DIY cooling hack dropped my home server's temperature by 8°C

The home-server builder behind the piece says his DIY cooling setup began with a simple goal: keep a server running reliably during brutal summer heat. After relying more heavily on a home server built from an old laptop, he noticed overheating because self-hosted services like Jellyfin and Immich stopped working reliably. Even basic tasks such as opening NAS folders caused the interface to hang. His first solution was a small USB-powered evaporative cooler aimed at the laptop and set to fan-only mode. It prevented the laptop from getting hot to the touch and restored access to his apps, but the constant fan whine proved too loud—especially since his wife works nearby in the kitchen. The article cuts off as he moves toward a “bigger” fix.