Author Topic: Is it dangerous to clean your computer with compressed air or vacuum?  (Read 22831 times)

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Online BradC

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Re: Is it dangerous to clean your computer with compressed air or vacuum?
« Reply #25 on: June 24, 2016, 09:35:33 am »
Make sure your compressor has a water trap. You don't want moisture spitting all over the place.

And drain the tank _every_ time you use it. If you want the driest air using a cheap compressor, pump it up, leave it overnight to cool down, drain the tank and then go. A proportion of the moisture will condense out as the air cools in the tank.  A moisture trap is also good for helping keep oil out of the air. Change your compressor oil every year or so (heck, it's cheap enough). I changed to a synthetic compressor oil a couple of years ago and have noted a pretty big reduction in the grunge that accumulates in my lines too.

I use compressed air all the time. I just do it outside so I don't need to deal with the mess. Even with an unregulated blowgun you'd have to be pretty ham fisted to damage electronics. You will certainly destroy fan bearings if you don't use a bit of common sense though.
 

Offline apis

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Re: Is it dangerous to clean your computer with compressed air or vacuum?
« Reply #26 on: June 24, 2016, 09:55:25 am »
You will destroy fan bearings with a vacuum too if you don't hold the blades fixed when cleaning.
 

Online BradC

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Re: Is it dangerous to clean your computer with compressed air or vacuum?
« Reply #27 on: June 24, 2016, 11:19:34 am »
You will destroy fan bearings with a vacuum too if you don't hold the blades fixed when cleaning.

Yeah, absolutely. I've seen ball races explode with the the forces exerted by the balls when the bearings have been spun with compressed air. You don't want to be around when the outer race breaks.

Any over speed condition can be nasty.

I have a Festool vac with a conductive hose that comes in handy for really nasty cleaning jobs. Coupled with a paintbrush with the the bristles cut short to give them some stiffness it makes short work of dust bunnies, but most of my stuff happens with compressed air.

I have my 10 year old trackball a clean last weekend and got enough fur and dust out of there to make another pet. Stuff stacks up.
 

Offline TerraHertz

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Re: Is it dangerous to clean your computer with compressed air or vacuum?
« Reply #28 on: June 26, 2016, 05:28:22 am »
I too use compressed air (at around 90 to 100 psi, via a small metal tube nozzle) to clean out PCs and dirty test gear. Both to remove dust (with extra scrubbing using a paint brush if necessary) and also to blow dry boards after a soap and water wash if they were *really* dirty. Compressed air blast is the only way to get water out from under VLSI solder-bump mounted chips, for instance.

Never had any problems. I don't count the time I deliberately spun up a squirrel cage fan until it exploded. Just bear in mind that the air jet exerts physical force. Would you press the thing that hard with your finger? If not, don't hit it with the air jet. Standard fans can easily be spun up till they break. But even before that point, they contain coils and magnets, so can work as generators. How much AC signal from the coils is safe for the fan internal circuits? Best to hold the rotor to prevent it going really fast.
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Online Circlotron

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Re: Is it dangerous to clean your computer with compressed air or vacuum?
« Reply #29 on: June 26, 2016, 10:27:50 am »
Standard fans can easily be spun up till they break. But even before that point, they contain coils and magnets, so can work as generators. How much AC signal from the coils is safe for the fan internal circuits? Best to hold the rotor to prevent it going really fast.
VERY good point!!
 

Offline batteksystem

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Re: Is it dangerous to clean your computer with compressed air or vacuum?
« Reply #30 on: June 26, 2016, 02:46:41 pm »
I vacuum my computer every year (mainly the CPU fan and the PSU fan) to clean out the dust, never has any problem.

However, the humidity in Hong Kong is quite high, so ESD event is non-common here.

Offline SteveyG

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Re: Is it dangerous to clean your computer with compressed air or vacuum?
« Reply #31 on: June 27, 2016, 07:54:07 am »
ESD is not that dangerous. Most computer parts have built in ESD protection against <=2kV HBM or <=500V MM/CDM ESD.
Even if an ESD event happened with more energy than rated, a chip usually will deteriorate in long term reliability, not drop dead immediately.

ESD is extremely dangerous  :palm:. Failure modes can be anything from immediate death to occasionally odd behaviour.
How many times have you had a PC crash? How many times was this due to ESD damage? Was is a software bug or a damaged transistor in an odd memory location that is rarely exercised?
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Offline chrism2010

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Re: Is it dangerous to clean your computer with compressed air or vacuum?
« Reply #32 on: June 27, 2016, 08:20:31 am »
Another thing to bear in mind when blowing / sucking fans apart from possible damage to the bearings is that the voltage generated by spinning the motor can cause damage on some poorly designed systems.
 

Offline Zero999

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Re: Is it dangerous to clean your computer with compressed air or vacuum?
« Reply #33 on: June 28, 2016, 09:54:09 am »
Another thing to bear in mind when blowing / sucking fans apart from possible damage to the bearings is that the voltage generated by spinning the motor can cause damage on some poorly designed systems.
Yes, especially when the fan spins much faster than its maximum rated speed. The back EMF can zap the internal inverter and there's always a risk it can damage other nearby components.
 

Offline spudboy488

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Re: Is it dangerous to clean your computer with compressed air or vacuum?
« Reply #34 on: June 29, 2016, 11:51:22 am »
I was told years (and years) ago to not use compressed air to clean something as you do not know where the debris will go. Always use a vacuum as you should be able to corral most of the junk. He told us this after a co-worker destroyed a 8" floppy drive by using compressed air.
 
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Offline Artlav

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Re: Is it dangerous to clean your computer with compressed air or vacuum?
« Reply #35 on: June 29, 2016, 09:29:47 pm »
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.
 

Offline dr.diesel

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Re: Is it dangerous to clean your computer with compressed air or vacuum?
« Reply #36 on: June 29, 2016, 09:35:34 pm »
I've blown hundreds of machines out with my shop compressor, ~100PSI, no moisture trap other than the 60 gallon tank.

Offline G7PSK

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Re: Is it dangerous to clean your computer with compressed air or vacuum?
« Reply #37 on: July 03, 2016, 08:23:31 am »
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.
 

Offline Keicar

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Re: Is it dangerous to clean your computer with compressed air or vacuum?
« Reply #38 on: July 03, 2016, 09:06:37 am »
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.
 

Offline jitter

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Re: Is it dangerous to clean your computer with compressed air or vacuum?
« Reply #39 on: July 03, 2016, 09:35:26 am »
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.

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.
 

Offline Galenbo

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Re: Is it dangerous to clean your computer with compressed air or vacuum?
« Reply #40 on: July 04, 2016, 09:13:07 pm »
I have a XP-age laptop that shuts down after a few minutes.
I needed it again for a few tests, and blew it to life again wit 8bar, without opening.

Works perfect now.
If you try and take a cat apart to see how it works, the first thing you have on your hands is a nonworking cat.
 

Offline janoc

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Re: Is it dangerous to clean your computer with compressed air or vacuum?
« Reply #41 on: July 04, 2016, 09:53:52 pm »
ESD is not that dangerous. Most computer parts have built in ESD protection against <=2kV HBM or <=500V MM/CDM ESD.
Even if an ESD event happened with more energy than rated, a chip usually will deteriorate in long term reliability, not drop dead immediately.

ESD is extremely dangerous  :palm:. Failure modes can be anything from immediate death to occasionally odd behaviour.
How many times have you had a PC crash? How many times was this due to ESD damage? Was is a software bug or a damaged transistor in an odd memory location that is rarely exercised?

ESD is dangerous if you have naked, unsoldered parts. Components mounted on a board are reasonably safe because the circuitry will dissipate any charge build up before it could break something. The chances you will ESD fry something by blasting dust out from your computer are negligible. You are much more likely to damage it by the sheer force of the air blast if you aren't careful or by breaking something off by hitting it with the nozzle.

I do wonder how would one go about figuring out that the PC has crashed because of ESD damage and not something much more mundane - like crappy driver or just Windows taking a dump, though!


 

Offline TheSteve

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Re: Is it dangerous to clean your computer with compressed air or vacuum?
« Reply #42 on: July 04, 2016, 10:05:39 pm »
I've had a computer reboot as soon as the vacuum touched the case - obviously from static. Yes, the computer should have at least been turned off.

These days I use a static safe 3M vacuum - they are small/portable, black in color and all attachments are ESD friendly. When cleaning RF products such as network analyzers you want to be very careful. I've also used compressed air with excellent results. Sometimes it is the only way to get something clean. I've had scopes and network analyzers from very humid countries that were beyond disgusting internally. The crap can be so caked on that 90 PSI doesn't move it, it has to be brushed off. I prefer to only use the compressed air when it isn't really dry outside and to be sure no water is being condensed and sprayed by the compressor.
VE7FM
 

Offline IanJ

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Re: Is it dangerous to clean your computer with compressed air or vacuum?
« Reply #43 on: July 04, 2016, 10:22:19 pm »
Hi all,

I use a mini electric duster leaf blower. It has a rubber tube which is less susceptable to generating static.

Rules of engagement:-

1. Disconnect the PC and take it outside.
2. Blow from about 10" away.
3. Don't let the tip of the blower tube touch the PC at all.
4. Be wary of spinning up fans with the blower as it can damage bearings/blades.
5. Blow everything from multiple directions as it helps dislodge stubborn dust.
6. On a particularly dusty PC then blow before removing any cards, the blow again after. This helps to avoid driving dust and grime into card slots.

Ian.
Ian Johnston - Original designer of the PDVS2mini || Author of WinGPIB
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Offline Watth

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Re: Is it dangerous to clean your computer with compressed air or vacuum?
« Reply #44 on: April 28, 2023, 10:27:07 am »
Greetings EEVfloks,
Unearthing this thread as I'm considering one of those rechargeable air dusters, such as the one featured in https://www.eevblog.com/forum/blog/eevblog-1338-mailbag/msg3246812/#msg3246812 .
My usages of such product could include cleaning electronic products.

I've read on this forum that there could be concerns regarding ESD risks.
If one wants to be extra cautious, would it be effective to have a bit of copper (or other conductive material) tube at the end of the nozzled connected to earth?
Thanks for reading!
Because "Matth" was already taken.
 

Offline RoGeorge

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Re: Is it dangerous to clean your computer with compressed air or vacuum?
« Reply #45 on: April 28, 2023, 10:47:07 am »
Some say Compressed air like that can create A LOT of static electricity, others that the last time they used a vaccum the computer gave intermittent problems they had to get a new one.

So what do you think is the best way?

It's not the statics, but the fans.  Fans become generators when turned very fast by compressed air/vacuum cleaners.  A colleague of us damaged once a 486 motherboard by cleaning it with a vacuum cleaner.

Offline CatalinaWOW

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Re: Is it dangerous to clean your computer with compressed air or vacuum?
« Reply #46 on: April 28, 2023, 02:58:21 pm »
Some say Compressed air like that can create A LOT of static electricity, others that the last time they used a vaccum the computer gave intermittent problems they had to get a new one.

So what do you think is the best way?

It's not the statics, but the fans.  Fans become generators when turned very fast by compressed air/vacuum cleaners.  A colleague of us damaged once a 486 motherboard by cleaning it with a vacuum cleaner.

Fans are by far the bigger problem, but I have also encountered static generated by vacuums.  It shouldn't be to big a problem because the actual source of the problem is charge physically carried by dust particles in the moving air.  Unless you are moving great mounds of dust similar to the sawdust you find around a table saw it is unlikely to be a problem.

 

Offline janoc

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Re: Is it dangerous to clean your computer with compressed air or vacuum?
« Reply #47 on: April 30, 2023, 06:12:09 pm »
I wouldn't use a regular vacuum cleaner because it can pull connectors, cables and damage things.

Compressed air is OK, just make sure to not let the fans spin in the airstream (hold them down with your finger). The chances of damaging something with it these days is low, the large capacitors on the board will "eat" most of the generated voltage, but why to risk it. However, what can be easily damaged if the fan is left to overspeed are the bearings.
 

Offline DavidAlfa

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Re: Is it dangerous to clean your computer with compressed air or vacuum?
« Reply #48 on: April 30, 2023, 06:22:04 pm »
The forum has gotten plaged with silly questions beyond explanation, and people keep falling for them.
No pun intended, but guess what most computers use for cooling? Air 24/7!
The only possible damage is ripping something off due the pressure or by rubbing.

What causes so much overthinking? Lvl 99 boredom?
« Last Edit: April 30, 2023, 06:25:42 pm by DavidAlfa »
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Offline amyk

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Re: Is it dangerous to clean your computer with compressed air or vacuum?
« Reply #49 on: April 30, 2023, 09:17:24 pm »
ESD is dangerous if you have naked, unsoldered parts. Components mounted on a board are reasonably safe because the circuitry will dissipate any charge build up before it could break something. The chances you will ESD fry something by blasting dust out from your computer are negligible.
This. Keep it plugged in but switched off, and static charge won't even accumulate. That said, I prefer cleaning heatsinks, after removing them, with water and blowing them dry before reattaching. It's a good time to replace the thermal compound too.
 


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