressor checks. At an estimated $80.00/hour, that is $320.00 per year for labor plus any parts. 

Operations – Here we can compare the energy use.  If we use a simple estimate for the cost of compressed air at $0.25/1000 Standard Cubic Feet, then over the course of a year of operation, a vortex-style cooling solution will run about $338.00 / year to operate. For a comparable Freon-based cooling system, it will be about $56.38 / year to operate.  But with a Freon-based system, it will need to be oversized for ambient conditions over 95oF (35oC), which will make this more comparable. 

Electrical shutdowns are expensive and annoying, and if you do not maintain the Freon-based systems regularly, the shutdowns can occur often.  In showing the Total Cost of Ownership, it shows that the EXAIR Cabinet Coolers are a great purchase.  With no moving parts, Freon, or costly preventative maintenance required, they can operate for decades by keeping your electronics cool.  For our U.S. customers, we are offering a promotion.  You will receive a1104SS Super Air Nozzle, a $197.00 value, for free as a promotional item from now until the end of August 2026 with a qualified purchase.  How can you not give them a try?  If you have any questions about Cabinet Coolers or the Sizing Guide, you can contact an Application Engineer at EXAIR.  We will be happy to help you.  Remember whenever you make a purchase, you should always look at the Total Cost of Ownership to get the entire story. 

John Ball
Application Engineer
Email: johnball@exair.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_jb