Nearly toasted a server rack last Tuesday because I ignored a dusty PSU fan for months

I found a melted power supply in rack 4 at a client's office in Denver last week, and the only reason it didn't catch fire was because their breaker tripped first, has anyone else had a close call from skipping routine cleaning?

4 comments

4 Comments

jana8813h ago

Setting a calendar reminder for quarterly cleanings solved that problem for me.

lily571mo ago

Honestly, you're probably overthinking this. Dust buildup in a PSU is practically a rite of passage for gear that's been running 24/7 for years. I've pulled servers out of literal construction sites with fans caked in drywall dust and they ran fine for another year before we touched them. It's more of a "nice to check on" thing than a real emergency. Modern power supplies have thermal protection built in specifically for this scenario. You gotta pick your battles with maintenance and dusty fans are usually a safe skip.

claire_davis311mo ago

Logan's right - a dead short from dust doesn't care about thermal protection.

logan5251mo ago

I see it a bit differently. A PSU that overheats from dust can take other components with it when it fails, and thermal protection doesn't always save you from a sudden short.