“It’s hot” is something us Brits will say when the temperature exceeds 24 degrees. That’s when you’re most likely to find us at home in our pants in front of a fan with an ice lolly. Our machines tell us the same thing when they get too hot, but we don’t recommend pants and an ice lolly for them. Instead, here’s some ways to beat the heat and keep your devices cool.
What to look out for
Probably the most obvious one here is that your device is getting hot. Especially for devices like laptops and PCs. If you haven’t been excessively using it, here are some things to check:
Excessive fan noise
If you have ever put a laptop on a soft surface like bedding, you will most likely very quickly hear the fans working overtime, sounding like your device is trying to take off. What it’s actually doing is trying to suck in more air to cool the insides of the machine. Some reasons for excessive fan noise are
- The fans are covered or blocked somehow
- They aren’t working properly (maybe they aren’t spinning like they should)
- They have been poorly maintained and/or are unclean
Technical issues
You may notice that you are experiencing technical issues. Maybe your PC is running slower than normal or maybe certain programs are taking longer to load or perform their tasks. This can be an early sign that your device isn’t coping with the heat.
If you have wireless mouses or keyboards you may notice that they aren’t working that well either not typing or a delay in response.
Shut down
If your machine seems to have a mind of its own, and turns itself off either straight away or after a long period of extended use, it could be a sign that your machine is too hot.
How to beat the heat
For the devices
Check the fans for the above issues. If a fan appears blocked then uncover it, clean it, or get a professional to take a look if you think it might be a mechanical fault.
Give the devices (where possible) regular breaks from use. This will allow the machine to cool down naturally and will help to make sure overheating doesn’t occur.
For the room
Think about the placement of the devices. Don’t let them sit in direct sunlight for long periods of time (if at all if you can help it). Good quality heat reflecting blinds will help you to control this.
Keep the room temperature between 19-21℃ as this is the best temperature to ensure your devices work well. You can do this by controlling the airflow, installing aircon or simply using fans.
Keep spaces clear from clutter and clean. This will help to prevent fans getting blocked and covered, whilst also making sure the air is not full of dust.
Why is any of this important?
Overheating a machine can cause many different problems from pain in the ass to absolute catastrophe. It can cause irreversible damage to the CPU (central processing unit) which means your device can stop working. Hot machines run slowly (which you can guarantee will be when you are on a time limit), and can absolutely interrupt your productivity for the day.
There’s nothing worse than getting to the end of the day and feeling like you only got half of what you needed to do because your computer was slow. Hot machines can also be a fire hazard. Whether it’s a laptop, phone or even server. The outcome could be catastrophic, not only physically but also from losing important data and projects.
So whether you have computers, laptops, phones or servers, it’s important to make sure they are running correctly, especially when it’s hot.
If you think you might have a problem with overheating, get in touch with us and we can chat about your options and solutions today.
