Is Air Conditioning Bad For our Computers and Laptops?

By tay121222, . Permalink Computers

 

An air conditioner can potentially hurt a laptop in a couple of ways. It might hit the laptop with air that is too cold.

It can contribute to condensation, which can certainly damage a laptop. Even the flow of air can be an issue.  

featured-air-conditioning-bad-for-laptops.jpg, Jun 2022

So if you want to learn all about how air conditioning may hurt your laptop, then you’re in the right place.

Let’s get started!

The following are 4 things that can pose a risk to computers and laptops in an Air Condition Environment

1. Excessive Cold Air

Air conditioners cool down air and then pump it out of a vent.

Cold temperatures can be bad for laptops.

Cold air doesn't necessarily damaged your laptop.

Excessively-cold-air-1024x683.jpeg, Jun 2022

In the vast majority of cases, the AC unit is designed to pump in cool air that is well within the normal operating temperature range for your standard laptops.

What really damages the laptop is excessive cold air.

Excessive cold air can damage your laptop in multiples ways, from disabling and corrupting your harddrive to shattering your screen if is warmed up too quickly.

Both using and storing your laptop in an air condition environment can cause problems especially if the laptop is turned off and not getting any heat.

2. Condensation

Condensation is when water vapor in the air collects into liquid droplets.

If you have ever seen a cold drink “sweat” onto a coffee table, you saw condensation in action.

Air conditioners can help to create conditions that are ideal for condensation. 

In fact, your typical home air conditioner has a special drain specifically designed to handle the large amount of condensation created by the air conditioning process.

water-vapor-1024x683.jpeg, Jun 2022

As you already know, water can be very bad for electronic devices. If your air conditioner is creating condensation all over the laptop, that can be a major problem.

The air that comes through the vent is much drier than the air that goes through the system’s intake.

This mitigates the risk of any major condensation on your computer if you put it in front of an AC vent.

The risk is lowered, but some condensation is still possible, especially if you live in a humid climate. 

If you ever notice an area that tends to get condensation when you run your air conditioner, avoid putting your laptop in that area. If you do that, condensation will rarely be a problem.

3. Dry Air

air-compressors-1024x684.jpeg, Jun 2022

Since air compressors take moisture out of the air, they create dry air conditions, right? 

Dry air is known to cause problems with all kinds of things. It can warp wooden floors, damage musical instruments, contribute to nosebleeds, and more.

Since dry air is so damaging, does it hurt your laptop?

No. Dry air is not really a risk to electronics, especially consumer-grade laptops.

The components of your laptop don’t require any amount of moisture to work properly. 

They won’t absorb or release water depending on humidity levels. You’re not worried about a dry environment distorting or embrittling the laptop. It does fine in dry conditions.

4. Moving Air

The last thing to consider is moving air, and this one can be surprising. For the most part, having air move across a laptop is fine.

In fact, moving air can improve cooling efficiency and help the laptop run better.

This is the main way your AC can help cool the laptop if it is running hot.

Cool air is nice, but moving air is very good for exchanging heat, and that’s what you need the most for a hot laptop.

But, there’s a weird scenario that can happen with a powerful air conditioning setup.

moving-air-1024x683.jpeg, Jun 2022

If the air stream is strong enough and aligned just right, it can blow air straight into the heat vent. 

That vent is important for your laptop as a way to push hot air away from the device’s inner workings.

If the air coming out of the AC vent blows directly into that heat vent, it actually traps the heat inside and can lead to overheating.

Now, this isn’t going to destroy a laptop because it faced the wrong way next to an air vent.

Instead, persistent higher inner temperatures can cause a laptop to experience premature wear and tear.

Over time, this moving air alignment issue can be a real problem.

It has a super easy solution.

Angle the laptop so that the air from the vent is not pointing straight into the laptop’s heat vent.

Do that, and the AC will help keep the laptop cool (within limits).

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

All of that said, it is somehow rational to use an air conditioner to help prevent computers from overheating.

In fact, high-end data centers invest heavily into cooling systems specifically to control the ambient air temperature.

As long as the ambient temperature is within the safe operating range for the laptop, it’s fine. 

If the laptop is running too hot, there are things that help cool it off a lot better than putting it under an air conditioner vent.

#Source techwithtech.com