Outdoor air cooling mod idea/question/concern

R

Robertmarcus

Gawd
Joined
Jun 4, 2012
Messages
671
Hi all.

I just had an idea the other night about making a vent from my computer 200mm intake to my window which goes directly to the 25 degree f. air. I was looking on line and heard of condensation being a problem, but i am not water cooling this build. I would just be making a vent that would draw air in from the outside world and cool my pc. Of course, i would use a filter on it to protect it from squirell's and such, so animals and rain is not a problem. My main concern is the topic of condensation ruining parts. Is this possible even though i am not using any liquid in my build? Thanks.
 
Yeah, a huge problem. Your pumping cold humid air into a warm metal box full of sensitive electronics.
 
What if i told you that the air were i live is dry as a desert this time a year? Still the same thing?
 
I don't think condensation is a concern if the entire interior of the computer remained near the same temperature as the air coming in. Basically, just make sure your airflow is good.
 
powertower said:
Yeah, a huge problem. Your pumping cold humid air into a warm metal box full of sensitive electronics.
Click to expand...

The cold "humid" air quickly becomes dry air once it is heated. Even saturated air at 0C will be uncomfortably dry once warmed up to room temperature. Condensation is generally an issue when one chills the air, not so much the other way around.

I would still have reserves about bringing in untreated outdoor air straight into the case, but the humidity of the cold air should not be an issue in this scenario. I would be more worried about the warm air getting cooled by the initial blast of cold air.
 
So what would you recommend? Start the cool air extract before the computer turned on to avoid having any issues with warm air being cooled by the cold air.
 
Actually, condensation is only a concern when warm air meets cold surface. If the surface is warmer than the air, then it's not a concern.

Basically, the only time you might get condensation is when you turn off your computer and warm air floods into the colder computer.
 
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