Dangerous? Replacing powersupply fan...

[kyoshozx]

I have a Sparkle 300 watt power supply for my other machine that I leave running constantly. I would like to quiet down the system a bit. I was planning to replace the power supply fan with one by nmb that has a CFM rating of 24cfm. I'm not worried about the actually process, but worried about the lower cfm. I'm not sure what the rating for the fan in the powersupply now, but and educated guess I would say definately around 30-35cfm.

Would the reduced airflow cause my powersupply to overheat?

 

[OulOat]

Umm, without any numbers, how would we know? Of course reduced airflow means greater heat buildup, but without any knowledge of how heated the psu is right now, only guesses can be made. Probably it's not going to kill your psu, since psu's have crappy heat dissipation equipment to begin with.

 

[Lash444]

On the other end of the spectrum...I installed another fan into my psu that actually pushed more air. It was another 80mm and was not a delta or anything. I think the power consumption may have been a little greater. Think that will be a problem?

 

[mste456]

should be okay but leave it turned off for 5 mins or so. A psu will kill ya if u mess with it, well during start up anyway.

 

[jhites]

Originally posted by: mste456
should be okay but leave it turned off for 5 mins or so. A psu will kill ya if u mess with it, well during start up anyway.

Most power supplies hold voltage even when turned off. Be very careful not to touch any contacts, but you should be fine with replacing the fan.

 

[beatle]

Go for it. The only fans I would not replace without some research would be those where the fan speed is controlled by the PSU. Fan speed with a slower/quieter fan could bring airflow down to almost nothing.

 

[aceO07]

Yes, PSU is dangerous. Don't go randomly touching wires and etc.

I replaced the fan in my Sparkle 350W PSU w/ a Panaflo fan (24cfm?). Much quieter now.

My advice/procedure is to:
1. turn of computer. duh!
2. unplug power to psu. duh!
3. press power button on computer. There should be enough juice left in psu to still power the computer for a fraction of a second! the power led should come on. This is from my experience, not sure if everybody does this step.
4. leave the computer unplugged and off for a few hours. Go outside.. eat.. sleep.. do something! Better safe than sorry.
5. make sure to have dry hands, nice working evironment.. etc .. standard safety stuff

My Sparkle 350W PSU didn't have standard fan connectors, so I had to splice the wires and connect them to the new fan. I assume you'll have to do the same.

edit: oops.. Didn't notice that you weren't asking regarding safety. Yes, 24cfm should be fine for your 300W Sparkle. It's fine for my 350W.

 

[kyoshozx]

Ace,

Thanks for your detailed response. I think i'm going to replace the fan because the noise is just killing me. My main machine is already noisy enough don't need another machine that's generating noise.

 

[everman]

You can reduce the hazard of being shocked if you leave it disconnected from everything for 24 hours and then replace the fan. At least use insulated tools.

 

[farmercal]

Just use common sense. Don't touch anything except the fan and the connecter. If the connector is close to a component, then put on a pair of latex dishwashing gloves before you disconnect the 3-pin connector for safety. It's more dangerous if you are careless than if you use caution. I have done this procedure more time than I can count without even one mishap. It?s a lot safer than removing the main frame UPS batteries I had to remove two days ago (432 of them). Not much voltage in each one but they were hooked up in series and when the insulation on the ratchet handle got a nick on it and touched another battery I almost melted the battery post a cleared the room of people and yes I had my insulated gloves on, so I was protected.

 

[erikiksaz]

Don't waste your time letting the PSU sit for a day or to--it won't discharge the caps. Not enough anyways, you'll still get shocked. Just unplug the PSU, and do your work. And as everyone else has said, keep your hands out of the innards.