Monday, May 7, 2001		Article

Save your PC from heat, dust and humidity
By Vipul Verma

COMPUTER could be the best investment option if it is put to some useful purpose. However if it is not put to some useful purpose and is also not taken care of, well then it could be the worst investment too. Computers like other electronic items are subject to a lot of wear and tear besides getting technically obsolete.

However, you can definitely maintain your machines worth both in terms of value and workability by maintaining it well. Normally people think that the computers are disposable items. However, the truth is just the reverse because normally computers never die if they are cared for well.

Though their utility may go down yet they still offer you some worth as they can be utilised for many secondary purposes. Moreover for many persons who are swayed by technical specifications of modern computers normally discard their working computer and either go for upgradation or replace it with a new PC. By caring for your PC you can add years of life to your PC. PC has three enemies — heat, dust and humidity. These enemies are in the order of their criticality for the computer.

Heat, which is the biggest enemy of your computer, can cause huge losses to your computer ranging from blowing off your computer to malfunctioning of components. Moreover even if the computer is apparently working fine under heat then continuous exposure to heat could cause the internal components and chips to wear out. Heat also lowers the performance of your system. Thus in order to protect your system from excessive heat, you must not put it in a room that is either under the direct sunlight for long or which is not properly ventilated, especially in summers. Ventilation at times could play a great role in reducing the impact of heat so the first thing for maintaining your PC should be to check the ventilation around your system. The best solution is to keep your computer away from walls or corners as keeping it close to a wall could cause more heat in the absence of proper ventilation and may thus harm your system. Many of the designer computer workstations, which you buy from the market, are enclosed from three sides. If you have an air-conditioned room where you are working, then these kind of workstations could work fine, but in normal conditions, it could also prove harmful as enclosure from three sides could generate excessive heat both from your computer and monitor. If you have an enclosed cabinet then cut a hole in the back of the cabinet behind your SMPS fan. This will allow it to throw hot air out of your cabinet and thus would reduce the heat. Moreover it will also draw cool air into the system. You should maintain at least 6 inches of space between the rear of your computer and the back wall or the back of your enclosed workstation with no clutter, loose paper, etc., to block the flow of air into the computer. Also you should make sure that the top and rear of your monitor are kept clean and clear of any waste like paper, dust etc. Normally some persons place a lot of material like books small boxes, paper rim, etc. on the top of their monitor.

This is a dangerous thing to do as monitor also generates a lot of heat and has ventilation slots on them, which are normally located on the top and the back. These ventilation holes pass the excess heat from monitor and thus maintain the temperature. However, if the heat is not released, then it could cause severe damage to your monitor. Some of the likely damages are colour shifting, screen flicker and failure. So for maintaining your PC well you should combat the biggest enemy properly.

The second enemy of your PC, which though is not as deadly as the first one also needs to be tackled well. You cannot create a dust-free environment for your PC under normal conditions. The dust is bound to impact your PC. For saving your PC from the impact of dust you should regularly clean the outer surface of your PC and monitor with mild wet cotton cloth and cover it when not in use. However, you should not cover it immediately after use as it blocks the heat in your system. Secondly, you should also periodically clean your PC from inside by unscrewing the outer cover. As per the situation of your area you can set the time period, which could be anything from 3 months to 1 year. Ideally you can use a vacuum cleaner or a dust blower to blow away the dust. If possible, remove the dust from the CPU fan also by taking it out. Clean the area that covers a dry cotton cloth. Normally it gets choked by dust over a period of time and jams the fan, which may even blow your processor. Moreover, you should also blow the air in the SMPS and clean it occasionally. You should also blow the air from the motherboard and cards. However you should not clean it by cloth. The dust is just like a blanket, which keeps the chips of your components hot. Thus more the dust, the hotter they get. As much as .005 millimetre of dust can raise the internal temperature of your components by 5 per cent, which is enough to shorten the life of your system by years.

For effective working of your computer, keyboard and mouse needs to be cleaned. It is as important as your other hardware gadgets. Another hardware component, which needs special care, is hard disk. You should not mount your hard disk vertically, however it should be done horizontally and kept flat. If proper care is taken then your hard disk may run smoothly for years. A simple logic for keeping the hard disk flat is that the hard disk comprises of many small parts like bearings. By mounting the unit flat, the weight of the disk in the hard drive is distributed evenly over the entire surface of the bearing. This reduces the wear on the unit, and promotes long life. Contrary to this if the hard disk is not placed horizontally then the bearings of one side will wear out soon and could give you problems. Hard disk should not be placed on some heat-generating device. If it is mounted, then the heat could affect the performance as well as the overall life of your hard disk.

Lastly you should also take due care to fight the humidity that is a big problem especially for 2 to 3 months in a year. For taking care of your system from humidity, you do not need any special equipment. Just keep your room well-ventilated. You should never keep the room closed while working on a computer when the atmosphere is humid. The cross-ventilation will not let humidity affect you computer.