• Welcome to Overclockers Forums! Join us to reply in threads, receive reduced ads, and to customize your site experience!

Filter materials?

Overclockers is supported by our readers. When you click a link to make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn More.
J

JeremyCT

Member
​
Joined
Feb 26, 2009
Location
CT
Since moving into a house with hardwood flooring and getting a dog the hair/dust buildup in my radiator has increased. Shocker!

Honestly though, it's become annoying to take it down to the garage to blow it out with compressed air every month or two. Water rigs are heavy. I have a Swiftech 120x3 on the front of my case with push/pull fans. I tried dust management in the past and sprung for a Demciflex filter. Unfortunately, it restricted air so much that I had to run the fans a good bit harder to maintain temps and I wound up ditching the filter to reduce noise.

Is there a good fan media out there that just does basic filtering and thus offers less restriction? I know there's lots of options, but I get sort of befuddled as I go through them so I'd appreciate any insight. Attaching it to the front of the fan array is another issue. I used a light glue to stick the DemciFlex material on there, but I'd prefer something more elegant if it's available.
 
i have a dog and 3 cats so i feel your pain. Fortunately my case has built in filters but i dont know what type of material they are made of. it literally looks like fine mesh screens but some are cloth like while others are more metallic. i would buy a couple different kinds to experiment with honestly. they are really cheap for the most part and really your only going to be able to keep out the larger particulates. the finer dust will get in no matter what you do. in addition to trying a couple or three different kinds i would definately say get a good air purifier. i keep mine on in my office 24/7 and i still get gobs of hair under my desk(the office is kept closed when not in use) but the dust issue is nearly gone. hope that helps!
 
Any filter is going to restrict air flow. Even with filters you'll still have to clean them once a week or so (I have to clean my Demciflex filters twice a week). I too have dogs and hardwood floors and the real kicker is I live next to a quarry so dust is a major issue for me.
 
kyfire said:
Any filter is going to restrict air flow. Even with filters you'll still have to clean them once a week or so (I have to clean my Demciflex filters twice a week). I too have dogs and hardwood floors and the real kicker is I live next to a quarry so dust is a major issue for me.
Click to expand...

wow do you really need to do it that often my filters are lucky to get cleaned every 3 months .
 
I think placement and how long till you clean your environment plays a role. I have a air purifier next to me and might not clean my room as much as I should but have a filtered case above ground on the table with a cat in the residence. No issues here. Just need to clean out the filters like I did a few days ago say every few months.
 
Yea my pc is in my Very not clean basement concrete floor long haired dog (golden/irish cross) and I puff a green plant 1.5 feet (daily) from it
 
kyfire said:
Any filter is going to restrict air flow. Even with filters you'll still have to clean them once a week or so (I have to clean my Demciflex filters twice a week). I too have dogs and hardwood floors and the real kicker is I live next to a quarry so dust is a major issue for me.
Click to expand...

While true, the more you filter, the greater the restriction will be. The biggest problem I ran into last time, and might still be a decent issue, is how to attach the filter media to an essentially free floating 120x3 radiator with fans attached.
 
JeremyCT said:
While true, the more you filter, the greater the restriction will be. The biggest problem I ran into last time, and might still be a decent issue, is how to attach the filter media to an essentially free floating 120x3 radiator with fans attached.
Click to expand...

double sided tape should do the trick. that or mini magnets glued to the filter.
 
Hopefully your computer is not directly on the floor that is the worst possible place for a computer all the dust in the home settles lower, 2nd worse place is inside of a cabinet or desk.

Personally blowing out the dust is a pain but I don't have to do it but maybe once a year and I have no fan screening at all.

If your computer is not on the floor but on your desk and you have that much dust particulates in the air, you sir and your family are breathing that as well!

Maybe you should consider getting a home air purifier we have a Honeywell running 24/7.
 
Last edited:
Silver Surfer said:
Hopefully your computer is not directly on the floor that is the worst possible place for a computer all the dust in the home settles lower, 2nd worse place is inside of a cabinet or desk.

Personally blowing out the dust is a pain but I don't have to do it but maybe once a year and I have no fan screening at all.

If your computer is not on the floor but on your desk and you have that much dust particulates in the air, you sir and your family are breathing that as well!

Maybe you should consider getting a home air purifier we have a Honeywell running 24/7.
Click to expand...

I concur.
 
Yes, I know the floor is the worst place. Unfortunately, there is no other place for it to be.
 
With limited space where my rig is and the 65lb weight of the beast, I have no choice but to have it under my desk. It is raised about 2in off the floor though.
 
Seriously, sometimes there is no other choice but the floor. I know it's not ideal, but I proposed putting it up on the wall a couple weeks back and the girl said no way. Even if I did it all fancy in something like a Thermaltake Core P5 she wouldn't go for it. Women. Apparently that's "not appropriate" for a living room.

I'm crammed into a corner. There's really no place to put it except the floor. Someday maybe I'll get an office, but I'll have to build it and that day is not today. So in the meantime, a filter screen is the compromise I think would likely work best. All I need to do is figure out how to attach the material, hopefully in a removable fashion so it's easier to clean, and what material to use. My only other thought is to get a case with filter screens built and go back to air cooling, but that idea doesn't appeal to me much.

I'm open to other suggestions if anyone has any.
computer.jpg
 
Last edited:
I've used cut up a/c filters with good success. Don't get the super hypoallergenic ones becuase they will block too much air. I use the cheap white or blue ones and stick them in between the fan and the case. They are pretty thin so can squeeze just about anywhere.
 
I think that's the same sort of stuff that case filters are generally made from. It'd probably do well. Where do you find them cheap? I only see them on manufacturer branded screens and they're $30/item. Not exactly cheap. Searching for AC filters yields a lot of house HVAC filters, and that's not what I'm looking for.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

PolePosition
Ideas for keeping dust from entering case
2 3
Replies
49
Views
2K
magellan
magellan
Railgun
External twin MO-RA 360 planning and setup
Replies
1
Views
260
Railgun
Railgun
D
A new gaming build for 2024
Replies
3
Views
328
BugFreak
BugFreak
E
Fans and negative static pressure compensation
Replies
5
Views
421
Nebulous
Nebulous
B
8086k OC Gigabyte Mobo
Replies
5
Views
479
magellan
magellan
Back