Hello! Long time no see.

Summer is upon us, and so is 80+ degree temperature. Seeing as I dont have a dedicated AC unit for my servers, and I cant afford one, I did the next best(?) thing: Create a CAI, Cold Air Intake, using the AC vent below to route the air to my intakes.

Of course, this is just air redirection. It will move whatever air that comes through it to my servers. Including hot air, so its a bit of a gamble. For the summer months, as long as it stays warm, the vents will blow cold air. I just have to remember to dismantle the system during a cold snap or when winter inevitably arrives, or my servers might get a bit toasty…

Equipment:

Dryer vent box

4in Vent duct

4in Duct offset

Honeywell 4in Fan

4in high speed Desk fan

This is all I could find at my local Home Depot (plus Amazon for the fans) that would work. The dryer box is a bit large for what I need, but it covers the whole vent, and that’s good enough for me.

Its a simple push/pull system. The AC vent will push the cold air up, and the fan attached to the end of the duct will pull the air, and accelerate it for better cooling and more volume.

(Not optimal, but better than nothing)

Its crude, but I cant say I’m not a little proud of myself for jury rigging this little system. I love this kind of simple engineering.

The cardboard acts as rough air isolation and redirection, keeping cold air in front of the intake fans.

I also have a fan in the back blowing the hot air up and out. I hope it will help a bit. Please ignore my cabling job.

I’m hoping with this setup, I can avoid some screaming fans and dead drives this summer, till I can move to a place where I can afford a dedicated AC unit and closet for my equipment.

If you have any suggestions on improvements or questions, please let me know!

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