both sides hot on peltier

[dmc]

I just got a 172 w peltier and I wanted to try it out before I put it on my cpu, so I hooked it up to a 300w 12v psu with one side of the pelt against a frozen metal can and both sides got hot enough to fry an egg. I reversed the leads and the same thing happened. The pelt is new, is it fried? I know it requires a 24v psu , but should'nt it still cool one side? Thanks
Derek

[Burning Phoenix]

I was told not to hook power to my peltiers until i had something like a heatsink or whatever attached to the hot side because it might burn it out. I think it warms up immediately and wouldn't recommend putting power to it for more than a sec. with nothing on it.

[Random Nonsense]

The way i understand it, if u dont get rid of the heat on the hotside pretty quick, it will heat up the cold side, which heats hotside further which heats cold side further ETC ETC perhaps it was wrong way round when u put the cold metal can on it, and this may have friend the pelt

[The Overclocker]

strap on a heatsink then try