Here in the UK I would say the loft can peak in summer at maybe 30c. In winter it can get very cold and slightly damp right down to maybe only a few degrees C. Now my instinct tells me no, don't do this on a server with multiple HDDs especially in summer time, but I know people who do run them up there.

 

The thing is, I don't have a better place in my house to put a whopping great noisy server, and if it's in the loft out of the way I can run the fans speed much higher as noise would be a non issue, so this could aid cooling. I was also thinking of venting fresh air to it. On the other hand, maybe it would be easier to just run it more quietly in my lounge cupboard or in my kitchen on top of the fridge freezer. I certainly do not want it audible in any room I would watch TV in.

 

Thoughts?

I personally don't do this, but here's some general guidelines:

 

Large temperature fluctuation is bad for drives.  You don't want your drives regularly exceeding a range of 15 C.  Once in a while is probably fine, but not all the time.  A range of 30 C to 0 C ambient would be somewhat difficult to combat.  Moisture is a killer too.

 

How loud is your server?  I'm guessing that for $50 or less you could replace your loud fans with quiet ones and run the server in the main part of your house.  Lining the inner surfaces of the server with thick foam can also make a large difference in noise dampening.  It is an easy DIY project.

 

I'm a bit dubious about the two locations you mentioned - a cupboard would trap hot air around the server, and a freezer would produce heat right next to the server.  These locations would probably work, but they aren't ideal.  Can't you think of a better place?

 

If you simply must run your server in the attic, here's a few things you could consider:

 

1) Insulate the server.  You could install foam around the outside of the server (careful not to block the airflow vents).  This should help stabilize temperature flux.

 

2) If moisture is a big problem, install a dehumidifier next to the server.  Or you could take the ghetto approach and fill the empty space in the server with silica packets.

 

3) Place the server on cinder blocks or similar so that it is 'floating' off the floor.  Air makes great natural insulation.

 

4) You might consider turning off your spin down timer in the winter.  This will keep all your drives spun up all the time.  A waste of power, but it will help keep them warmer.  A Google study showed that drives operating under 20 C for long periods of time were prone to failure.  You want the Goldilocks approach - not too hot (above 45 C), not too cold (below 20 C), but just right (30 - 39 C).

 

5) Get a fan speed controller that allows you to turn the fans on high in the summer and low in the winter.  You might even want to disable all but one fan in the winter.

Here in the UK I would say the loft can peak in summer at maybe 30c. In winter it can get very cold and slightly damp right down to maybe only a few degrees C. Now my instinct tells me no, don't do this on a server with multiple HDDs especially in summer time, but I know people who do run them up there.

Wow - maybe you have a well vented loft.  I have a max-min thermometer up in mine and I know it gets up to around 40 degrees Celsius (ambient) in the summer - but I do have a large south-facing roof surface.  (In case it's relevant I am in Cambridgeshire.)  Winter is around zero to 10 deg Celcius depending on the outside temperature.  My server's staying in my home office for the time being.

My loft - classic 1930s suburban London style - ranges from an oven in summer to an icebox in winter. It's unfelted and very drafty and dusty. I suspect very bad indeed for HDs.

 

Lounge cupboard may well be fine. I'm running my server - a CM590 with 8 discs so far - in a bedroom wardrobe. I was a bit concerned about temps and airflow at first, but even in the summer the disc temps never went above low 30s.

The downstairs cupboard could be a candidate then. Thing is, how do you measure whether it will be ok in there. A temp guage is just going to show it being same as room temp really. as you say airflow is the issue. I will have to suck it and see I guess

I think you guys have talked me out of the loft idea.

Here's how I would test the cupboard:

 

First install the server with the cupboard door closed.  Boot it up and kick off a parity check.  Monitor the drive temps on the unRAID main page at 15 - 30 minute intervals until you see them stabilize.  Let the parity check finish if you want, or cancel it.  Next, open the cupboard door and run the test again.  See how much of a difference it makes.  If the temps with the door closed are acceptable (below 45 C), then maybe run a longer test, letting the server run 24/7 for a few days.

 

To make this test a bit more hands off, you can install unMenu and use the notification script to have the server automatically email you whenever a drive gets hotter than 45 C.