would storing my server in my basement be bad?

[Hank]

This is a dug out basement with a dirt floor about 5' high. It might get a
little damp over near the door on a real rainy day but it hasn't flooded
yet. I was thinking of putting a server on a table so it would be off the
ground and if it ever did flood that high I'd have alot of other problems
other than the server. It's cooler down there but I'm not sure about the
dust factor. I have my gas furnace and hot water heater both of which
exhaust to the chimney.

any thoughts?

 

[Bob Day]

This is a dug out basement with a dirt floor about 5' high. It might get a
little damp over near the door on a real rainy day but it hasn't flooded
yet. I was thinking of putting a server on a table so it would be off the
ground and if it ever did flood that high I'd have alot of other problems
other than the server. It's cooler down there but I'm not sure about the
dust factor. I have my gas furnace and hot water heater both of which
exhaust to the chimney.

any thoughts?

1. If humidity might be a problem, get a humidity monitor to
check that out. I'd recommend a RadioShack 63-1032.
Then if the humidity is high, you might install a dehumidifier
and see whether that solves the problem.

2. Dust? How much collects in your furnace filter (assuming
your furnace has a filter)? Or, you might put a computer in
your basement for a few days and see how much dust collects
in the fans and CPU heatsink.

-- Bob Day

 

[GT]

1. If humidity might be a problem, get a humidity monitor to
check that out. I'd recommend a RadioShack 63-1032.
Then if the humidity is high, you might install a dehumidifier
and see whether that solves the problem.

2. Dust? How much collects in your furnace filter (assuming
your furnace has a filter)? Or, you might put a computer in
your basement for a few days and see how much dust collects in the
fans and CPU heatsink.

I would add:
3. Heat? If you have a gas furnace and a hot water heater in there, how hot
is it in the cellar? If it is very warm, the server might overheat easily
and be unreliable. Could you get a fresh air supply in there? A fresh air
supply could feed the intake fan on your server, so it is being supplied
with fresh, dry, much less dusty air.

 

[Paul]

This is a dug out basement with a dirt floor about 5' high. It might get a
little damp over near the door on a real rainy day but it hasn't flooded
yet. I was thinking of putting a server on a table so it would be off the
ground and if it ever did flood that high I'd have alot of other problems
other than the server. It's cooler down there but I'm not sure about the
dust factor. I have my gas furnace and hot water heater both of which
exhaust to the chimney.

any thoughts?

While I wouldn't get all paranoid about it, the hard drive is the weakest
link in the computer. The hard drive has a breather hole, which equalizes
the pressure between inside and outside the drive. It is equipped with a
filter, that keeps out particles down to a certain size. But below a
certain size, the filter could pass stuff that is in the air. Which means
I would avoid an area filled with solvent fumes, for example. (Air
only moves through the breather, as the barometric pressure changes on
a daily basis. So the exchange rate is limited in that sense, but
the breather is still porous. The HDA is not hermetically sealed.)

Some of the disk drive manufacturers have a spec document for their drives,
and they include temperature and humidity conditions, for reliable
operation. There is a graph which shows allowed temperature versus
humidity. The allowed case temperature drops, as the applied humidity
increases. There is no explanation of why that is, and whether it is
related to the effects of moisture on the inside of the drive
is pure speculation on my part. I don't think the controller board
is responsible for this spec.

"Deskstar 7K250 Specification v1.5 12/12/05 (Serial ATA)"
Section 6.2.1 Temperature and Humidity
http://www.hitachigst.com/tech/techlib.nsf/products/Deskstar_7K250

Paul

 

[Skeleton Man]

This is a dug out basement with a dirt floor about 5' high. It might get a

little damp over near the door on a real rainy day but it hasn't flooded
yet. I was thinking of putting a server on a table so it would be off the
ground and if it ever did flood that high I'd have alot of other problems
other than the server. It's cooler down there but I'm not sure about the
dust factor. I have my gas furnace and hot water heater both of which
exhaust to the chimney.
any thoughts?

Speaking from experience, I say go for it. I ran my own BSD based server
for over a year in my basement (in canada, and not a problem even at -25C in
winter).. concrete floor not dirt, but same difference with the furnace,
heater, etc. I did have mine in a seperate part of the basement tho (ie. not
right next to the furnace).

As long as you keep it away from everything else and don't mind a few
cobwebs, it should work fine.. I know exactly where you're coming from, and
it does keep things cool even in the middle of summer.

Chris

 

[kony]

This is a dug out basement with a dirt floor about 5' high. It might get a
little damp over near the door on a real rainy day but it hasn't flooded
yet. I was thinking of putting a server on a table so it would be off the
ground and if it ever did flood that high I'd have alot of other problems
other than the server. It's cooler down there but I'm not sure about the
dust factor. I have my gas furnace and hot water heater both of which
exhaust to the chimney.

any thoughts?

If you feel the area is too dusty or humind to be a
reasonable living area for people, it is likely to have an
effect on the system over the course of time. You might
make attempts to seal the area, dehumidify it, filter the
air and keep insects/etc under control (if they are a
problem) or just put the system somewhere else.

 

[Hank]

Speaking from experience, I say go for it. I ran my own BSD based server
for over a year in my basement (in canada, and not a problem even at -25C
in
winter).. concrete floor not dirt, but same difference with the furnace,
heater, etc. I did have mine in a seperate part of the basement tho (ie.
not
right next to the furnace).

As long as you keep it away from everything else and don't mind a few
cobwebs, it should work fine.. I know exactly where you're coming from,
and
it does keep things cool even in the middle of summer.

Chris

Thanks. I was thinking of putting it as far away from everything as possible
and yes it stays alot cooler down there during the summer than it willl in
the house. I just wasn't sure about with all the dirt from the floor whether
that would make a difference or not. Or being a somewhat damp area when it
rains out.