Dusty PC

[tricky]

We're having a lot of building work in our office building, and our renderfarm is starting to get full of dust. I wondered if vacuum cleaners existed for PC interiors - I reckon if I stuck our floor vacuum cleaner in there there would be a serious static build up which would fry a chip or two.
Any ideas?

[Dynedain]

Just get some of those compressed air cans you can find at any office supply store. They're much more effective because you can blast the dust out of little crevices.

A vacum cleaner in general should be pretty safe with a brush attachment, just make sure the computer is off and unplugged.

[Da_elf]

yeah the air cans are really good you need to be slightly carefull though ive found sometime if not used properly it can spout out some fluid as well

[RErender]

yeah the air cans are great, IF you have a gas mask :P

[jujubee]

yeah the air cans are really good you need to be slightly carefull though ive found sometime if not used properly it can spout out some fluid as well

Yeah - don't try to tip them upside down.

On differnt possible solution, I'm thinking of getting a fan-based air purifier for my apartment -the computers dry out the air and creates large dustballs. Based on Consumer Reports magazine, the following models worked very well - the rest (including the ionic ones) were rather crappy (and ozone depleting too):

1) Whirlpool 45030
2) Whirlpool AP5103R
3) Fredericks (I don't know the model #)

[ShaunDon]

Yes yes, like the Elfman said -- hold then upright, don't tilt them sideways or upside down, otherwise you get a super-cold mist that will freeze all your components! My freshman roommate and I used them to freeze various articles and shatter them back in art school. Loads of fun, just not with expensive hardware.

Oops, Juju beat me to it. Air filters for fans, eh? I think someone's been watching too many late night infomercials. I'm fascinated -- anything that means I don't have to pull my comps apart twice a year and cough up dustballs all afternoon.

Shaun

[RErender]

There are "USB computer mini vacuums" available around the net

[BlueShift]

You could get those nylon dust filter that you can install on your pc fans, but then need regular cleaning (every week).

Mind you this won't stop dust from entering your box, just limit it to the point where you need to clean the inside once a year or so.


/BlueShift

[Austin]

I prefer using an air compressor with a sprayer attachment, but not everyone has one just laying around.

Which reminds me, how often do you guys clean out the dust in your systems?

[jujubee]

Usually only when something breaks...

[DaForce]

lol @ jujubee

I generally clean mine out when i notice it getting bad... but suprisingly thats not all that often. My case has a lot of openings.. basically all the front is open (with filters) and 65% of the top is open. So you would think this would cause a fairly hefty dust build up.. but im suprised.. since having the machine for over 6months now I havnt had to clean it or the filters at all. other than a once I quickly sprayed out the side with a can of compressed air. The heat sink is still clean (for the most part)
And my room certainly isnt the cleanest place in the world.

Basically the cruicial time to clean is when the filters at the front of the case get clogged up or if the heatsink gets clogged up.. especially the later.
And dont forget to give the PSu a good old blast with compressed air as well.. they gather a fair bit too.

I dont think a household vacuum is a good idea due to the static build up.. and having a brush on the end of that would just increase the risk IMO.
Compressed air to blow all the dust out and a vacuum for clean up is a good idea. but I wouldnt go running the vacuum clean around and over the motherboard and ram for instance.

[arobbert]

I take mine outside and hit it with the leaf blower. That works really good and fast! You can get inside the power supply hit all the fans and the dust blows far away! I used to work at an display company. We'd take them out in the shop and blow them out with compressed air.

[DaForce]

leaf blower....

Thats abit more brutal that I would put near my PC thats for sure.

Also be careful when blowing air onto the fans.. if you spin them too fast or the wrong it can damage them or short their life.

[arobbert]

It does sound brutal, but if you use a vacuum you really can't get the dust that's stuck to the components unless you use a brush. Then you're dealing with static and actual physical contact with parts which I think is much more invasive. I don't see how the fans can be damaged by air flow. The bearings are designed to spin at very high speeds for a very long time. I've found that they become clogged with dust in hard to reach places like the power supply. How do you clean a power supply without taking it apart and brushing it? The compressed air cans that I've tried do not have enough power to remove all the dust and they are expensive. I've done this many times to many computers without ill effects. Call me crazy but I can't stand the dirt which gets pretty thick where I'm from. And this dirt does reduce the life of your computer.

[DaForce]

hey, cant argue with that.
If it works it works.

Now where is my leaf blower??!?!?!