Cleaning Inside Computer

ttaskmaster · 28 Nov 2019 at 10:48

Take to workshop, strip the externals off, pin fans in place.
140L air compressor to blast most of the dust and debris out, ½" paintbrush to sweep off the thin layer that always remains and to get in all the gaps, grilles, meshes, fan blades, etc.
Repeat airdust and brushing a couple times until satisfied and then reassemble.

I do that once a month. Takes 20 minutes, including carrying it up/downstairs and wrangling three dogs so they don't trip me when I'm carrying it.

TangoEchoAlpha · 28 Nov 2019 at 11:39

venomx said:
Gonna go with one of these....

I also have one of these, great bits of kit.

Moleyman · 28 Nov 2019 at 13:23

Which type of paintbrush do you recommend? Natural or synthetic bristles?

VaderDSL · 28 Nov 2019 at 13:37

TangoEchoAlpha said:
I also have one of these, great bits of kit.

I was a bit dubious buying the white version, but holy hell is it powerful! It only takes about 10 seconds and the case is clear!

bru · 28 Nov 2019 at 13:43

Just ordered one while on offer, but out of stock. No idea when they will be back in stock.

Hopefully before chrimbo.

dark-knight · 28 Nov 2019 at 13:46

venomx said:
Gonna go with one of these....

Can highly recommend this one, does a fantastic job and is very powerful.

venomx · 28 Nov 2019 at 15:49

dark-knight said:
Can highly recommend this one, does a fantastic job and is very powerful.

Yep got it for £50

Really powerful, comes with plenty of useful stuff too.

Glanza · 28 Nov 2019 at 16:27

venomx said:
Gonna go with one of these....

Also recommend this, saves us a fortune in cans of air for blasting customer PC's out.

venomx · 28 Nov 2019 at 16:56

Glanza said:
Also recommend this, saves us a fortune in cans of air for blasting customer PC's out.

One question, surely it just blows the dust around rather than actually sucking it up ?

Dave Burton · 28 Nov 2019 at 17:12

You shouldn't really ever use a vacuum cleaner on electronic components due to the static build up at the end of the nozzle/hoses etc, I've seen this damage components in the past. There's a reason electronics manufacturers, if required, used compressed air lines to clean stuff and not vacuum cleaners

random_matt · 28 Nov 2019 at 18:00

Really? Just use a cloth. If fans get really bad due to laziness, rinse under water and allow to dry.

Glanza · 28 Nov 2019 at 18:52

venomx said:
One question, surely it just blows the dust around rather than actually sucking it up ?

They work as a stronger compressed air can blowing stuff out they don't suck, but instead of having to use 1 or maybe 2 cans for really covered PC's such as ones on farms 30 seconds - 1 minute with this gets them good as new. It paid for itself within a month and we've had ours going on two years now still works fine but the power lead is starting to show wear and tear.

Blackjack Davy · 10 Dec 2019 at 17:35

Dave Burton said:
You shouldn't really ever use a vacuum cleaner on electronic components due to the static build up at the end of the nozzle/hoses etc, I've seen this damage components in the past. There's a reason electronics manufacturers, if required, used compressed air lines to clean stuff and not vacuum cleaners

So long as it remains plugged into the wall it'll still be grounded surely. I've used the vac nozzle and brush method for years without issue admittedly its plastic rather than metal. Its amazing the nooks and crannies that accumulate dust I can't reach the fan behind the hdd caddies I'm not even sure how to remove those. The removable dust filter on the front still looks filthy even after a major de-dusting I might just put it in the dishwasher next wash.

Moleyman said:
Which type of paintbrush do you recommend? Natural or synthetic bristles?

Anything that works lol. Softer is better than stiff.

ttaskmaster · 10 Dec 2019 at 18:19

Moleyman said:
Which type of paintbrush do you recommend? Natural or synthetic bristles?

Whatever you have available, I guess...
Some synthetics are good at static dissipation, other brushes do just as well when made from goat or horse hair. Both find use in camera and electronics maintenance, photographic development, painting applications, animal care, artefact restoration, fashion grooming... depends how much you want to spend and how worried you are about static discharge.

scubes · 10 Dec 2019 at 19:41

b00merang69 said:
Use search and see how many time it has been asked and answered, buy a DataVac or the new alternatives.

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/it-d...uster-and-vacuum-suck-and-blow-kb-004-id.html

suck and blow lmfao lol..

Dave Burton · 10 Dec 2019 at 20:04

Blackjack Davy said:
So long as it remains plugged into the wall it'll still be grounded surely. I've used the vac nozzle and brush method for years without issue admittedly its plastic rather than metal. Its amazing the nooks and crannies that accumulate dust I can't reach the fan behind the hdd caddies I'm not even sure how to remove those. The removable dust filter on the front still looks filthy even after a major de-dusting I might just put it in the dishwasher next wash.

Anything that works lol. Softer is better than stiff.

Nope, grounding only applies to certain areas of the board, stuff like RAM isn't part of that, it's only really the metalwork and earth planes of the motherboard that gets grounded. It's scary how much damage vacuuming stuff like PC's can do, I've seen it with my own eyes!

Alan1969 · 11 Dec 2019 at 21:35

I would just use a normal vacuum cleaner to remove dust. I don’t like compressed air as it just blows the dust around.

Alan1969 · 11 Dec 2019 at 21:36

chroniclard said:
Had one of these for a while, periodically take various PC's into the yard for a good blow out. Works great.

I have however seen these working on YouTube vids and they do seem to work well.

John Summon · 12 Dec 2019 at 17:11

Keep the PC plugged in so its earthed and use a Hoover, My Dyson has different ends and there great!

chaparral · 22 Dec 2019 at 20:31

I take my PC base unit & keyboard outside and use my 50ltr air compressor with an air gun to clean them
Guessing I do this about once every 3 to 6 months.

But my PC doesn't really get much dust inside it as the intake fans have dust filters which are cleaned about every 4 to 8 weeks
(or when I take the side panel off and remember to clean them

)