External case air duct

[seepy83]

Here's the story...I just moved home after graduating college, and my parents house has Central A/C. however, my bedroom (for whatever reason) recieves less air-flow from the central air than the rest of the house does, and having my computer in my bedroom and on 24/7 only makes the heat problem worse. Walking into my bedroom you really wouldnt think there was any air conditioning in it at all. I'm contemplating the idea of attaching some duct-work to the back of my case (120mm fan) and running it out of a window in my room. But, i have no experience working with duct work at all and i'm not sure what options i have for making a good seal with the fan hole on the back of the case. the duct that i would use would hopefully be the hose-type stuff that is used for clothes dryers (if i can find some with a small enough diameter).

anyone ever tried this, or have any suggestions on how I could do it? i'd also like to have a nice seal where the duct would fit in the window so that i'm not getting airflow from outside in or inside out.

my thoughts for the window are to run the duct into a piece of wood with rubber on the outside of it (like the rubber that is used on the inside of a refridgerator door) that extends across the length of the window.

any suggestions or comments are welcome...someone out there MUST have tried something like this before.

 

[Zepper]

You can get flanges (I'd get an aluminum one for the PC end due to weight, standard galvanized for the window end would be fine) for attaching the flexible ducting at each end. On the computer end, I might use closed-cell foam weather stripping with adhesive on both sides (available at most home stores, like Lowes or Home Depot, under the Frost King and other brands) or a bead of low-acid silicone sealant/caulk (depending on how rough the back of the PC is) for attaching the flange to the back of the PC. I'd also suggest adding a fan at the window end of the duct to help move the air thru the duct - pulling works better than pushing air down a duct, IMO. bgmicro.com has some AC fans of various sizes or you could use a wall wart to power a standard equipment (case) fan. Just some ideas off the top of my head - never done this specific thing before, but always full of ______________ideas...

.bh.

 

[Leros]

I have the same problem at my house. I went out and bought the smallest window air conditioner at Home Depot, something like $80. It was well worth it.

 

[imported_redlotus]

Before going to extreme measures and ducting your rig's exhaust, you can try a few things to increase the A/C into your room:
1. Make sure that none of the vents are open in your basement. Having them open is a HUGE waste. In fact, if you are in a multi-level home, only the vents on the upper-most level should be open.
2. Set a floor fan next to your bedroom's vent. This should decrease the pressure in your branch and bring in a bit more air. If you want to take this a step further, you could use an old box to force the fan to only draw air from your vent.
3. Make sure that the "cold-air" return in your room is unobstructed. If air can't get out of your room, pressure builds up and makes it hard for fresh air to get in. Leaving your door open would also help (except your privacy, of course )

If you still want to build an exhaust duct, the only advice I can give you is to keep any bends to a minimum. Anything over about 45 degrees or so can impede the airflow.

-red

 

[seepy83]

thanks for the replies. as far as a small cheap window A/C, i'd rather not end up going that route in order to save on our electricity bill.

as far as red's suggestions, the basement vents are closed. a floor fan next to my vent was my first thought and i got one a week ago...it gives me a bit of a wind chill in the room but really doesnt increase the amount of cold air that's moving around. and there's no air return in my room...the only way air gets out is through the door, and keeping it open just lets the hot air from the rest of the house in (i'm on the second floor). I haven't ever thought about closing down the vents on the first floor, but the concept makes sense...i'll see if the rest of my family is open to trying it.