Is Your Hard Drive Air Conditioned?

A recent story in Associated Content details the summer time dangers to your hard drive. It’s not the heat, it’s the air conditioner.

Ben Carmitchel, president of ESS Data Recovery said, “On average we see a 20% increase in failed hard drive hitting our lab in the summer as in the winter,” After a survey of customers ESS has concluded that power surges caused by air conditioners are behind the increase.

Have you ever seen your lights dim when your air conditioner or other appliance kicks on? If so, you could be in danger. While most of us have power strips with surge protectors this may not be enough.

If you see your lights dim, you’ll want to invest in an (UPS)Uninterruptible power supply that includes voltage regulation. Even if you don’t see your lights dim I recommend you look into an UPS unit.

Don’t just turn of your air conditioners. In a 2002 PC World story, “When Bad Things Happen to Good PCs” an ESS rep was quoted as saying,

“…heat is the number one cause of hard drive failure. And it doesn't take a catastrophic house fire to toast a PC's hard drive or other component--even a heavy session of multitasking could do it”