Does humidity affect cooling ability?

[Ruahrc]

I was just going over some possibilities as to why my WC system is not up to par.

Having built it myself, I try to not blame poor or faulty construction (hehe) but seriously, I was meticulate in my construction and don't think there is something grossly wrong with the actual cooling setup.

So I go for the more theoretical:

I live in an area where the humidity is very low, like less than 10%. I was wondering if "humid" air is able to cool better than "dry" air.

It kinda makes sense, right? As humid air has more water which can soak up more heat per unit volume when compared to dry air. So possibly due to my dry environment the radiator isn't losing as much heat as it could because the air simply does not draw it out as much because of the lack of water?

http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif

Just some food for thought

Ruahrc

[boran_blok]

hmmm never crossed my mind before ...

normally if you are cooling heavily (peltiers, water cooling, or whatever)
then the water in the air will condensate, so in those cases a higher humidity is not so good ...

however how it affects regular (HSF) cooling I dunno ..

[BFlurie]

Humid air is very slightly less dense, but it'd be negligible. Only in cases where condensation is prevalent, like an air-conditioner, would this be significant. In that case, humid air is *harder* to cool.

[This message has been edited by BFlurie (edited 07-15-2001).]

[randy48]

Humid makes the temperature rise, but if all you have is 20%, don't worry about it! 50% or higher and you should be running a dehumidifier in the same room as your system(s).

[bigblue]

Well, if a computer is kin to running a power plant, then yes the more humid it is the less likely you will be to dissipate heat. You will get lower transfer of heat with humidity. Realize that temperature and humidity go hand in hand.

To wit:

48 degF and 100% humidity
55 degF and 73% humidity
67 degF and 49% humidity
75 degF and 38% humidity
87 degF and 26% humidity
95 degF and 20% humidity

Make a curve chart with this. At a given temperature if the humidity is greater, then you will be adding heat to the system or you will have little affect on cooling.

If the humidity is less, you will be taking heat away from the system.

Realize that you have to measure temp and humidity at the device being cooled. (the CPU)

This is for air cooling devices (fans).

Water coolers are better for cooling, but still can be affected by humidity. High humidity will cause water droplets to form, thus minimizing the cooling affect. However if the humidity is low compared to the chart, then water coolors and fan coolers are great coolers.

If the house is air-conditioned chances are the humidity is low and all will be good - not to worry. But if you run your overclocked computer out in the rain where the humidity is 100%, chances are you will overheat your computer or get seriously zapped!

my 2c worth.