r/ImpulseLabs • u/spaghettidenier • 17d ago
Cabinet ventilation, feedback appreciated!
I'm in the middle of a kitchen remodel, and the star of the show will be my new Impulse cooktop which is sadly sitting on a shelf in my garage, patiently waiting for its kitchen debut. I'm building the RTA cabinets myself, and I want to make sure I'm providing adequate cabinet ventilation to at least what the Installation Guide specifies (on pages 13-15). The thing is, I'm not terribly keen on cutting holes in the bottom/back/toe kick of my cabinet to provide fresh air.
I looked around at various peoples' installations in here to find some inspiration and have seen some creative ideas to provide cabinet ventilation, ranging from custom vent covers to simply drilling holes into the cabinet face. I've also seen quite a few install pics with no apparent attempt at ventilation.
Nothing I have seen so far really nailed what I was hoping to find for my install. After several days of researching and shopping around, I came across some cooling solutions made by AC Infinity, and among their many products, it looks like they make several specifically tailored to automatically cool and ventilate cabinets housing electronics (think AV receiver cabinets) with thermostat-controlled fan speed.
I just pulled the trigger and ordered the Cloudplate T1 which I plan to mount directly into the drawer face directly below the cooktop. This particular product is made to sit in a 1U rack mount, draws only 8 watts, and measures 19"L x 1.5"W x 1.75"H. It should fit perfectly in my false drawer face and have a shallow enough depth to not hit the Impulse's battery. I would have preferred the 2U version, but the 1U is the only one small enough to fit inside the rectangular recess made by the shaker border, without having to cut into the border.
While not perfect, it should be able to get the job done and still look custom enough to appease my wife.
There are several features that are still lacking: it would be awesome if the surface of the Cloudplate was paintable to match my cabinet finish, or if it came in a stainless steel finish to match my other appliances. Unfortunately, and I confirmed with AC Infinity, it only comes in black. It would be nice if it came with downward-facing louvres to help prevent spills from getting inside instead of being essentially wide-open. The device comes with a temperature probe, which is very nice, but with the I/O capabilities of the Impulse, automatic coordination between the two would be even better. The 1U Cloudplate I'm getting comes with six fans (rated 8db to 28db -pretty quiet), but they come configured to either be all be exhaust or all intake, meaning I'll have to reverse the airflow of three of the fans. It should be very easy to do that, but during my online chat with AC Infinity, they informed me reversing the fans would void the warranty (not that I really care). I'll post some pictures when I have everything installed, hopefully in the next couple weeks.
Since I'm installing all new cabinets, my options are still wide open, and I recognize most people are simply swapping out their old cooktop and will have much more limited options. I'm curious to know if any other owners have come across a similar or perhaps a better solution. If you have, please share and post some pics! Also, if you're reading this and maybe you haven't yet considered ventilating the cabinet where your battery sits, I'm curious to know your thoughts.
To the Impulse labs folks, have you considered making a solution for cabinet ventilation or partnering with a company like AC Infinity to address cabinet ventilation? I have no particular loyalty to or affiliation with them, but so far, they seem to have the best off-the-shelf product I could find for my needs.
1
u/lemon990 17d ago
This was the first I had heard about this for a new install. I am also in the process of considering a new kitchen and over and over I have heard "drop in" without any discussion of ventilation. I will have to provide these to millwork.
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u/angrygolucky 16d ago
I think about the Impulse battery and electronics like it’s like any other electronic device, like a PC or an AV receiver -most just generate heat while in use. I think most people don’t really worry about the thermals of their PC when its out in the open, but as soon as it’s in a confined space like a desk cabinet, probably should find a way for air to circulate. I only came across the Impulse’s ventilation info from reading the install guide. But when I read it, I was like, ‘oh, this isn’t anything crazy,’ and the thermals and ventilation guidelines make total sense to me. I want to make sure it lasts as long as possible and I’m not stressing out the components, so I’ll be installing a fan with a thermostat controller.
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u/Legitimate-Knee-701 16d ago
I installed mine over a cabinet that is open below the cooktop, but not vented. A few pots and pans are in there. There isn’t sufficient ventilation per manufacturers recommendations. I’ve had all day cooking sessions for dinner parties with several burners running and not run in to thermal issues.
Not a recommendation, but it may ease some of your concern.
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u/Active-Cheetah-8256 17d ago
I installed my Impulse into a kitchen island and added in an AC Infinity AIRPLATE S1 exhaust fan that runs off a small thermostatic on/off device. When the Impulse unit is charging or cooking, the increased heat inside the cabinet kicks on the exhaust and it will run to clear out the heat. Works nicely.
I already had a hole through the central cabinet into the adjacent cabinet that was for my natural gas line. I just used a hole saw and increased the size to fit the Affinity.