On Thursday this week I assisted a client in moving their three production servers from a downstairs open office to an upstairs semi-closed environment, which had been converted from a storage closet. The room had been properly prepped with a thorough cleaning and its own climate controls and HVAC system [The client is an HVAC company in town]. They were also installing a new security system in the same room. The primary reason for making this move was for disaster purposes. The building, while not necessarily in a flood plain, had seen some disturbingly close water in the spring flood of Bloomington and southern Indiana. So they made a decision to move all of their security, I.T., and other electronic systems upstairs.

The old location of the servers was just inside the office door from the machine shop, where they draft custom duct for HVAC installations. There is a lot of dust and debris that carries over into the office. In addition, the office is frequented by their field technicians, who tend to get dirty on the job as they work in construction sites and outside in the dirt and mud. They frequently carry that dirt into the office on their clothes. Needless to say, the air in the office was anything but clean, despite a good air system in the office area.

During the move on Thursday, we popped open the cases of each server and sprayed dust-off inside the servers for the first time in probably a year. The amount of dust and dirt that came out of those servers was simply shocking. Shortly upon spraying one down, an employee walked in the office and his first comment was, “Why is it cloudy in here?”

We completed the dusting of Pigpen and his two siblings, and then I proceeded to have a 10 minute sneeze attack. I probably lost a couple months of life expectancy based on the amount of dirt I inhaled.

According to ComputerDust.com, integrated circuits (ICs) can suffer from overheating as a result of the insulating affect of dust as well as suffer from electrical shorts caused by dust across their contacts. Tests show that the internal temperature of a CPU can go up as much as 30 degrees due to a buildup of dust. While we cannot predict the lifespan reduction of operating a PC in an environment that has a higher concentration of dust than what would be considered normal conditions, it can be reasonably concluded that reducing dust in the operating environment and in the CPU case will reduce the risk of failure.

There are a few mitigating approaches to reducing dust:

1. Use Dust-off regularly. You should use dust-off around the open areas of your PC, such as the case vents, the power supply fan, and any other venting fans, on a monthly basis. PCs should opened up 3-4 times per year for inside cleaning.

2. Use a dust cover. They are relatively inexpensive and will sufficiently keep dust out of your computer.

3. Invest in a PC Air Filter. Also relatively inexpensive, operates just like your air filter in your home’s heating/cooling system.

utilizing these options will reduce risk of failure and provide some piece of mind. Just to be clear, ForthPhaze Technology will do no other chores beyond dusting – no window cleaning or lawn maintenance! (Unless the rate is good…)

Also, beware of the dangers of Dust-off. Don’t try these tricks at home!