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Is it dangerous to clean your computer with compressed air or vacuum?

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Artlav:
A vacuum is kinda useless, since it does not suck anything much further than point blank.
I always use compressed air, preferably outdoors - the dust abandons the device in a great hurry.

ESD danger, i suspect, would vary by weather and location - some places are humid enough that ESD can't happen at all, while some places are dry enough that you can kill a PC by touching it.

dr.diesel:
I've blown hundreds of machines out with my shop compressor, ~100PSI, no moisture trap other than the 60 gallon tank.

G7PSK:
I once had a computer that came from a baker's shop, it was filled with old gunky flour in places up to 20mm thick I washed this out with a power shower (had thought about the pressure washer) then used IPA and an air line to finish the job. The computer worked fine for several years after that.

Keicar:
I've killed a PC with a household vacuum - probably from ESD, or maybe the EMF from spinning the fans. 'Twas lovely and clean inside afterwards, but wouldn't power up (power kept cycling on & off) - had to replace the motherboard to get it going again. To make matters worse, it wasn't even my PC - I felt awful having done that. Anyway, lesson learned.

jitter:

--- Quote from: AntiProtonBoy on June 23, 2016, 02:17:58 pm ---I dust my machine with my old man's air compressor all the time. You'll be fine. If you are worried about static electricity, leave the mains plugged in for earthing, but I never bother.

--- End quote ---

I would recommend you UNPLUG the PC from the mains. The one thing you will notice when you look at how an ESD protected area (EPA, I work in one) is wired is that the paths to ground are all through at least 1 MOhm resistance. Building up static electricity is one thing to avoid, discharging it quickly is another thing to avoid. The high Ohm resistance between you, your workpiece and ground makes for a more controlled discharge (and prevention of build up in the first place).

My advice if you're without ESD protection: wait for a humid day, keep touching the case at all times and keep some distance between the PC and the nozzle and you'll be fine.

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