Canned air to cleaning boards

[dcc]

Hi guys...it's time to do a little spring cleaning to the insides of my computer, and my question is about using presurized air to blow off the boards. A friend of mine who worked building PCBs for a major corp. tells me that I run the risk of creating static electricity by using presurized air to blow off the boards, and if I'm going to do it , that I should use ionized air. When I tell him that I'm not only going to use presurized air, but will also use a natural bristol brush to help, he looks at me like I've lost my senses. Is he paranoid, or should I rethink this?

[Thong_Ispector]

I have always used the canned air, Take care to avoid turning the can upside down and spraying the liquid on components.. Not Good..

Dont use the air to spin the fans clean.
Use a non metallic tool to keep the fans from spinning as you blow it off or you can ruin the bearings...

Dont bother with the brush...

If the CPU/Fan heatsink is that bad, remove it from the system for cleaning.

[belama]

If you are going to remove the cpu, heatsink and fan, try not to let the dust go on the thermal paste or it wont be as effective.

[dcc]

Thanks for the response guys. I 'll forgo the brush, but you made me think of something that I had not before, I have a fan on my CPU, do I really need to dismantle this to clean it, or can I get away with vacuming it out?

[belama]

Thanks for the response guys. I 'll forgo the brush, but you made me think of something that I had not before, I have a fan on my CPU, do I really need to dismantle this to clean it, or can I get away with vacuming it out?

Vacuum? With what? I usually remove the fan and heatsink and remove dust with the compressed air so that I dont make a mess in the tower. But now I have filters on my intake's openings so I dont have dust buildup on the heatsink.

And if you really want to use a brush or cloth, you could use it to sweep the bottom of your tower. :D But dont touch the hardware with it.

[dcc]

Actually, using PVC fittings I made a reducer that will take a 5/8" ( 1/2"ISD) tube, and the other end slips on the vacume like any other attachment, works fine for short durations, it's hard on the motor. You mentioned using filters on your computer, are there systems available that can be modified to meet different case needs? Do these filter systems impede the air flow?

[belama]

Some cases come with these filters built-in but you can buy some for 80mm, 92mm and 120mm fans at some places. For example, take a look at this http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=9248&vpn=CO-F8CM&manufacture=nGear%20Technologies%20Inc.

If you remove buildup from it when there is you woulndt have any problems.

[kosmoe]

Canned Air? who can afford canned air? I bought a can once, used it to clean my keyboard and 2 guitars and it was gone. told wife i needed more she said no way! so i'm stuck using a small brush to clean out the inside. I think anybody that removes their heatsink to clean the fan is asking for trouble. I wonder how many computers have ended up in the junk from that?

[belama]

its only about 5 buck a can and takes me months to use it all. Are you using short quick blasts? cuz youre not supposed to let it come out all in one shot

[dcc]

Thanks Belama...I appreciate the link and the advise, I'll have to put some thought into modifying my case.

Kosmoe...I have similar feelings for anyone who would take the time to rebuild a Rochester, and understanding the amount off compressed air needed to blow one out after boiling it out, I can understand how a small can of air doesn't go very far by comparison.

Thanks for the advice and entertainment, dcc