Vaping Juice condensation Maybe killed my 1080

[platinum87]

Right so long story short, My PC was, or still is partially, completely soaked in vape juice.

This is after years of vaping (and some smoking also).

So what happened today is my screen went green entirely. Feels like the GPU is acting up.

I cleaned it as best i could, no more dripping juice inside the case etc.

It worked fine again, and i was hopeful, unfortunately, just gaming now my screen went white and it could not turn on. Error code on my Maximus VIII was B2, which is either the ram or the GPU according to google.

I have removed the 1080, as it would not start up again.

I guess everything seems to be fine with the card outside. I will see if that is true the rest of tonight and tomorrow before trying to put it back in.

My main question is, if the fault is e-liquid all over the GPU, if i were to disassemble it, clean it with alcohol etc and put it back together, will it be fine, or is it a case of when its broken its done and there is no going back?

The next question is, if i consider the original 1080 to be overpowered, what GPU would you recommend?

 

[Pulseammo]

Cleaning it is a depends. If the juice is conductive it could be causing a partial short somewhere, possibly pulling a line down to ground where it shouldn't be, and removing it would help if that hasn't caused damage. If power is applied through the juice it may have corroded components on the card which again cleaning could help unless it's damaged a component. Too hard to say if it's worthwhile or if it's even caused the damage. If you don't think you'll get warranty on it then what is there to lose?

 

[varkanoid]

Please dont tell me you have your PC at head height on a desk next to you whilst doing your vaping etc.
PC's have fans in them. They suck in air. I dont think I need to say anything else.

 

[andy_mk3]

if i were to disassemble it, clean it with alcohol etc and put it back together, will it be fine, or is it a case of when its broken its done and there is no going back?

There's literally no way of knowing until you try it. It's pretty much the best hope you can give it. Use a small brush to agitate it with some IPA.

 

[snips86x]

I said this over a year ago.

If you have an air cooler, it condensates on that and then drips onto the GPU. I no longer vape in the house for this reason.

 

[platinum87]

Cleaning it is a depends. If the juice is conductive it could be causing a partial short somewhere, possibly pulling a line down to ground where it shouldn't be, and removing it would help if that hasn't caused damage. If power is applied through the juice it may have corroded components on the card which again cleaning could help unless it's damaged a component. Too hard to say if it's worthwhile or if it's even caused the damage. If you don't think you'll get warranty on it then what is there to lose?

Will not be bothering with warranty, I bought it in 2016 or so, Most likely expired, nothing to lose sure, no idea how i will even remove the coverings lol, looks like i need a bent screwdriver

Please dont tell me you have your PC at head height on a desk next to you whilst doing your vaping etc.
PC's have fans in them. They suck in air. I dont think I need to say anything else.

Yes exactly. Everything would be fine if i just cleaned it say once a month. Its been years.

However it does not matter where in the room the PC is, over enough time it will get in.

I said this over a year ago.

If you have an air cooler, it condensates on that and then drips onto the GPU. I no longer vape in the house for this reason.

I do have a balcony, but ultimately i do it for a while and then just smoke or vape in my room eventually.


I'm looking at a RTX 2060, I will probably order one in the next couple days, unless any recommendations, Dont really want anything cheaper as, it will be lasting for years (or until vape juice death).

 

[Ch3m1c4L]

Wtf.
I get a slow build up on my windows over like a year, but nothing in my room gets a coating on it, let alone dripping!
Do you never have a window open even a crack?!

As for cleaning, it certainly can work. Same as drying a phone etc. Make sure to clean corrosion, maybe resolder if you need to, to stop it degrading over time.
Unless you spot something burnt I'd say chances are about 50/50 (if it's conductive fluid).

 

[tyler_jrb]

You can clean it with IPA or just go the easy route and take it apart and put the pcb in dishwasher. As long as you let it air dry straight away afterwards of course while it’s still hot. Cleaning with IPA will take a serious amount of time otherwise especially if it’s under chips etc and likely dead anyway.

In the future don’t vape while using the pc or move the pc to another part of the room, floor perhaps if that isn’t an option. I have my pc in a storage wall cupboard and it has never been cleaner or more quiet. If that’s what the gpu is like I can’t imagine what everything else looks like and as you say over time the same thing will happen again with a new card etc.

 

[Ch3m1c4L]

Can we see some pics so we can see how horrifying (or not) it is?




Please

 

[platinum87]

My window is permanently open, I prob smoke 15ml per day or so.

My phone camera is near dead also would be too low quality you to show anything.

I have taken apart the 1080. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RQEqwz-HZ8

2min 34 sec of that video, where you see that white LED strip, looked like someone spat there almost exactly like that mental image you have

All other parts of the card were clean.

It does not appear to be corroded at all, I smoke 80% VG, all other stuff is flavoring no idea what is part of that, except its PG based.

All in all it seems to act like oil, certainly it does not dry up i do not see any corrosion whatsoever.

I have cleaned it with tissue and earbuds as best i can and have put it back together.

I'm not in the mood to test it until 8pm or so as i have things to do. I don't have any IPA.

Didn't touch the thermal paste just put it back as is, i believe it should be fine.

I guess if it does not work i'll order a 2060?

 

[kazuya1337]

Maybe quit vaping when you buy a new card

 

[KentMan]

Proof that smoking / Vaping is not only bad for your health but also the health of your PC!

 

[wookiee87]

Didn't touch the thermal paste just put it back as is, i believe it should be fine.

not re-applying paste after taking apart wont do the card any favors, breaking the bond will affect the cards temp and you'll likely see high or very high temps to the point the card may overheat and your screen will go black, its always good practice to use paste after taking coolers off to avoid any problems.

So what happened today is my screen went green entirely. Feels like the GPU is acting up

likely the gpu is overheating so you need to take the card apart again and re-apply thermal paste, probably the stuff that was applied has dried up, check the pads too, if any are dry they need replacing too.

if the above doesn't work it could also be down to a bad display out on the back of the card, easiest way to check is move the display cable over or if you have a spare try that as the cable your using could be on the way out too.

 

[pete910]

Can we see some pics so we can see how horrifying (or not) it is?




Please

This ^^

Am calling BS tbh.

I reckon you/someone has knocked a bottle of it over into your PC at some point

 

[snips86x]

Maybe quit vaping when you buy a new card

or go outside...

 

[Kelt]

Proof that smoking / Vaping is not only bad for your health but also the health of your PC!

Yeh, one doesn't need to be a Rocket Surgeon to realise that!

 

[Deleted member 77746]

You shouldn't let your PC smoke then. Dunno how many times people need to tell people on here not to let them.

 

[Relentless81]

Sorry I dont buy this at all, you would need to vape 100VG with a seriously powerful device and exhale right at your PC 24 hours a day for any kind of build up in a PC and even then it'll dispersed by the fans before it can settle on anything

Prove me wrong?

 

[enigma27]

I vape and have done in my PC room for the best part of the last 4 years.

I cant find a build up on anything let alone my GPU.. more likely man juice than vape juice

 

[Ch3m1c4L]

Sorry I dont buy this at all, you would need to vape 100VG with a seriously powerful device and exhale right at your PC 24 hours a day for any kind of build up in a PC and even then it'll dispersed by the fans before it can settle on anything

Prove me wrong?

The lack of a photo does seem strange, considering phone cameras from a decade ago are good enough.
I literally sit breathing out vape directly onto my monitor so it all bounces off it, and there is none on it what so ever after the couple of years ive had them. The dust on top of it is dry too. External window is the only place i get build up of any residue. The worst I had it was after about 7 years (my blinds are always shut) and my friend asked if i got the build up, and i discovered that I do, but it still wasnt dripping.forming droplets. Thats with a similar amount (~12ml a day, of 50/50 vg/pg to 100vg, mixing my own).

but its irrelevant to the actual question about fixing the gpu, so doesn't matter beyond being a weird thing to make up if thats the case, or something going wrong if its not made up. Sub ambient cooling would cause it, because thats so common

I hope it works out op, with no IPA, do you have any TIM cleaner? thatll do the job too. or acetone (nail varnish remover). basically any solvent that will evaporate without leaving residue. As for not repasting, while it can technically cause issues with temp, it should still work "ok" enough at least for testing purposes.