Dust inside computer

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Anyone know of a good effective way of ridding dust build up from heatsink
fans and components without damaging anything?
 
Anyone know of a good effective way of ridding dust build up from heatsink
fans and components without damaging anything?
Click to expand...

You will get dust on internal items no matter how clean your computer area
is. I like the poof-can's you can purchase at most office supply and
computer stores, but if you have an air compressor with clean/dry air, set
the pressure to about 40 PSI and go at it.

Once you get it clean, a typical home, the computer should be cleaned at
least once a year. I've been in some clients offices (cement factories)
where they needed cleaned once every 2 months, about the same as one
neighbor we have :)
 
Ryan said:
Anyone know of a good effective way of ridding dust build up from heatsink
fans and components without damaging anything?
Click to expand...

Small vacuum cleaner with a small a crevice tool as you can find.

Though there are REALLY small "micro" vacs sold, you can use any vacuum that has
a reasonable (not "maximum") suction. There should be nothing useful running
around loose in the case. Just in case you overdo it, put a clean bag in the
vacuum before you start, so you can retrieve anything inadvertently sucked in.
 
Small vacuum cleaner with a small a crevice tool as you can find.
Click to expand...

Bad idea - any non-computer vacuum will cause a severe static build-up
that could easily damage computer parts, I've seen it happen. Clean/Dry
air is the best method (as long as you don't use 100PSI).
Though there are REALLY small "micro" vacs sold, you can use any vacuum that has
a reasonable (not "maximum") suction. There should be nothing useful running
around loose in the case. Just in case you overdo it, put a clean bag in the
vacuum before you start, so you can retrieve anything inadvertently sucked in.
Click to expand...

Those computer vac's are designed to eliminate static caused by the
airflow across the plastic tools/hose.
 
Ryan wrote:
| Anyone know of a good effective way of ridding dust build up from
| heatsink fans and components without damaging anything?

Vacuum cleaner, Styrofoam cup, 5/16 plastic hose.
 
If one is careful, then anything can be donw with reasonable results.

If one uses an artists paint brush in one hand to 'loosen' the dust, and
then holds a vacuum nozzle nearby with the other, there'll be sufficient
vacuum to draw the dust away from the components as it is loosened.

Some parts can easily be removed from the PC, such as case fans, that will
enable more thorough cleaning of the fan and give better access to the
internal surfaces.

It is possible to buy dust filters to palce over any fan that draws air into
a PC which will help to a degree.

The best solution is to keep the PC off a floor especially if it is
carpeted, using a small stand.
 
If you live in a dry, dusty place such as Phoenix,
keeping the system off the floor makes almost no difference
unless you have pets. I've tried.

Take off system cover(s), take chassis outside. Put
it up off the ground on something ( I use an upside-down
trash can, a card table would be good). Close all the windows
to your house so the mess you're about to make doesn't blow inside.

Use the "blow" side of a good shop vac to
BLOW, not SUCK, all the crap out. Kinda like
a leaf blower. Empty the vac bucket and wash it and
the filter before starting. Keep the hose AWAY at least
12 inches, under NO circumstances touch the hose
to the case or any part of it. Don't even get close. Static can build-up
on plastic hoses. Wave the hose around until you
stop generating a dust cloud by doing so. Don't miss
cracks/crevices. Do NOT aim into CD/DVD/floppy/tape, etc. drive
slots/trays/cooling holes-too delicate in there. Optical drives need
to be disassembled to be cleaned effectively. This is
generally a moot point these days, as the quality of optical drives
has declined such in our "race to the bottom-build 'em as cheap
as possible" society, the drive will likely fail way before
it ever needs cleaning.

Don't use a compressed air hose to do the same
thing, pressure's too high and there can be oil in the air.

And now, anticipating the inevitable bashing of this
method from "those who know better", this has been my method
of choice for 15+ years and 20+ systems, and I have NEVER
had ANY problems arise from doing it, if done with care
and common sense.
 
Don't use a compressed air hose to do the same
thing, pressure's too high and there can be oil in the air.
Click to expand...

That's why I said to lower the pressure to about 40 PSI.
And now, anticipating the inevitable bashing of this
method from "those who know better", this has been my method
of choice for 15+ years and 20+ systems, and I have NEVER
had ANY problems arise from doing it, if done with care
and common sense.
Click to expand...

Actually, I've done it many times too and it works quite well, but I
always open all removable drives slots and blow clean air through them
too, never had a problem doing it. I forgot about the Shop-Vac method when
I brought up this method, it's less prone to getting static actually
touching the parts since it's a blow rather than a vac. Good job
mentioning this one.
 
Leythos said:
Bad idea - any non-computer vacuum will cause a severe static build-up
that could easily damage computer parts, I've seen it happen. Clean/Dry
air is the best method (as long as you don't use 100PSI).
Click to expand...

Simply blowing the dust out doesn't eliminate/contain it -- it will simply
settle elsewhere...

Those computer vac's are designed to eliminate static caused by the
airflow across the plastic tools/hose.
Click to expand...

That's fine. I've never had a problem with the portable Oreck we have.
 
Simply blowing the dust out doesn't eliminate/contain it -- it will simply
settle elsewhere...
Click to expand...

Oh, come on now - any reasonable person is not going to blow the dust out
inside a room, they will take it outside or in the garage with the door
open.
That's fine. I've never had a problem with the portable Oreck we have.
Click to expand...

That's good - and the same can be said about many actions. Some people
will never experience a problem, but someone, without warnings, will do it
and trash their computer because of static. I use to manage the ESD
program for our shop when I was in the service, I've seen very interesting
damage to electronics from many devices that provided a static build-up -
and air movement in a vac is one easy way to build static.
 
Take a look at Fred Langa's column

http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=60403472
Click to expand...

I just looked through the article, the biggest flaw is that he's asking
people to remove the CPU and other parts - which is a serious risk for
home users. I don't see him wearing an ESD strap, so he's giving bad
advise to people that are going to be doing this in a typical
home/uncontrolled environment. I don't really like the idea of telling
people to use Q-Tips inside a computer after pulling parts.

It was good to see that he didn't use a vacuum and picked a poof-can, it's
good to see him using air pressure and not a vacuum tool.
 
As the other posters have stated - Never use a vacuum cleaner because they
do create static charges.
 
V said:
If you live in a dry, dusty place such as Phoenix,
keeping the system off the floor makes almost no difference
unless you have pets. I've tried.

Take off system cover(s), take chassis outside. Put
it up off the ground on something ( I use an upside-down
trash can, a card table would be good). Close all the windows
to your house so the mess you're about to make doesn't blow inside.

Use the "blow" side of a good shop vac to
BLOW, not SUCK, all the crap out. Kinda like
a leaf blower. Empty the vac bucket and wash it and
the filter before starting. Keep the hose AWAY at least
12 inches, under NO circumstances touch the hose
to the case or any part of it. Don't even get close. Static can build-up
on plastic hoses. Wave the hose around until you
stop generating a dust cloud by doing so. Don't miss
cracks/crevices. Do NOT aim into CD/DVD/floppy/tape, etc. drive
slots/trays/cooling holes-too delicate in there. Optical drives need
to be disassembled to be cleaned effectively. This is
generally a moot point these days, as the quality of optical drives
has declined such in our "race to the bottom-build 'em as cheap
as possible" society, the drive will likely fail way before
it ever needs cleaning.

Don't use a compressed air hose to do the same
thing, pressure's too high and there can be oil in the air.

And now, anticipating the inevitable bashing of this
method from "those who know better", this has been my method
of choice for 15+ years and 20+ systems, and I have NEVER
had ANY problems arise from doing it, if done with care
and common sense.
Click to expand...

That's pretty much how I've done it for many years too - no problems to
date.

I added an anti-static wrist-strap around the end of the hose, and I
clip it to the system case before starting the shop vac - not sure if
it's needed, but it does tend to silence the critics who insist I'll zap
something sooner or later :-)

Sunny
 
1.Take 1 pint of good whiskey.
2. 1 large glass.
3. fill glass with whiskey
4. drink till glass is empty.
5. try to remove cover on computer.
6. if you manage to get the cover removed
7. close both eyes and you will discover that there is no duxt in the
computer to worry about
If you think the dust is still there, repeat steps 3 - 7



"Ryan" <[email protected]
m> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
 
Ryan said:
Anyone know of a good effective way of ridding dust build up
from heatsink fans and components without damaging anything?
Click to expand...

I use both suck and blow. I blow with a small paint compressor
at dusty areas while sucking up the airborne dust with a vacuum
cleaner hose. Nothing solid touches the PC components, and
dust doesn't fill the room.

*TimDaniels*
 
Ryan
Most of the methods listed already will work but the object is to reduce the
amount of dust that enters and in that regard consider some dust filters on
your intake fans.The 3M scrubbers work nicely and are really easy to clean
and reuse.
Companies also sell dust filters that attach to the intake fans and are
cleanable.
The other thing to watch out for is to make sure that you have more air
going in than sucking out.this way you create a positive pressure inside and
dust is less likely to get sucked in through the little crevices that all
cases have.
I use most of the methods listed including an artist paint brush as well as
a Qtip but the ones I use are sponge covered and normally used to clean
electronic equipment.I also use an electronic parts cleaning solution to
barely moisten the sponges to clean the contacts of PCI/AGP cards.This
solution evaporates without residue.
I do a basic clean about once a month and an almost take apart major clean
about every 3 months.
good luck
Peterk
 
Matt,

Where can one get one of these online? I tried looking but couldn't yield
any results.

Thanks.
 
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