Putting my PC's in the attic

Temperature related concerns

[trillianjedi]

I have 4 PC's running at home on a LAN which I do need (4 different OS's) for development purposes.

I want to get the lot out off the dining room floor and into the attic.

I know it gets damn hot up there. I went up last night and measured it at 30 degrees C.

It has been really hot in the UK these last couple of days, but it's a regular occurance at least once a year. It's nice and cool in winter. Doesn't get damp.

Am I likely to run into problems with the PC's up there? There is air circulation, but generally hot air doing the circulating!

Anyone here run PC's at extreme temperatures and got away with it?

Thanks,

TJ

[SEOMike]

For all the money you are going to spend building a little room upstairs, and getting AC, why not just get 4 of these little machines? [tigerdirect.com] You could line them up next to your TV, or on your desk, or in a drawer, or... well, you get my point.

[Leosghost]

The reason why you have to do it using "clim" and not just the fridge's own cooling ( unless you have the fridge that comes from the house with this guys computers [webmasterworld.com...] which have extra "powers" ; and also then won't need the obvious cable holes etc ..cos they can communicate withe the universe ..and the plex by "twilight zone" modems )is due to the condensing point ( dew point? )..fridges are dry environments ( they dry out sandwiches but not beer ...thank god )..but only cos they have these little drip tray thingies as mentioned ...but the ambient humidity is still a bit risky if using their own system unless....>>>>>
>>>> you can also use the type of fridge which has forced ventilated air in the freezer part ( usually for making more than the average quantity of ice cubes )...this air you can just let fall ( most of these units are in the top of the fridge freezer combos ) through a hole cut in the internal divider ...

This is actually the final version of what I had ...I needed the "clim" for the bedroom ...Cost of fridge /freezer with fan assisted cube thingy ..new about $400 or so ...used ...virtually nothing ..got mine for free from someone who couldn't take the noise of it's running ( worn rubber motor mounting blocks ..which I changed from a dead fridge I found dumped ) ....afterwards was silent and free and very very efficient ....

Leaves enough space for two six packs and some bottles of rose etc in the door too ..handy for when you've climbed to the attic ....

pS ..I need some PR 9 links for my new ***"making over" your attic for geeks ***site ....so If you liked this tip ; )

[trillianjedi]

I'll give you a link leosghost ;-)

I have decided on a Plan B option - they go outside next to the shed (can't go in the shed - it's crammed full).

I found a really cool spot, in the shade all day, ground is a concrete patch etc. I'm thinking about a small "box" with a "roof" to keep the water off. Ventilation will be pretty easy. Probably airbricks with some gauze to keep spiders (not those - the other ones) out.

So, question #2 would be about damp. There'll be plenty of ventilation courtesy of the fans, and inevitably it will be warmer inside the box than outside.

Doing this would be a lot easier/cheaper and the cabling for me is really easy.

Any thoughts?

TJ

[jim_w]

When the humidity goes above, oh about 90% maybe a little less, and current flows through a conductor line, you get the green crap that will grow on the metal conductors. The name for it is electrolysis I believe. My story about the HC11’s is true. If this moldy stuff grows on every exposed conductor line in the PS, motherboard, and cards, you are going to have a real mess. You will have to use a microscope to find all of it to get it off, and even then, when I looked at the damage I did on the test boards that the HC11’s were fitted into on a SEM, the connectors were actually pitted. So a gold plated connector that has very thin plating will not have any afterwards. _Any_ moisture on the conductors will produce this problem when current flows through the conductors. Of course one dewdrop could also short out exposed conductor lines.

Now if you live where the humidity NEVER goes over 25%, you maybe OK, for a while. Air condition units also provide a dehumidifier.

Just my thought for what it’s worth.

[trillianjedi]

It shouldn't be any more humid than my house, which is not dehumidifed.

It's damn humid here in London today, but it's unusual for the UK.

TJ

[jim_w]

Isn’t the size of the space relevant to the about of condensation that will form?