SWM8 running very hot

[Mike32280]

I installed a SWM8 yesterday and its great...I love the flexability it gives me, but I a bit cincerned with how hot it is....


I have it screwed into the vinal siding on the side of my house and not enclosed in any sort of case....but it is quite hot to the touch.....not burn your hand hot, but hot enough to cause me some concern...is it normal that it would run this hot?


Thanks all

[Mertzen]

Can you keep your hand on it for 30secs? If so it is within normal range. Does it sit in the sun?

[Mike32280]

i checked it this morning about 10:00 AM, and it does sit in the AM sun, but it was rather cool here this morning, so i didn't think the sun would have heat it up that much....but i just checked again now, (4:30PM) and it was much cooler (its now out of the sun, but its much warmer out)......still def. warm to the touch, but not concerningly so...


thanks

[br408408]

I have a SWM 8 that I am going to install next week. Since I live in Florida, my dish must face south west. I have my dish mounted on west side of my house which is in the hot Florida sun all afternoon. Should I put my SWM in the garage which is what is on the other side of the wall that the dish is mounted on? I wanted to mount the SWM outside as I would only have to run one RG6 through the wall and not four. I think that most of us would have this problem as our dishes must face south-east, south, or south-west, and have a clear view of the sky....that put the dish and the area around it in the sun. I could make a bracket and mount it on the back of the dish, but mounting it on the wall would place it under a small overhang and out of the direct rain.

Thanks for any suggestions, Bill

[kruegs]

Mike:

I shared the same concern after I installed a new SWM at my house one week ago. Mine is on the South side, and in the sun most of the day. It is also in a smaller enclosure, and that retained a LOT of heat. After about an hour in the enclosure with the door closed in the heat of the day, it was too hot to touch for more than a few seconds. I removed the door and the temp dropped off dramatically. I ended up making vent holes in the door for the SWM and that solved my issues with heat.

I think the key to any installation, inside or out is to ensure a proper amount of fresh air and ventilation. That's my 2 cents at least. ;-)

Best of luck.

[kruegs]

BTW, here was a similar thread that I had started the night of my install: http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=137551 It also has pics of my enclosure with the door open. I should snap a few more pics of the mod I did to the door for ventilation.

Happy Labor Day everyone. Just a few short days til the NFL season starts. ;-)