Projectors have come a long way since the days of the boring, 150 lb goliath teachers used in classrooms. As with everything in technology, projectors have gotten smaller and more high-tech. Now, they even have gaming projectors and short-throw projectors that challenge OLED smart TVs. 

The unfortunate aspect is that a lot of that technology comes with a caveat and it’s the same caveat that’s plagued electronic devices since the dawn of, well, electronic devices. That caveat is heat. Whenever you place two wires in a confined space, they figure out a way to warm things up.

Do Projectors Get Hot?

Projectors do indeed get hot—some more than others. For instance, short-throw gaming projectors tend to generate a lot of heat, mostly because of the hardware that goes into them, which forces light into the correct, geometric shape for you to watch a movie. 

Fortunately, most projectors come with plenty of ventilation ports, just like any computer or game console does. They also include fans designed to blow that heat out of the ventilation ports and otherwise disperse it the best way they can.

Lamp projectors are the worst and after running for some time can even begin to heat up a room. If you’ve ever had a light blow out in your home and reached up to touch it and unscrew it, you have an idea of how hot these bulbs can get. In fact, they are capable of increasing the temperature inside the projector casing to 300°F. 

Laser and LED projectors are much more efficient than light bulb projectors. They do get warm but nowhere near as much. They last longer too and are more energy efficient. The problem is, you have to sell your kidney on the black market to afford a decent laser projector. 

Most people are stuck with bulb variations. Many of the light bulb projectors out there, including gaming projectors are exceptional but you have to figure out a way to help them cool off, especially when you are using them for extended periods.

How to Keep Your Projector Cool

It’s a good idea to consider ways to keep your projector cool, especially if you are running a projector that uses a light bulb, which most people are.

Check The Vent And Cooling Fans

Your projector should have an air intake filter. Check to see if the filter is blocked. If you think it is, try cleaning it or blowing dust and debris out with compressed air. Also, listen to make sure that the cooling fan is still running. If the fan has stopped working you’ll probably need to have it repaired at a shop.

Keep in mind that some projectors have two fans. You’ll usually find the second fan located close to the lamp. Check carefully if there’s a second fan and if it is running.

Related Article: Do Projectors Have a Refresh Rate? (What You Should Know)

Clean Dust From Deep Inside Your Projector

If your projector has been regularly used for the past few years, then it’s likely that a lot of dust has built up deep inside it. This dust can be hard to get to and it can also clog components and cause some serious overheating issues.

To get at this dust, you’ll have to grab yourself a screwdriver and take the casing off the top of your projector.

Keep track of what screws go where so you can easily put it all back together later.

Plug your projector out and unscrew the upper casing from it. When you get to the logic board, remove some of the clips holding it in place so you can position it out of the way to access any casing underneath.

If there is more casing below the logic board that can be unscrewed and removed then remove that also.

Now, you should be able to see inside the very bottom of the unit and you’re probably seeing a ton of dust, debris and hairs everywhere.

Compressed air is the best to blow all of that out of the bottom of your projector. Aim the nozzle inside fans and components as well to blast them free of dust.

Hold the fans to stop them from spinning as you blast air at them to remove dust and don’t hold the nozzle too close to components as the force of the air may damage them.

Now, all that’s left to do is put it all back together again and tighten it up. And Don’t forget to line up the teeth correctly when putting the circuit board back in.

If it’s heavy dust that has been clogging up the innards of your projector and causing it to overheat then this should no longer be a problem.

Keep it in a Well-Ventilated Spot

This almost goes without saying. If you buy anything that’s electrical and it has vents, those vents are there for a reason and you need to find a position where the projector has plenty of space.

Keep it Clean

Dust will kill a computer faster than just about anything outside of a water spill or dropping it. Try to keep your projector clean and free of all debris—anything that might clog up those ventilation ports.

Use a Cooling Pad

Just like cooling pads for laptops, they make cooling fans for projectors. If you notice yours gets really warm a lot, consider picking one up.

Bottom Line

Projectors do get hot, especially if you’re like most people and own a light bulb projector. Fortunately, you can take steps to keep it cool, including some preventative maintenance and purchasing an additional cooling fan.