Making an saltfree room for PC stuff?

[WaveSearcher]

Hi

Any have some pointers for making a beedroom into an office? I need it too be A/C and also I need it too be for the most part salt free. The computers and stuff are too expensive too replace after 1 year.. I know that sealing a room in this way inn a sailboat arent the easyest thing too do, but going too try:--)

Wave

[swagman]

Hi Wave,
Sounds like a lot of work thats maybe excessive.
We've used a laptop for months on end on our boat in both wet and damp conditions.
We found provided you've a good case to pack it into when not in use - and a number od silica bags to suck up any trapped moisture - it worked fine.
Of course you may have a bigger PC (and I hope not a mainframe) but would suggest that its easier to encase that that try and seal off a complete cabin - and you'd save yourself a fortune in the process.
Good luck
JOHN

[Alan Wheeler]

The only way to make a room Salt free, is not to go into it. Salt is not held within the moisture of the air, like some may think. Only time salt is in the air is when the wind picks up spray. But moisture held within the air can not hold salt. The crystals are too heavey to be supported. The only problem you have is humidity and the abiltiy for that humidity to condensate out onto an object like say you computer. Use a humidifier to control excessive humidity in the room and you will be fine.
The reason why some boats can feel very damp, apart from humidity, is when Salt is tracked inside the boat. Salt absorbs moisture and the carpet and curtains and apolstry etc can feel very damp if they are contaminated with salt. A good way to keep ontop of that problem is to frequently wash materials that can collect salt.

[WaveSearcher]

ty for the answers, I am sorry too say that I have 2 mainframes and 2 monitors + a big photo printer:-( so a case are not going too work.
But if salt dont come inn without me carying it inn mb I dont need it. Still think that for heavy weather some extra seailing are needed. But do u think that just by sealing the door when not inn a harbor the salt will stay inn the rest of the boat and of my mac?

Einar

[Alan Wheeler]

When you say "sealign" the door, are you speaking of it as just closed or as actually Sealed. Just keeping the door closed will be fine. If you were able to use a Dehumidifier, you would keep the moisture levels way down. But if you are at sea and not the dock, then that could be power hungry. I guess you must have a fair amount of power if you have that much computing gear.

[WaveSearcher]

If just closing it are good I will do that, do u have some numbers for the power drain of a dehumidifier? ty einar

[ssullivan]

What could you possibly do with 2 mainframe computers while at sea? Those systems are used as mission critical servers in every case, meaning you need a substantial connection to run them. Why don't you look into managed hosting somewhere instead? Seems a bit silly to run mainframes at sea when there are no connections. You can still use remote access tools to run them while *you* are at sea and they are safely in a NOC somewhere.

Also, how do you plan to connect them a network/internet when you are "not in the harbor?"

[Amfivena]

I think it would be easier to build a box that all the gear goes in. You then secure the box against the elements instead of the entire cabin or boat. A couple of small fans moving moisture through the box should prevent condesation. Or build in a small dehumidifier. Either way you're not powering a 'whole boat' solution.

For my iMac, printer and stereo I have a cabinet with a plexiglass cover. When I use the computer I remove the plexiglass cover. When not in use the cover protects from splash (mostly worried about spray when removing wet foul weather gear). However I can still see the chart plotter position through the glass. There's also space to store our two laptops. A small 12 volt fan keeps air moving through the box. Waterproof speakers are mounted outside the box so we can listen to iTunes or watch TV while secured.

Otherwise I'd second what Sean said about looking into remote access to the servers or contracting a hosting service. If you use them to provide a service then having them on a boat is a bad idea period. If they are for development purposes, then I'd ask if you really need such expensive hardware? I program ArcIMS and ArcGIS server apps and my laptop serves as a functional server for development purposes. I couldn't host anything and it's slow, but it works for development purposes and all I have at stake is $900 laptop. Sure life is easier at the office with the real stuff, but it is nice to be able to develop anywhere I can fire up the laptop.

Also consider making do with one monitor, keyboard and mouse to save a little space.

I've had no luck with a printer on board. Any moisture at all and the paper jams, smudges, etc. About the only thing I could think to do is keep the printer and paper in a pelican case with a couple silica gels and take out when needed.

[skipperaris]

I have kept my laptops, scanner and printer without any special precautions since 2003 in the saloon of my boat and never had a problem except when I offered some whiskey to one machine - it got dizzy - and dropped another on the gprs card which sheared the socket from the motherboard.

Both of them non-salt/moisture related incidents.

When there is a risk of spray I stow them out of harm's way but that's all.
Two of them go in their carrying cases and the third I put to bed in my cabin. The sea around me is very salty so I suppose it is the climate that makes the difference.

On the other hand I have killed a mobile phone or two by keeping it unprotected up on the deck while sailing.