Fan Filters

[Hippiekiller]

Does anyone know of a good (and cheap of course!) do it yourself solution for fan filters for the case? I was trying to think of ideas and came up with maybe coffee filters stretched out or furnace filter cut to fit.

Or are these available to purchase seperately?

Just tired of case getting so dusty and clogging up heat sinks and all the other problems it causes.


Any insight is greatly appreciated.

 

[DerwenArtos12]

There are a lot of readily available pre-made filters. SVC and frozencpu seem to have the biggest selection.

you're going to laugh but, I've found womens pantyhose to work very well.

 

[imported_Scoop]

Pantyhose, though I would just say that you need to clean your house more often. If there's that much dust as you say, it will pile up on those filters and you need to clean them as often to have cool air actually drawn into the enclosure.

 

[Bluefront]

House-cleaning might help some people, but if your dust problem is on-going caused by pets for instance, a filtration system on the computer will work better/easier.

I've spent years dealing with dust and computers.....here's a big thread devoted to the subject. Since you suggest DIY, something in there should work for you. Remember....a small flat filter over a fan will stop dust, but will clog too quickly. And neglected, will quickly cause airflow problems.

 

[nullpointerus]

Quick question:

How would speaker mesh (i.e. the black cloth) work, if one needed an aesthetically-pleasing material?

 

[DerwenArtos12]

Originally posted by: nullpointerus
Quick question:

How would speaker mesh (i.e. the black cloth) work, if one needed an aesthetically-pleasing material?

it's quite dense, even more so than the pantyhose so it would hinder some airflow and more than likely clog even quicker but, it would work.

 

[zorrt]

panty hose restricts airflow way too much.

 

[DerwenArtos12]

Originally posted by: zorrt
panty hose restricts airflow way too much.

That depends a lot on the fan blade design. The more swept and larger fans with sharp trailing edges can create a greater vacuum on the intake side but, they do typically create more noise. The thinner the blade the less pressure they create and this holds more true.

 

[Modelworks]

Use these.
http://www.homedepot.com/webap...eed-_-D26X-_-100351384

 

[DerwenArtos12]

Originally posted by: Modelworks
Use these.
http://www.homedepot.com/webap...eed-_-D26X-_-100351384

you do realize those are electro-statically charged right?

 

[Modelworks]

yes and that will not harm the pc in any way.
Its not like its going to blow "static" all over the inside of the pc.

Its adding no more electric charge to the inside of a pc than all those plastic windows people have on cases. All plastic is technically "electrostatically charged", unless it was specifically designed not to be.

 

[DerwenArtos12]

Do I sound like an idiot? my 6 year old nephew wouldn't assume you can "blow static all over the inside of the pc" but the chassis is metal. I used to work at home depot and a bag of those can pull up the hair on your arms standing next to the displays. Plus they're like 10 micron filters, thats way too restrictive!

 

[Modelworks]

Do you really think pantyhose would be better ?

Once the dust collects on the outside of the pantyhose your going to start cutting down on air flow rapidly. Material designed to be a filter collects the dust in a way that its not done entirely on the surface. Instead its collected on fibers throughout the filter. Allowing dust to be removed , but not block the air flow.

 

[Zepper]

Filter can be 10 micron but if there is enough surface area, it won't be too restrictive. I like these: http://www.jab-tech.com/120mm-...an-filter-pr-2470.html ez to remove filter material for cleaning or replacing - I make my replacements from foam air conditioner filter material. Home Depot doesn't list that on their filter web pages but if you go to the store, you'll find large stacks of them. Of course you can also find at walmart in the early summer months.

.bh.

 

[Team42]

I use cooker hood filters on my Antec 900. The stuff I got recently is a combined grease and carbon filter: it's 2 layers of differing texture. It's cheap, easy to cut, and you get losts of it.

I separated the layers and only used the darker, more coarse textured material. I have it on my 3 intake fans and it works very well. However, it has raised the internal temps by about 3 degrees, having cut down the airflow. Still, the interior of the case is noticeably free from dust compared to beforehand.

T42

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: Modelworks
Use these.
http://www.homedepot.com/webap...eed-_-D26X-_-100351384

Hey, that's exactly what I've used on a couple of projects as filters! Works great! I've used them for filtering and also to "hide" stuff behind it. Additionally I've added visual enhancements, as in LEDs behind them and they glow pretty nicely.

EDIT: I uploaded a pic: pic-a-boo This was a build/upgrade for a friend that I did. The big opening in the front was to add intake since the only thing the case had was a tiny slot at the bottom of the case. However, seeing the bare chassis behind it was ugly, hence the filter (plus the dust thing). I backlit it with one of those "5 lazer LED" lights.

 

[LOUISSSSS]

a Bounce dryer sheet would work! + proving your PC with a fresh scent