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Dusting the Internals...

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Jan 17, 2004
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What do you guys use to get rid of that nasty dust buildup in your case? I've used compressed-air cans, but the liquid those shoot out if not held properly worries me.

I sometimes drive my case over to a friend's house and use his huge air compressor. That gets a lot, if not everything, out.

Also, are fan filters a good idea, or do they constrict airflow too much?
 
fan filters work great. i never had any problems with them. just keep them clean and they wont restrict air enough to matter.

i use the canned air also. dont worry about the liquid. as long as your computer isnt on you have nothing to worry about. when cleaning your tower, take the time to disconnect it and put it on a waist high table. then maybe you wont need to worry about keeping the air can in an upright position too much.

when i clean with compressed air, i also use a soft small paint brush to help get the dust off.
 
ewarz said:
fan filters work great. i never had any problems with them. just keep them clean and they wont restrict air enough to matter.

i use the canned air also. dont worry about the liquid. as long as your computer isnt on you have nothing to worry about. when cleaning your tower, take the time to disconnect it and put it on a waist high table. then maybe you wont need to worry about keeping the air can in an upright position too much.

when i clean with compressed air, i also use a soft small paint brush to help get the dust off.
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Great reply. Thanks :)
 
Can you damage your internals by using a can-of-air or a paint brush? I've never really had a problem with dust.

Also, where would I happen to get a Can o' air?
 
:confused: My case is really dusty..because i took off one panel to keep the components cooler.....Can the dust really damage any components?
 
The dust itself won't damage components, but it gets in the heatsinks and causes them to become less efficient. After I clean out my case, the temperature drop by 20 degrees Celsius sometimes. So I guess the heat caused by all the dust could damage parts in the long run, but its no too big of a deal.
 
Mike is absolutely right. If you have a more recent heatsink, it has dozens of fins. The fins are based on the concept that they will conduct heat and the fan will pull air through the fins and whisk the heat away. Doesn't really work if the space in between the fins is filled with dust.

Plus, it's nice to have clean things. How would you feel if your kitchen was covered in an inch of dust? ;)
 
Bona Fide said:
Plus, it's nice to have clean things. How would you feel if your kitchen was covered in an inch of dust? ;)
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I'd eat it all up.
 
Digital Oxide said:
Can you damage your internals by using a can-of-air or a paint brush? I've never really had a problem with dust.

Also, where would I happen to get a Can o' air?
Click to expand...

you can head down to your local wal-mart and get a can of air
 
Mike2002 said:
The dust itself won't damage components, but it gets in the heatsinks and causes them to become less efficient. After I clean out my case, the temperature drop by 20 degrees Celsius sometimes. So I guess the heat caused by all the dust could damage parts in the long run, but its no too big of a deal.
Click to expand...

Not quite 100% true but it depends on the environment. Your average home won't have anything overly harmful in the dust unless you're a smoker, then you're asking for trouble. The nicotine sludge that results from smoke particles mixed with dust that builds up in a PC can not only reduce the life of drive and/or fan bearings down to months but also short out components if enough of it builds up on the traces or in expansion slots.

Now a machine shop with metal shavings...well we just won't go there.
 
Got allergies? :D

If you're a non-smoker than no there's nothing to really worry about. It's still a good idea to dust it out every 6 months or so.
 
Just being a smoker isn't bad (for your computer) as long as you don't do it near the computer. There are two smokers in my house, and a long hair dog. I had my case running open for almost a year with no problems. I used canned air every month or so to keep it
clean, but there was no "nasty buildup". I should also point out that nobody smokes in the
same part of the house where the computer is set up though.

What freightens me, is I've just been given the task of upgrading (probably replacing) a family
members computer. I noticed a lot of dust and brown stuff near the vents. Then I saw the
overflowing ashtray next to his keyboard. I think I'll be wearing gloves while working in that case. If I didn't have to pull his scsi card out, I'd just toss the thing as it sits.


-Jeff
 
Can of air is good when on the road, or no access to a compressor. If you use a compressor make sure it doesn't have an oiler for air tools, and you have some sort of in-line dryer. It wouldn't be a good idea to have a mist of tool lube spray over your components, or water....

Other than that I use an old toothbrush and a couple of different paint brushes to clean the nooks and cranies, as well as swiffers... I use a special brush for PCBs to clean them. One of my friends actually takes his components off, washs them with soap and water, then sticks them in the oven for a while on low heat. I don't advise this, but he has done it multiple times with no problems, I would never do it.

I use pantyhose and other fan filters to keep the dust out....
 
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