Would it be okay to setup a NAS in a detached garage?

Spudgun · 16 Nov 2019 at 11:05

I'm looking to build my first NAS and am looking at locations for it to go.

The two gigabit cabled locations that I have at present are in my office and in my lounge. However, I am wary of placing a NAS in either of these locations due to the fan/HDD noise as I do appreciate a very quiet environment when either working or relaxing.

So looking at other locations that have access to power and would be an easy cable run with no need for drilling extra holes or any remedial DIY work to cover the cable run, the first location I am considering is my detached garage. This is a brick construction with a tiled roof, but has no insulation of any kind. A cable run to this would be very easy as it could go straight from a switch out through the hole that the Sky cables come in though and then it is simple to run external grade cable to the garage.

Would this be a suitable location for a NAS, I'm giving some thought to issues related to dust, but the issue I am less sure of is in relation to operating temperatures. Has anyone here setup something similar and have any experience or words of advice they could offer other than covering issues related to security of having this in an outbuilding?

Steampunk · 16 Nov 2019 at 12:52

Look out for condensation, as garages can get cold, and a NAS will often have a lot of heat cycling if it hibernates regularly. The cold is good for cooling, but the UK is just too damp a lot of the time for electronics like that in an unheated garage.

EssexBoy · 16 Nov 2019 at 12:53

loft?

keylion · 16 Nov 2019 at 13:01

Mine's been in the loft for years where it is freezing in the winter and boiling in the summer. Probably not the best environment for it but it keeps going without any issues.

Spudgun · 16 Nov 2019 at 20:06

Thank you all for your helpful replies. Sounds like I need to give this some more thought then if condensation in the garage may be an issue due to the lack of insulation. Ironically, the amount of insulation we have in the loft rules that out as it gets seriously warm in there in the summer (+there is no mains power in there at the moment either)

Cyber-Mav · 16 Nov 2019 at 20:48

It can go in garage. Use dielectric grease on mobo and all other electronic boards and pcb's and condensation wont be a issue.

Donnie Fisher · 16 Nov 2019 at 23:20

How dry is the garage ? Do things and objects get damp in it ?

I have a Nas sat inside a small data cabinet in the rafters of a barn/byre attached to the house. Also inside the cabinet is a CCTV DVR, a TV distribution thing, and a couple of rack switches.

By being in the cabinet I think it offers a layer of insulation in terms of environment between the garage and inside the cabinet.

Also the switches have a fan so they circulate air in the cab too.

The byre floor is original so it can get quite damp from the ground up (there is an old well inside it too which can flood the floor on rare occasions) . To counter this, there is a ton of ventilation to get air flowing through it in general.

To me it's being in the cabinet and the cabinets stable environment that is the main thing that makes the setup ok to be in the byre.

Buffalo2102 · 17 Nov 2019 at 08:15

I have a server in my cold, damp cellar (house built in 1840). It's been there for years without issue. It's always on though so that may protect it a bit.

Spudgun · 17 Nov 2019 at 19:44

Donnie Fisher said:
How dry is the garage ? Do things and objects get damp in it ?

I have a Nas sat inside a small data cabinet in the rafters of a barn/byre attached to the house. Also inside the cabinet is a CCTV DVR, a TV distribution thing, and a couple of rack switches.

By being in the cabinet I think it offers a layer of insulation in terms of environment between the garage and inside the cabinet.

Also the switches have a fan so they circulate air in the cab too.

The byre floor is original so it can get quite damp from the ground up (there is an old well inside it too which can flood the floor on rare occasions) . To counter this, there is a ton of ventilation to get air flowing through it in general.

To me it's being in the cabinet and the cabinets stable environment that is the main thing that makes the setup ok to be in the byre.

Thank you for your input. The garage is perfectly dry and the only issue other than temperatures in there are the amount of cobwebs, so a small data cabinet sounds absolutely ideal.

May I ask which one you have used for your NAS please so I can begin a search?

Donnie Fisher · 17 Nov 2019 at 22:26

I have a fairly old Mycloud EX2 (non ultra). I could not recommend it to be honest. It's underpowered and has background processes that run on it which cripple it's performance when you transfer large quantities of files to it.

Newer WD devices may be better... I haven't read into it.

Synology / Qnap seem to be popular but I have no experience either. Sorry.

Cyber-Mav · 18 Nov 2019 at 07:05

Use a microserver. Far better than an off the shelf nas. If you dont know how to set it up well thats what these forums are for.

Donnie Fisher · 20 Nov 2019 at 19:49

That's the way I'm going I think too. An actual server of some sort to replace my current Nas.

Avalon · 22 Nov 2019 at 02:16

Can you run hardware in unsuitable environments and get away with it? Yes. Should you? Probably not. Or at least not without a clear understanding that mechanical drives benefit from a relatively constant temperature range, extremes and in particular extreme swings in temperature are not ideal.