dust filters & grills: how to reduce restriction?

silon · Post by **silon** » Mon Jul 17, 2006 6:46 am

hello guys, im in need of some advice.

my casing allows 2 80mm fans to be mounted as intake fans. pic:

a piece of dust filter and a very restrictive grill is provided. i only need one intake fan and i've mounted it in the middle.

i was hoping that because im only using one fan and since the surface area of the grill+dust filter is designed for 2, the restriction would be lowered significantly.

sadly, the fan is still struggling to get more air! i realised that the fan is taking air through the grill+dust filter directly infront of itself and not utilising the additional surface area above and below it.

is there any way i can 'force' it to use the additional openings? i cant do without the dust filter or the grill

thanks a mil!

edited; spelling and general errors

CoolGav · Post by **CoolGav** » Mon Jul 17, 2006 7:00 am

The fan isn't getting enough air because it's too close to the extra filtered intake area. If you can move it back and duck it you should see a better performance. Of course, you might not be able to move it back as your HD might be there!

Bluefront · Post by **Bluefront** » Mon Jul 17, 2006 7:06 am

You've got a normal problem with most cases.....there just isn't enough clearance behind the front bezel to mount an effective filter. Actually the area probably isn't even large enough for the fan to work efficiently even without a filter.

Without a case modification, you're in trouble if you need a filter. You could cut a hole in the bottom of the case close to the front.....construct a fan/filter in that location. You'll need to raise the case off the floor if you do this.

Other alternatives.....blow the rear case fan inward. Make it a positive pressure case. There's usually enough area back there to mount a good filter. But tough choices none-the-less. If you want a good air filtration system for any computer, it's a DIY project.

silon · Post by **silon** » Mon Jul 17, 2006 7:45 am

i think i agree CoolGav, the fan is too near. it is already as far back as i can get it to be, there's only about 1 to 2mm clearance between it and the HDDs

Bluefront im afraid i cant do a case mod; equipment is one thing, a lack of experience is another!

i suppose there isnt a way to 'force' the fan to use the additional openings so i might as well just give up on that idea. i was thiking, i could put the upper HDD one slot higher and fit the fan between the 2:

HDD1HDD1HDD1HDD1HDD1HDD1
HDD1HDD1HDD1HDD1HDD1HDD1
HDD1HDD1HDD1HDD1HDD1HDD1
...................1
<<<fan........1
<<<fan........1
<<<fan......................2
<<<fan......................2
.................................2
HDD2HDD2HDD2HDD2HDD2HDD2
HDD2HDD2HDD2HDD2HDD2HDD2
HDD2HDD2HDD2HDD2HDD2HDD2

this way, i could even make a small 'deflector' [i dont know what theyre called, theyre '1' and '2']. errm, do you guys have any idea how putting the fan this way would limit the effectiveness of HDD cooling?

once a again, thanks a mil!

jaganath · Post by **jaganath** » Mon Jul 17, 2006 8:50 am

you can move it back and duct it you should see a better performance.

Will ducting really help? Won't it be like trying to suck air through a straw with a sheet of paper over the end (ie darn near impossible)?

breunor · Post by **breunor** » Mon Jul 17, 2006 11:36 am

Make the duct like a cone, the tight end wrapped around the fan, and spreading out to include the entire filter area.

silon · Post by **silon** » Mon Jul 17, 2006 9:49 pm

i spent a few hours last night mounting the fan and doing some experimentation. conclusion? excellent! i cant hear the fan struggling to get more air and the HDD temps rose by about 0.5/1C which is great . NB and GPU temps are slightly lower too

thanks alot for the suggestions!