Testing Airflow

[Tengu13]

I was thinking about using a fog machine to visually see how the air flows through my system and how efficient the air flow in my system is. However, I don't know if I'd want to risk running fog juice through my system. Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

[Zepper]

Welcome to the AT Forums.

BTW, it's Millennium Falcon... Try dry ice and warm water. CO2 gas shouldn't hurt anything.

.bh.

 

[Blur2u]

Might want to try Incense.

 

[VinDSL]

Heh!

This is the best thread, since I've been here... not!

If your case feels cool, you have good air flow. If it doesn't...

 

[Tengu13]

Originally posted by: VinDSL
Heh!

This is the best thread, since I've been here... not!

If your case feels cool, you have good air flow. If it doesn't...

Well, I could very well do that. But it's like pressing down on the gas pedal to see if your car has power or not. I have a general idea that my case is cool, but I really want to see if my fans are in their most efficient set up. My main concern is that I've got a Thermaltake Xaser III, but I also have a Tt Big Typhoon standing on top of my processor which is right next to the top side intake fan. With two fans so close to each other of different size and spinning at different speeds, I'm wondering what it's doing to my air flow.

 

[VinDSL]

Sorry! Not trolling, but...

I don't care for automobile analogies! As much as I try, they turn me off so much, I can't even read them. Really! Anyway, that's a personal defect -- not your problem!

I don't know about you, but I have high-tech electronic crap all over my house. I'm not about to start burning incense or place 'boiling' dry-ice around my house to check the air flow.

Once again, as a rule of thumb, if something feels hot, I know the air flow sucks! I don't need a smoking Buddha to tell me that. If it feels cool, I know I'm okay!

Hasn't failed me yet -- sorta!

Having said that, I've been ignoring my $300 OTA Motorola HDT-101 HDTV Tuner. It was hot to the touch, and I KNEW it had an air flow problem, but I figured what-the-heck! Well, guess what?!?! It died two days ago -- ching, ching!

Live n' learn, eh what? Should have listened to myself!

The only other thing around here that's boiling hot is my Cisco 678 router -- but I have several more of them in reserve, so who cares, you know? Famous last words... :roll:

 

[SparkyJJO]

lol vinDSL sounds like u got some problems

I was told once by a smoker to just blow smoke into the intake of the computer and as long as I had a side panel window I could watch the smoke and get an idea of the airflow.... well I don't smoke but also purposely blowing smoke into a computer sounds like a bad idea to me :Q

 

[0roo0roo]

smoke machine+plexi
thermal camera

 

[pkrush]

If you're concerned that the fan on the Typhoon is robbing your back panel fans of air, you can always flip the fan on the Typhoon temporarily to see if it changes your temps at all. I did this and it turns out that my CPU runs cooler by about 3C with the fan blowing upwards. Of course, I have an XP-120, not the Big Typhoon, so your results may vary.

 

[PChang11]

Dry ice, fog making machine, or bee's wax works well. Cigarette smoke leaves residue. The last time I cleaned out my dad's computer it was pretty nasty.