Outdoor Computer

ok, here's my situation:
I have a computer that will be running 24/7 as a server for the internet.(pentium w/mmx 166@200). even though it only has 2 fans running on it, i have no place to put it and the little noise that it does generate will be intolerable(sp?).

now, i do have a place for it in my garage. i live in ny, so my temp can get anywhere from 105 down to 0, and the humidity in there can get pretty high too (not to the point of beads of water though).

now, im asking if it will be safe to run it from in there? i mean, there is basically the temp and humidity factor that im concerned about. what are your reccomendations? thanks.

I been kinda wondering the same thing myself!!!

I know when I buy certain things that are made of metal (firearms, air rifles, knives, etc..) they come packed w/ these little things called Silica Gel or sumthin....supposedly prevents or helps to prevent the effects of humidity.

I wonder if you put enough of the magic "Do Not Eat This" stuff w/ your PC if that would prevent the ill-effects of humidity.

Just random thoughts....sorry that I wasn't much help....

MF

so thats what that stuff does, man i always wondered that my whole life, now it is complete

Condensation forms on a surface when it is colder than the dewpoint. Dewpoint is at or below ambient temperature.
Today my dewpoint is 8C degrees, so the computer would need to be below that to condense vapor to liquid on it's surfaces...good luck getting that eh?

A computer (running or not) will be equal to or warmer than ambient, (guaranteed warmer if it's always on) so there's no way for condensation to form.

The only time condensation could form is when you bring that chilly computer back inside the house (cold surface in warm, humid house). I wouldn't recommend running it for a while if you had to bring it into the house in the winter time when it's circuits or it's case are chilly.

Have fun!

thanks

ok, thanks alot. i think its gonna be a go!

oh, and are those gel things the same ones that come in shoeboxes? ill have to put a few in there. heh.

yeah it's the same thing you find in the little packets with shoes. I would not open it though just put a few little packets in there.

I run a server in my garage. Most of the summer it is well over 110F down there and it runs with little problem. Of course, it rarely gets below freezing around here and condensation is never a problem.

Don't put a package of silica gel in your computer. Those tiny packages only soak up a miniscule amount of water and are really only useful in sealed containers.

Fink said:

Don't put a package of silica gel in your computer. Those tiny packages only soak up a miniscule amount of water and are really only useful in sealed containers.

Click to expand...

Fink is absolutely right. Silica is a dessicant, meaning it absorbs moisture, but is not effective in open atmosphere applications. It would quickly become saturated. They are included in shoeboxes and gun cabinets because those are confined spaces. I don't think there is any sensible application of dessicant packs in an operating computer.

Now if you want to get crazy you could seal the whole darned tower in a box with a refrigeration system. Better yet, empty your garage of everything in it, brick up the garage door, install an industrial AC unit on the roof, get a few OC-48 lines, a few dozen servers, and start your own hosting company!! (Then give me free storage and bandwidth for giving you this FABULOUS idea )

heh

heh, i was just kidding about that gel thing.