Are you wondering why your projector is so loud in the first place? The answer is because it doesn’t have a way to ventilate heat. I know for a fact that this was my problem even though my projector was brand new. It can be hard to keep a projector cool in a room that doesn’t have AC, but there is hope! In this article, I’ll show you some quick things you can do to decrease the amount of fan noise coming from your projector.
So how do you reduce fan noise on a projector? Keep it in an area where it can ventilate unobstructed. This might be an obvious answer, but most people really don’t think about how the placement of their projector affects its temperature regulations. Unless your projector is turning off due to excessive internal temperature, take a look at some of the quick fixes below and let me know if you have any luck with these methods (entertainmentden.ns@gmail.com) or leave a comment!
Keep in mind that cheaper projector builds (under $150) will generally have louder fans as part of their build rather than any external problem. Most high-quality projectors will come with fans that sound like white noise and only get louder if they’ve been on for more than 3 hours.
Adjust your projector settings
Most likely your projector will have a setting called Eco Mode or Dynamic Mode. This is basically the projector’s power setting usage and optimization settings. Turning on Eco Mode will decrease the fan noise by almost half without dramatically affecting the image quality or brightness. I think it’s interesting that this setting even exists. Why not just always have it on Eco Mode? Turning on Eco Mode will also increase the lifespan of your projector, just like having a Toyota Prius run on economic settings. The same is true for a projector. If you still have your projector manual or already know how to access the settings menu, more than likely you can turn on Eco Mode in the Display panel.
A lot of people were saying that what ultimately worked for them was having it near an AC vent or having some sort of AC cooling system applied to the projector. Your effort will be well spent trying to find a solution to this one specifically rather than trying to build a hush box or “mod” your projector to have some special AC cooling powers. Try turning on Eco Mode and look into getting some sort of way to get cool air to your projector so it won’t have to kick it into high gear! If all else fails and the fan is just too loud, talking to Geek Squad from Best Buy is also an option.
Air condition the room to be cooler if possible
This alone can solve the problem if it starts kicking into high gear the moment you turn it on. If you have your projector mounted or placed near the upper area of your ceiling, remember that hot air rises and the temperature of your room will be warmer and stuffier near the top. If possible, try to find a way to channel some AC through the top but if not then consider getting a mini fan to apply more air to the projector. A really unconventional way to stop this would be to get one of these:
I talked about this in one of my earlier articles about useful gaming accessories. Above is a pic of a portable AC unit that can be used for desktops and areas where the user is sitting. Some of these are a little expensive but you could find some cheap ones on Amazon and just place them in the vicinity of the projector. Sometimes you might not always be able to control the fan noise simply because its a hot summer day and your room can’t be kept at a cool enough temperature. I’ve also noticed that some games over movies will be more demmanding for the projector even though it’s being kept at a suitable temperature.
How old is your projector?
Sometimes older projectors can get louder and louder with time. Older models will have louder fans in general. One thing to do is to potentially call Best Buy and see what else they say. I wouldn’t take it into them right away because they usually try to get you to buy a new one altogether. Some projector brands actually have a way to get their fans switched out for a higher quality one but that’s something either Best Buy or RadioShack can let you know about. After years and years of having one, sometimes the internal light bulb is working too hard to keep up with the projector’s demands and makes the projector work harder than it needs to. Sometimes you might just have to get a new bulb to balance out the projector’s optimization.
Get a cooling pad instead of building a hush box
A hush box is a box designed to silence a projector or any other electronic device from making sounds- especially from the fan systems. People post on forum pages about the custom hush boxes that they have made for themselves and I don’t think that’s a good idea. Super home theater enthusiasts build ones that actually work and ventilate the heat AND reduce the fan noise, but for the rest of us, we’ll only be able to build a contraption that does one or the other but not both.
Hush boxes aren’t good for projectors in the first place because heat gets trapped inside and can cause the projector to short circuit Instead, it’s better to get what’s called a cooling pad. These can help keep your projector cool so the fan won’t have to work as hard (keeping the fan noise down). These have also been accredited to increasing the performance of laptops and any electronic surface that has been put on it. The cooling pad uses fans to keep the under-surface of the device cool. And the best part is that you won’t hear it at all! It’s a dedicated cooling fan system that’s built to be silent and convenient. You can get them for a very cheap price even though they deliver excellent quality.
