A user solved a problem with their computer in a very questionable way. To silence the loud fan of the power supply, they blocked it with a pair of scissors that they inserted through the fan grill.
Not all users can or want to take action themselves when having computer problems. In such cases, service technicians can help remotely or on-site. Within the family circle, relatives like to use both options depending on the problem, when IT support is needed.
On Reddit, a technician reported on a special on-site assignment. A user had blocked their power supply fan with scissors to stop an annoying noise. They had no idea what danger they were exposing themselves to.
“The fan is too noisy” – user sticks a pair of scissors into their loud power supply
What did the user do? A service technician reports on Reddit about an on-site job. A customer contacted him due to a disturbance with the image output of their computer. It turned out that the monitor was defective.
Additionally, there was another problem with the computer. The customer hadn’t mentioned this on the phone. The fan in the power supply was supposed to be making disturbing noises. To fix this, the user allegedly decided to block the fan with scissors.
The fan is too noisy, so I found a solution.
The user to the technician, who published this experience on Reddit
Why is he using scissors? The technician asked his customer why they had chosen such a risky solution to the problem.
The user seemed to be unaware, according to the service technician. A similar situation occurred with a gamer who experienced noise after installing their new graphics card.
The user allegedly did not recognize the danger posed by their reckless actions. When showing their computer, they simply said: “Oh, and the fan is making noises, so I put this in here” (via Reddit).
In conversation with the technician, the user stated that they do not turn on the computer regularly. They only need it for a maximum of one hour a day for everyday tasks such as checking emails. Due to the relatively low usage of the computer, this solution seemed acceptable to them.
Dangerous “repair” shocks the community
Why is this dangerous? There is a continuous current flowing through the components in operation, and the danger of electric shock is very high. In modern power supplies, the mains voltage is automatically adjusted between 100 and 240 volts.
In general, it is highly advised against opening a power supply for self-repair attempts. Even when turned off, there are residual voltages inside that can be life-threatening.
The user was very lucky that the scissors apparently only blocked the fan and did not make contact with other live components.
Instead of scissors, the user is now using a plastic piece because they do not want to replace the power supply due to the low usage, even though there are now models that can be easily installed.
How does the community react? Users responding to the service technician’s Reddit post are horrified. Some hope that the technician explained to his customer their mistake. Cool_Cheetah658 hopes that the user now knows what danger they were in.
Please tell me that you explained to him what a power supply is and how close he was to possibly taking his life.
Cool_Cheetah658 on Reddit
LD_weirdo has a very clear opinion on the user’s behavior:
The average person should be able to recognize from the power cable coming from the wall into the computer that it is probably not a good idea to stick metal objects in there. It could just be me, but I think that’s simply foolish.
The user should now be aware that they were very lucky in this action because nothing worse happened. However, their new solution with a plastic piece should not be a permanent one. The power supply could overheat without a rotating fan and lead to further issues.
Another user had less luck with their PC. While they made no direct mistake, they underestimated how powerful a lightning strike can be and found a way through their technology: User disconnects their computer from power during a thunderstorm, but it still gets struck by lightning through the LAN cable of the modem
