Removing dust from a PC without aircans

Forums › Desktop computing › Removing dust from a PC without aircans

Lyderies

266 posts

Ultimate Geek

#245350 30-Jan-2019 18:17

Hello Everyone

I am looking for a cheapish option to clean my PC of dust without having to buy cans of air. Something like this https://www.dicksmith.co.nz/dn/buy/maxim-air-compressor-cordless-tyre-pump-atpcl-maxim/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=product_listing_ads&gclid=Cj0KCQiA4aXiBRCRARIsAMBZGz-9URbbhEPYqNx3D3UjeqREd88a1UcZiSY4EDCpvmTrc1r4OoRV6HAaAhkkEALw_wcB

Any thoughts, ideas or advice?

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SATTV

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#2170362 30-Jan-2019 19:35

Sadly that wont work, it delivers a short burst of air from a piston, there is no tank to store air before releasing it.

I know someone who had a mini leaf blower ( he bought it in South Africa ), it was very good a removing dust, I use a cheap compressor, you can get moisture traps to stop any moisture getting on to the computers.

John

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Jase2985

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#2170399 30-Jan-2019 20:09

i use a vacuum cleaner and a paint brush, i dont use the brush on circuit boards but its good on fans and radiators.

Brunzy

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#2170400 30-Jan-2019 20:10

I used to use two inch soft paintbrush when I was repairing Tv’s.

amiga500

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#2170406 30-Jan-2019 20:29

If there is dust collecting at the bottom of the case or on top dvd drives and so on I use a damp cloth. And I either use an anti-static strap or hold onto the case as I do this. You can achieve a lot with one can of compressed air even though it is expensive.

richms

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#2170410 30-Jan-2019 20:37

I just put the blow gun on a long hose in the compressor and go out to the carport to blast the air out.

Apparantly you shouldnt let the fans spin too much as they can make power back into other things and kill them but I have only heard third hand stories of that happening.

Richard rich.ms

1101

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#2170618 31-Jan-2019 10:18

It depends on how much dust is in the PC

Paintbrush and vacumm cleaner works quite well. The vac is just to suck up the dust you kick up , otherwise youre putting lots of dust into the room . Hold the vac a foot or so away . make sure the case is still grounded (ie plugged in & turned off)

It the PC is very dusty, a major dust buildup, I take it out side & use an air compressor . Ive never had an issue blowing compressed air through fans, not the best but never caused any issues . You also want to blow out the power supply .

Unless you are cleaning out alot of PC's , often, I wouldnt bother buying anything.

It may be a case of trying to 'fix' a non existent issue . Just leave it alone unless you are in a very dusty environment . 99% of

pc's never need this . Even PC's totally caked in dust usually keep chugging along .

There are all sorts of old wives tales about creating static & damaging components in the process , theory not actually an issue in the real world (unless very unlucky) .

:-)

Lyderies

266 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2171126 1-Feb-2019 09:13

Any particular brushs and antistatic cloths?

Seems like the most used method is brushs and a vaccum so il give that a go!

Thanks for the answers!

I'm going to noob myself past judgement

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Varkk

643 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2171129 1-Feb-2019 09:26

richms:

I just put the blow gun on a long hose in the compressor and go out to the carport to blast the air out.

Apparantly you shouldnt let the fans spin too much as they can make power back into other things and kill them but I have only heard third hand stories of that happening.

Only issue I have seen from letting the fans spin wildly is I once broke a blade off a CPU fan hitting it with a blast of compressed air. Fortunately I had some spare fans so I could swap it out without any issue.

Main issue from dust build up is it makes a nice insulating blanket meaning your PC runs far hotter than it would otherwise. Keep it clean and cool.

MurrayM

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#2171131 1-Feb-2019 09:32

If this is something you have to do a lot (eg for clients) then you can buy little battery or USB powered vacucums that are quite dinky and usually have a brush attachment too. The ones on Aliexpress only cost a few dollars, eg https://www.aliexpress.com/item/VODOOL-Mini-Vacuum-Cleaner-USB-Car-Interior-Air-Vent-Dust-Cleaning-Tool-Brush-Kit-For-PC/32946262351.html

amiga500

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#2171248 1-Feb-2019 12:08

If you have a motherboard, cpu, and cooler that work well, it's worth the time (and maybe cost) of keeping it cool as possible and hopefully extending the life of the system. It's a lot easier and less annoying than having to build another system.

Hammerer

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#2171303 1-Feb-2019 14:38

The impact of dust buildup is much greater in a laptop or notebook with a fan than a PC with a large case and large fans. The fans, channels and heatsink fins used for air cooling in a laptop are far smaller and more easily blocked. But even desktop/server PCs are impacted by dust, part of the reason that data centres filter incoming air.

If your computer sits on the floor then it can gather a lot more dust than one placed at least half a metre above the floor. That's one of several reasons that I tell people not to place their laptops on the floor - the biggest is that people stand on them or drop things on them.

If I open the case and can see the dust from 1 metre away then I remove it because it lowers the cooling ability. The risks from overheating are more certain than the risk of static discharge damaging my computer but dust also increases the likelihood of electrical short circuits.

Here's a useful discussion of the likelihood of component damage from static discharge.

1101: It may be a case of trying to 'fix' a non existent issue . Just leave it alone unless you are in a very dusty environment . 99% of pc's never need this . Even PC's totally caked in dust usually keep chugging along . There are all sorts of old wives tales about creating static & damaging components in the process , theory not actually an issue in the real world (unless very unlucky) . :-)

I was liking your reply until this paragraph. My experience is that the likelihood of computer failure is much higher from power supply problems - like lightning taking out a local transformer - and improperly seated components than from electrostatic discharge (ESD). But it is not a "non existent issue" nor "old wives tales" and you don't have to "very unlucky" to discover it. I've zapped at least one computer out of several thousands, watched others zap them, and been asked to fix computers that the owners confessed they zapped.

The lack of anecdotal evidence of static destruction is easily explained. Many people who zap a component don't tell other people that they did it. It's not the sort of the thing that you necessarily notice - usually there is no "bolt of lightning" or visible static discharge. And, unless we have access to specialised tools, we can't easily confirm static damage anyway.

There is a dearth of research into consumer computer/component failure but research into commercial computer component failure quite often shows that actual failure rates are higher than both estimated and theoretical failure rates, e.g. Schroeder & Gibson 2006, Nightingale et al 2011. I consider it very likely that the same applies to ESD events.

Furthermore, ESD may cause malfunctioning rather than complete failure of a component. Where the malfunction is irregularly observed then it may never be connected to ESD event.

Zeon

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#2171345 1-Feb-2019 16:36

Do you have any friends with a comrpessor with tank? Just take your computer over and blow it out.

I ended up buying a compressor as was using ridiculous numbers of those cans.

Speedtest 2019-10-14

eracode

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#2171347 1-Feb-2019 16:38

I once made a mini-adaptor for our vacuum to clean a very dusty and somewhat delicate model of a sailing ship. Had a length (50cm?) of flexible soft plastic or rubber hose with an outside diameter of, say, 5-7 mm. Cut a 40mm circle (doesn’t have to be a circle) out of hardboard, heavy cardboard or stiff plastic.

Drill a hole in the centre of the circle the same size as the OD of the tube. Push the tube just into the hole and seal around it with adhesive or blutack. Turn the vacuum on and place the circle over the end of the nozzle. The suction holds the circle in place.

Use the tube as a mini vac hose with a small stiff artist’s brush to loosen the dust just ahead of the end of the tube. In your case maybe use a slightly larger diameter tube - 10mm?

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