In this video I show my newest method of cooling my server rack, which so far has proved to work extremely well! I got this idea after seeing some video and pictures of newer data centers keeping the hot and cool air separate, then exhausting the hot air directly out. I thought why couldn’t I do the same thing? If only I had a way to contain the heat…

That is when I decided I would build a box out of some cheap pine boarding from home depot which could then be mounted to the rear of my server rack to contain the heat. The server rack is built out of the same pine boarding and some 2x3s stained with an ebony finish, so I also stained the new box to match. I then mounted a 6 in. duct with a powered fan on the top of the box and run some flex pipe to another fan powered 6 in duct that would be mounted to a board. That board could then be mounted directly in the window. The 2 fans together move about 400 CFM. I decided to use wooden dowels for mounting the box to the rack by drilling out some holes and gluing them into the box then making a female end on the rack itself so I can quickly slip the box on and off.

Overall it cost me about $100 and the results have been amazing! The servers are considerably cooler and quieter since the fans aren’t running as hard. More importantly my office and the house are also cooler.

Shout out to IAQSource for the quick hook up on the 6 in. duct fan!