Server case caught on fire... Can parts be reused?

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darkconz

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Jun 6, 2013
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First time has this ever happened to me... I got home and found out my server wasn't accessible which was strange to me. Went down to the basement to check and noticed a strange smell.

I tried to press power button but nothing happened. Lights were still working. Opened up the case to discover black marks everywhere in the case.

So it looked like there was an electric fire in the case. HDD caddies were melted and some cables were burnt to bare wire. Some wires are still good. Motherboard does not have any burn marks. Power supply is gone for sure.

So my question is, are parts in there still usable? I am gathering replacement parts.

Thanks for your input.
 
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andrewbedia

andrewbedia

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Jan 11, 2013
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No idea. Don't get offended, but I laughed at your subject line "Server case caught on fire".

What kind of parts were they? Take pictures to show the gory mess?
 
OBasel

OBasel

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wtf? Power supply burned up? How does that happen these days? What was in it?
 
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darkconz

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I think it's the molex splitter too. It was too late last night and I didn't disassemble the server to take a closer look.
 
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mackle

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Nov 13, 2013
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neo said:
No one is going to be able to accurately answer this question for you, besides you. Test the parts.
Click to expand...
Yeah, at best you'll get anecdotal remarks about things that have survived/died when something similar happened.

As I see it you can either try testing and salvaging stuff (for example the HDDs), or try write the whole thing off and claim it on insurance (and probably get very little if any back)... Just be careful that you don't ruin the hardware you use to test the components..?
 
andrewbedia

andrewbedia

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OBasel said:
wtf? Power supply burned up? How does that happen these days? What was in it?
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Happens all the time if you diverge from using power supplies from good, reputable manufactures like Seasonic, Corsair, NZXT, etc. Had a friend with a Sunbeam power supply that torched itself internally randomly.

Marsh said:
My guess is
google "4 pin molex to sata power fire"
DVD Rom SATA power connector caught fire - should I be concerned? - [H]ard|Forum

SATA plug melted! | Steven J Hale
Click to expand...
This. Happens all the time. Only buy these from reputable companies.
 
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neo

neo

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Fritz

Fritz

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(spooky music) SSC (Spontaneous Server Combustion). Somewhat related to SHC (Spontaneous Human Combustion). Cause unknown (spooky music)
 
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mackle

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Nov 13, 2013
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Fritz said:
(spooky music) SSC (Spontaneous Server Combustion). Somewhat related to SHC (Spontaneous Human Combustion). Cause unknown (spooky music)
Click to expand...
When I read SSC I think Thrust SSC and Bloodhound SSC!
 
T_Minus

T_Minus

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Ok, so those cables are stupid simple...
What's causing the failure?

Heat causing plastic to crack, and eventually wires to touch and short?
 
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darkconz

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Some pics below before I tore the thing apart and attempt to rescue the parts.

I am doing memtest86+ at the moment, will let it run for a day or two. What other tests should I be doing for CPU and memory to ensure they are OK?

I'll test the hard drives once I know the board, Cpu and memory are OK.





 
neo

neo

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Mar 18, 2015
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The problem with those SATA power connectors is they do not lock in place as tightly as their molex counterparts. When connected to hard drives, which vibrate - creates the perfect environment to lodge them slightly loose overtime and short out the connector pins.

To combat this flawed engineered connector, I have seen some high-end boutique PC builders hot glue all their connectors.
 
T_Minus

T_Minus

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What brand was the splitter?

I have maybe 3 brands here, and some are def. more "beefy" than others, and some plastic def. feels "different".
 
T_Minus

T_Minus

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neo said:
The problem with those SATA power connectors is they do not lock in place as tightly as their molex counterparts. When connected to hard drives, which vibrate - creates the perfect environment to lodge them slightly loose overtime and short out the connector pins.

To combat this flawed engineered connector, I have seen some high-end boutique PC builders hot glue all their connectors.
Click to expand...
Very very interesting.

So is it not a adapter problem but simply a SATA power connector issue?
 
neo

neo

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T_Minus said:
Very very interesting.

So is it not a adapter problem but simply a SATA power connector issue?
Click to expand...
A good portion of splitters and power supply manufactures source the connectors from the same handful of Chinese made factories anyway.

If you ever find Amphenol branded power connectors - value it like gold.

Subliminally this makes a good use case for backplanes, especially when using multiple hard drives.
 
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