Skip to main content
Convection is the only free cooling these units get. Give them the clearances the manual specifies, or they will take your output as the penalty.

​
Before you start

Confirm which platform you are siting — clearance figures differ between Kent M1 and Kent G3. Never enclose either platform in a tight, unventilated cabinet or decorative box.

​
Kent M1 clearances

The Kent M1 cools by natural convection — it is fanless and runs under 35 dB. Blocked convection means blocked cooling with no fan to compensate.
DirectionMinimum clearance
Above≥ 300 mm
Left≥ 300 mm
Right≥ 300 mm
Below≥ 500 mm
The larger below-clearance (500 mm vs 300 mm sides) reflects the direction of natural convection airflow — warm air rises from the bottom of the unit. Do not obstruct the base zone with cable trays or conduit runs.

​
Kent G3 clearances

The Kent G3 uses fan-assisted cooling. Air enters on the left side of the unit and exhausts on the right side. Never block either side, and never position two units so the exhaust of one feeds directly into the intake of the other.
RequirementMinimum clearance
To surrounding objects (all sides)≥ 300 mm
Between two Kent G3 inverters≥ 700 mm
Clear space in front of the unit≥ 500 mm
Bottom of unit above floor or ground≥ 500 mm
The between-inverters rule (700 mm) is stricter than the general object rule (300 mm). Do not apply the 300 mm figure when siting multiple G3 units side by side.

​
Airflow direction — Kent G3

         LEFT          RIGHT
   [  AIR IN  ] → → → [  AIR OUT  ]
Plan the wall layout so the right-side exhaust blows into open air, not into a corner, an adjacent wall, or the intake zone of the next unit.

​
Sun and derating

Direct sunlight is a derating condition on both platforms. Output falls on the hot afternoons when the customer needs it most. Keeping the unit shaded is a performance requirement, not cosmetics. The Kent G3 heatsink can reach 75 °C during normal operation at high load. Brief the owner that the heatsink surface is a contact-burn hazard — never treat this as a fault condition.
A north-facing wall under an eave keeps ambient temperature low, eliminates direct solar radiation, and satisfies the no-direct-rain requirement at the same time. It is the textbook location for both platforms.

​
Ventilation don’ts

No sealed enclosures

No sealed niches, meter cupboards, or decorative boxes around the unit. Both platforms require open-air convection paths — even the fanless M1 needs free air movement.

No creeping obstructions

Curtains, creepers, and storage migrate into clearance zones over time. Photograph the clear zone at commissioning, tell the owner it must stay permanently clear, and note it in the handover record.

​
Common mistakes

The clearance zone must stay clear after the owner moves in. Brief the owner explicitly: nothing enters those zones, ever. Include a note in the handover documentation.
Some installers apply the 300 mm object rule to the gap between two inverters. That is wrong. The between-inverters minimum is 700 mm on Kent G3. This is the most common G3 multi-unit layout error.
The 500 mm front-clearance is a service-access requirement as much as a ventilation one. Covers that cannot open fully make every future service visit harder than it needs to be.