🔧 More Gear, More Heat
Over the past few months, I kept adding new components to my rack setup.
But here’s the catch: my rack doesn’t have any active cooling.
When I first bought it, I honestly had no clue how packed it would become someday. At the time, airflow was a nice-to-have — now, it’s critical.
🌡️ Thinking About Temperature
Recently, I took a closer look at how hot things get inside the rack.
Sure, some components have active cooling — but not all.
-
My network switch runs passively.
-
Power supplies? Also passive.
-
Even my firewall appliance doesn’t have active fans.
That adds up to a lot of heat — with not much moving it out.
💨 Time for Fans!
To improve airflow, I added 4 fan panels, each with 8 fans.
-
The bottom 3 fan panels pull cool air into the rack.
-
The top fan panel pushes the hot air out.
And yes, it makes a noticeable difference — especially during longer workloads or updates.
📡 A Weather Station Sensor… in My Rack?
Just for fun (and function), I also placed a temperature sensor at the top of the rack.
It actually belongs to a wireless weather station — meant for outdoor use.
But hey, it’s doing a great job keeping me updated on the rack’s climate.
Total nerd move? Absolutely 😎
🔒 Rack Closed, Bugs Blocked
Right now, the rack stays fully closed.
The door is still perforated, but I’ve added a layer of insect mesh from the inside — so airflow still works, but bugs stay out.
Because nothing should crawl in where only packets should flow. 🐜🚫
🎧 Can You Hear It?
When I stand at the top of the stairs to the basement, I can actually hear the fans humming away.
But it’s not annoying — the sound is more of a low, deep tone, not the high-pitched whine you’d expect from small fans.
It’s kind of like the rack is quietly breathing.
You only really notice it in the evening, standing on the basement stairs, when the rest of the house is quiet.
Just a soft, techy “whrrrr” in the distance — almost comforting.