finley_wells66•2mo agoProlific Poster

Warning: I just learned my panels are getting baked in the attic heat

I was replacing a sensor in a house in Phoenix last week and checked the attic panel on a whim. The internal temp gauge showed it was running at 145 degrees. I always figured those cabinets were tough enough but the manufacturer spec says max is 140. Now I am looking at adding a fan kit or relocating the panel for the next 3 jobs. Has anyone else cooked a panel like this without realizing it?

3 comments

3 Comments

diana8292mo ago

Huh, is it actually that serious though? I feel like manufacturers always lowball those temp specs to cover their butts.

samthompson2mo ago

Oh yeah, trust me I've learned this the hard way. Manufacturers are giving you the safe number where nothing catches fire, not where your hardware actually starts throttling. Your mileage may vary, but I'd aim a solid 10-15C below whatever they say is the max just to keep things stable.

amy_sanchez20d agoMost Upvoted

Hold on @samthompson, I don't know about that "aim 15C below" thing. I've pushed my rig way past the listed max temp and it's still chugging along fine two years later. Seems like people get a little paranoid about this stuff when realistically your parts will throttle down way before they actually die.