jon@dakota-truck.net wrote:
> Terrible Tom <silvereightynine@aol.com> wrote:
> [...]
>> Question.. do you see any danger to the electronics, if the computers were left to operate in
>> an unheated garage? I know they have a range of normal operating temps... currently its 5F
>> outside.
> Based on my limited research in this area, they should be fine,
> certainly down to 0F, and I have heard that some components such as
> the CPU can be run even cooler, like -20 or so. The only thing that
> would concern me is the possibility for condensation. When the cold
> air hits the warm computers, the water vapor might condense into
> liquid inside the computer, which obviously isn't a good thing.
Replying to myself now, that can't be good. :-)
I got to thinking about the condensation thing a bit more last
night and I don't think it actually would be a problem. Its been a
while since high school physics, so if any of this is wrong, hopefully
someone will correct me.
I believe how it works is that any mass of air will have a dew
point, which is the temperature at which the water vapor in the air,
which is a gas, will condensate out, into liquid water. That's why a
cold drink in a warm room will form condensation on the glass - the
air next to the glass is cooled to the point where it can no longer
contain the water vapor in it, and the vapor condensates out into
liquid on the glass.
However, in the winter time, I should think that the outside air
is way below the dewpoint, so the water vapor in the air has *already*
condensed out. (Maybe that is also why there is much less humidity
during the winter?)
So, if the above is true, then the cold air in your garage
basically won't have any water vapor in it, and thus putting it into
contact with a warm computer and warming up the air couldn't cause
condensation to form - I should think that if anything, the air as it
warms will be trying to suck up water - to convert liquid into water
vapor... By warming up the winter air, I think you'd basically be
creating something akin to dry desert air.
The only possible condensation problem I might see is once the air
warms up, if it is able to grab moisture from somewhere and then it
sits inside the computer and cools somehow, it could form
condensation. However, the fans in the computers should be constantly
moving the air and thus I don't think any such pockets would be likely
to form. However, if you had the computers outside and they were
cold, then you brought them inside the warm house, that is definitely
a recipe for condensation.
Anyhoo, like I said, if somebody sees an error in my
knowledge/theory, by all means, chime in! :-)
--
-Jon-
.- Jon Steiger -- jon@dakota-truck.net or jon@jonsteiger.com -.
| '96 Kolb Firefly, '96 Suzuki Intruder, Miscellaneous Mopars |
`-------------------------------- http://www.jonsteiger.com --'
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