Is it safe to have a humidifier on the same desk as my computer?

[Will Reierson]

So I was wondering if it's safe to have a humidifier in the same room as my computer, or more specifically, on the same desk. The humidifier in question shoots vapor directly up into the air, and not in any specific direction. The computer itself is just over 5 feet away from the humidifier on the opposite side of the desk, and the intake fan is facing away from the desk and humidifier. The thing that is probably closest to the humidifier would be my router/microphone, and then my monitor and speakers somewhere in the middle. I also have the option of placing the humidifier to my right, but then its in front of my second monitor and directly in front of my pc's air intake. I don't really have anywhere else to put it as the room I am in is extremely large and open with no real shelves to speak of. I've read people on both sides of the fence on this issue: Some saying its safe and others saying it's the worst thing you could possibly do. Does anyone have a slightly more definitive answer? I'll only be having it on intermittently for about 20 minutes each day.

Thanks

~Will

 

[CircuitDaemon]

In terms of "it will catch fire and explode", it's safe. Regarding the life expectancy of components, not the ideal situation. You won't probably get rust or kill components in the short term, but your fans are more likely to fail this way.

 

[photonboy]

Good question.
I would have to say it's unlikely to matter much.

Apparently there's no direct route for the liquid to land on internal components, thus it's just going to suck in air with higher than normal (for your room) vapor content.

You get a lot worse in normally humid environments and most modern computers work just fine.

 

[ssddx]

depends on the humidity in the air around the pc and other components. if you are in a dry environment and the humidifier creates a normal humidity level then you are fine. if the humidity is high then you might have problems as high humidity can cause electrical failure due to condensation.

as long as you do not notice condensation in your room, rust on metal and the inside of your pc remains dry without any moisture its no problem.

a better choice would be to have the humidifier elsewhere in the room and have a fan circulate. this gives a chance to equalize the humidity levels so its not just strong in the one area around your pc. or, placing the humidifier on the floor away from the pc would be better than on the desk as well.

its hard to say "yes or no" but high humidity is certainly more risk.