[SOLVED] PSU vent facing down on carpet

[BrainGlue]

Hi folks! I built my PC inside the Coolermaster Silencio s600 case. I have used this PC for over a year with the PSU (EVGA G2 650) oriented so that the intake vent is facing downwards. Although the chassis has a grilled opening (with dustfilter) in the bottom of the chassis, right below the PSU's intake vent, I have been placing the PC on carpet this whole time (for 1-2 years). The carpet is soft/thick and the feet of the chassis pretty much buries into the carpet. To be honest, I am not sure where the PSU has been getting air from this hole time, maybe from the tiny gap between the PSU and bottom layer of the case (I think the PSU sits on top of some rubbery stilts on the bottom layer of the case).

I am planning to get some kind of hard surface for my PC so that there is enough room between the bottom of chassis and floor. However, I am worried that I may have done some damage to the PSU and/or other components. Even if my PC has been running normally without any issue do you think there has been any damage to the PSU or other components?

 

[hotaru.hino]

No. I can't imagine any debris screwing things up with a dust filter. The only other thing that would be a problem is if the PSU overheated.

Though if you're taking recommendations for a hard surface, a piece of cardboard will work wonders here

 

[Krotow]

You need that air gap below PSU intake to avoid overheating. You certainly will not want to experience glitches and magic smoke with fried components and nice burnt hole in your carpet.

 

[refillable]

It's hard to tell, some PSUs degrade quicker than others when subjected to excess heat. But I wouldn't worry with things that you can't control. It has happened and it's just best to forget about it. The next step is to get that carpet off and put the PC on where it is supposed to be.

 

[AntonyLovric]

You need to make sure you vacuum under the computer every now and then. (As well as open up the PC and check for dust.) Further to the above, you could just get a piece of wood or MDF (old black bookshelf?) an place it under the computer.

 

[geofelt]

Not to worry.
The purpose of a psu fan is to cool the psu when heat is generated under load.
If your psu is high efficiency, and is more capable, it is likely tht your psu fan has never needed to spin up at all.
I doubt that any damage has occurred.
That said, there are any number of solutions.
A home improvement store can cut a piece of plywood to suitable size.
Even a piece of cardboard would do.
There are simple discs that can be placed under chair legs to preserve carpets.
Here is an example of one with a 2" rise:
https://www.amazon.com/iPrimio-Bed-...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=H4RTTJGSNE9NYNEDWBZ7