A friendly reminder to everyone: as the days getter hotter, don’t forget to keep your electronics nice and cool. Extreme heat is the enemy of computers and other electronics gadgets, and has the potential to damage your expensive toys. Computers can fry, routers can quit routing, and game consoles can be ruined if they are allowed to overheat.
Don’t Stack Electronics
You should never stack electronic devices directly on top of each other. Is your XBox sitting on top of your DVR, which is sitting on top of your DVD player? Go do something about that, right now. Electronic devices get hot enough on their own. When they’re stacked on top of each other, they produce and conduct even higher temperatures. Keep your devices spread out, and if the amount of available space requires stacking, use shelves.
Keep Vents Clear
Almost every electronic device has one or more vents in order to control it’s temperature. Those holes on the side of your cable modem are meant to dissipate heat away from the motherboard inside. Make it a point to look around your house for any loose items that may be obstructing the airflow around your electronic devices.
Position Electronics Away from Heat
When it comes to where you store your electronics, use common sense. Keep them out of direct sunlight, and if it’s possible, in the path of a fan or air conditioner. Hot air rises, so store things on the basement or ground level of your home.
It’s Never too Late for Spring Cleaning
Get a can of compressed air from your local office supply store, and blast the dust away from all of your gadgets. Open up your computers, and make sure everything is clean. Remember those vents we were talking about? Clear away any dust and grime that you can find.
In Case of Emergency, Shut Down
If one of your gadgets begins to overheat and malfunction during the hot summer months, shut it down and disconnect it’s power supply. Let it sit and cool down until the casing is no longer hot to the touch, and then try to use it again. Make sure it’s not stacked with any other devices, and keep the area clear to allow for proper airflow.
Photo by fatal Cleopatra
11 responses
July 2nd, 2007
Techzi » Blog Archive » How To: Keep your electronics cool this summer says:
[...] The post emphasizes keeping your devices’ vents clear from obstructions, placing electronics out of the way of heat sources like sunlight, performing a regular canned air cleaning of your gadgets, and, if things still start acting funny, shutting down your device to let it cool down. Tips for Keeping Your Electronics Cool in Summer [Of Zen and Computing] [...]
July 2nd, 2007
mute says:
Very good article. I tend to do all of these things, but didn’t ever think about the modem and router topic. I have two routers stacked on top of my modem, and as soon as I get done with this response I’m unstacking them. Thanks for the tips!
-Lee
July 2nd, 2007
mike says:
thats really creepy that you know EXACTLY how my electronics are stacked, but you forgot to mention that all of that is on top of my receiver, and there is no airflow gap between those and the stand my tv is on…..do you think thats a problem??
July 2nd, 2007
Greg says:
Laptop users: park that machine away from peripherals and elevate it on a cooling stand when you’re using it at home. You don’t have to spend big bucks on the latter: I found a kitchenware shelf which, when turned upside down, matches the pleasing aesthetics of my Mac. Just be sure the surface under the laptop has ventilation to keep the CPU and battery etc. cool.
Keep a clean, airy physical desktop, with all your stuff organized at least a few inches apart. You can reduce your CPU temp by at least 10 degrees, and even in the winter months, you’ll enjoy the spaciousness. Save the clutter for the virtual desktop(s)
July 2nd, 2007
Greg says:
A quick follow-up. A friend of mine left a Viao unattended to on a light cotton comforter whilst downloading via wifi w/o A/C in a hot summer in the Alaskan Interior two summers ago. End of the Viao. Lucky it wasn’t the end of his apartment.
July 2nd, 2007
madderhatter says:
In our home office I have a three tier shelf with the modem, router, and WAP sitting side by side on the top shelf and it’s placed directly under the A/C vent in the room so they get lots of cold air blowing on them.
July 2nd, 2007
Of Zen and Computing says:
Greg: great tip about the comforter. I’m always careful when using a laptop in bed.
July 2nd, 2007
Evitar el calor en nuestros componentes electrónicos says:
[...] vía | ozac [...]
July 2nd, 2007
maneel.co.uk » How To: Keep your electronics cool this summer says:
[...] Tips for Keeping Your Electronics Cool in Summer [Of Zen and Computing] [...]
July 2nd, 2007
DVR and HTPC Upkeep - Save Energy and Stay Cool says:
[...] Of Zen and Computing explains how to keep your electronics cool during the summer heat. [...]
July 2nd, 2007
dustin says:
What about tight spaces in guitar amps. I got an old Peavey Envoy 110 Transtube Amp, which means transitors and it gets way!!!! to Hot! and Im wondering about ways to cool it down. Maybe Heat Shielding. Plastics? Cardbourd Maybe? or Even Tinfoil. If None of these sound good to anybody would the next best thing to do is maybe drill some hols for ventillation? Please email me asap Thanks
Dustin A
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