OK for those who don't know Hal is what we call this computer that you guys made me, well Synthesis made him but anyway every month I blow him out as recommended because we are smokers and Synthesis recommends that I blow him out at least once a month and it is that time again. Well I go buy a couple of those caned air things from China Mart and I have to swap back and forth between them because they get so dammed cold you can't hold them after a few min. even then it is not enough and I have to wait for one of them to cool down before I can finish blowing him out.

Now I am not going to use my compressor directly I have a portable air tank, 5 gallons that I can refill and blow Hal out with, but can I do that or do I have to use those air cans you buy? Just asking because it is time again and I am really not in the mood to even go near China Mart on this weekend, hell I bet the entire parking lot is full and the store is a nightmare and I just might go postal in there.

just asking, seriously.

Steve

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Technology is great when it works,
and one big pain in the ass when it doesn't



Detroit iron rules all the rest are just toys.

You want to be careful about getting the hose close, if you get it close enough for a spark jump you will fry your computer.
Condensation is also a worry.

If you bring the PSI down and hold the nozzle far enough away you may have good luck.
I have used a leaf blower on my old computer before and it is still running.

Its like pointing an empty gun at something, make sure you are willing to lose what every your pointing it at because there is no such thing as an empty gun

I wouldn't risk it.

That's how I clean out computers... a compressed air tank (with a water separator) charged to about 60 PSI. Hold the nozzle about a foot back from the computer parts, and you should be fine.

You'll also want to keep the cooling fans from spinning while you're blasting the crud off. Otherwise, you could over-rev the fan and possibly damage it. While this may not have been an issue with canned air, it will be with a compressed air tank.

quote Originally posted by Blacktree: That's how I clean out computers... a compressed air tank (with a water separator) charged to about 60 PSI. Hold the nozzle about a foot back from the computer parts, and you should be fine. You'll also want to keep the cooling fans from spinning while you're blasting the crud off. Otherwise, you could over-rev the fan and possibly damage it. While this may not have been an issue with canned air, it will be with a compressed air tank.

I have a refillable 24 oz 'can' . That's the most power i would want.

and DONT use those commercial 'canned air' things that replace the little cans of Freon. they are not air and can/will damage things.

I don't believe it, not a single smart remark ! Or were those people so dam drunk on the 4th weekend that they blew chucks all over their keyboards and couldn't reply?

Thanks

I do have a couple of half cans left Ultra Duster brand from China Mart and can use them but like I said they get so dammed cold so quick then they lose their power when they get cold and I have to wait for them to cool down, maybe I should wait and head to China Mart at super time when no one is in there? I always wondered about using the air compressor air and if I should use a disposable water filter. But I have the air tank and the filter and even a straw I could dust tape to the spray nozzle and not have to worry about getting it to close. Well thanks for the replies anyway, I will wait for some more and see what others think.

Steve

[This message has been edited by 84fiero123 (edited 07-05-2014).]

quote Originally posted by 84fiero123: I don't believe it, not a single smart remark ! Thanks I do have a couple of half cans left Ultra Duster brand from China Mart and can use them but like I said they get so dammed cold so quick then they lose their power when they get cold and I have to wait for them to cool down, maybe I should wait and head to China Mart at super time when no one is in there? I always wondered about using the air compressor air and if I should use a disposable water filter. But I have the air tank and the filter and even a straw I could dust tape to the spray nozzle and not have to worry about getting it to close. Well thanks for the replies anyway, I will wait for some more and see what others think. Steve

That is the exact sort of stuff i'm talking about . That stuff is not just safe compressed air, its a hydrocarbon based fluid that evaporates as it comes out. I have seen it melt things. It was safe when it was just Freon, but those days are long long gone.

This is the sort of thing i use now.

[This message has been edited by User00013170 (edited 07-05-2014).]

quote Originally posted by User00013170: That is the exact sort of stuff i'm talking about . That stuff is not just safe compressed air, its a hydrocarbon based fluid that evaporates as it comes out. I have seen it melt things. It was safe when it was just Freon, but those days are long long gone.

it says it contains 1,1-difuorothane WTF ever that is?
HFC#152a

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1,1-Difluoroethane

Steve

[This message has been edited by 84fiero123 (edited 07-05-2014).]

quote Originally posted by 84fiero123: it says it contains 1,1-difuorothane WTF ever that is? HFC#152a Steve

Hydrocarbon based solvent.

quote Originally posted by User00013170: Hydrocarbon based solvent.

So you use a refillable can of air that you refill from your air compressor?

Steve

I wouldnt be afraid of using a tank or compressor with it dialed way down to a few pounds. You can also use the other side of a vacuum cleaner if yours does that. I use my shop vac to blow out the floor in the shop all the time. Just run it a few minutes first so you dont blow more dust in than you blow out. I never waste money buying the spray cans of air. I use my compressor air hose to blow out my tvs, DVRs and VCRs too since they get a lot of dust from the shop when I open the door. Ive never had any issues with them after.

[This message has been edited by rogergarrison (edited 07-05-2014).]

quote Originally posted by 84fiero123: So you use a refillable can of air that you refill from your air compressor? Steve

Yes. but i have a filter dryer on my line too.

The pressure is low enough not to cause damage, and its clean due to the above.

quote Originally posted by User00013170: Yes. but i have a filter dryer on my line too. The pressure is low enough not to cause damage, and its clean due to the above.

Just where do you get that?

I have a line filter in my compressor line and can put a disposable filter in before I fill my tank at whatever the pressure should be, what should it be?

By the way I like Rogers idea, that would be dry air I would think?

Steve

quote Originally posted by 84fiero123: Just where do you get that? I have a line filter in my compressor line and can put a disposable filter in before I fill my tank at whatever the pressure should be, what should it be? By the way I like Rogers idea, that would be dry air I would think? Steve

Each bottle has different ratings. And i guess you can dial it down on the actual compressor, but i wouldn't trust it being all that 'accurate' at such low pressure.

I do have one of those electric air compressors to fill like air mattresses and pool toys, I wonder if that would be safer? the entire thing is nothing but plastic. and it doesn't blow all that fast?

Steve

You guys are way more careful than me. I just blow mine out with my compressor. I try not to "rev" up the fans though. Dust makes heat. This is what I have seen a TON of computers. Based on Steve's previous post, he is a smoker. I am guessing likely a heavy one and that he smokes inside. The inside of a smoker's computer will make you barf. I've been doing this for years. Of course, unlike Steve, if I break something, I (like many of you in this thread) have the experience to fix it.

quote Originally posted by ls3mach: The inside of a smoker's computer will make you barf.

Try working on a cash register in a restaurant sometime...

And yes, i am more careful than most. I have seen so much, being in IT for 30+ year,s that i dont want to break things of my own.

As long as you use protection

If dust comes out, go see the doctor.

I do blow mine and blow it hard, the more pressure the better, sometimes a good suck as well, we have a Dyson, man does it suck, not as good as my .... well we will leave that for another story.

Ok now that I made the obligatory dirty response...... I got board reading the replies about being careful, I do use my compressor and I run it up to about 130psi then use what I call a pin point air gun. The tip is about the size of a #2 pencil, and long and slender small enough that it fits inside the grills of the power supply and can blow it out, from the inside out, as well as fit into the crevices in the front panel and clean those out. I do have a water separator, but don't always use it. My tanks are setup so that I don't deal with much moisture, plus I do drain them pretty regularly.

With the pin point air gun, even at 130psi it does not hurt anything, even when blowing under the cpu heat sink and through all the fins of all the heat sinks. Never had an issue directly related to blowing it with a compressor. My current rig like many higher end PC's, has 2 large video cards, a giant all copper CPU heat sink and 6-8 fans in it. (9 hard drives needs lots of cooling)

So go Blow it like you've never been blown before.

P.S. I am also a smoker and my ash tray resides slightly above the front of my tower, which sucks in a great deal of ashes into the PC itself, I have 3 - 120mm intake fans)

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857GT Part 85GT Part 87GT Part Caddy, 93 Eldorado 4.9, 5spd Dual O2 Custom Chip, Custom Exhaust. MSD Everything Now with Nitrous. Capt Fiero --- My Over View Cadero Pics For Sale $4000, Yellow 88GT 5spd Full Poly Suspension, Lowered 1/2" in front, Corner Carver.

quote Originally posted by User00013170: Try working on a cash register in a restaurant sometime... And yes, i am more careful than most. I have seen so much, being in IT for 30+ year,s that i dont want to break things of my own.

BBQ stand where they chopped the meat within a foot of the register. Grocery store.

quote Originally posted by ls3mach: BBQ stand where they chopped the meat within a foot of the register. Grocery store.

Clothing stores were a lot worse than i expected too. For a few years back in the 90s i was the resident register expert where i worked at.. ( well actually resident expert for everything.. i also had *all* the vendor certs so we could do warranty work )

[This message has been edited by User00013170 (edited 07-05-2014).]

To all those people that say a smokers computer will make you puke...... I 1/2 agree. If the smokers computer does not get cleaned out regularly, and is allowed to sit so long that dust and hair build up into a thick tar goo mess that smells like $hit / Puke after a night of heavy mixed drinking, then yes OMG nothing smells worse.

However in my case, my main computer is inside my garage, sitting 4 ft from my air compressor. Roughly once a month it gets a blow job, and once a year it gets a full tear down with new heat sink compound. So I never have to deal with the contemporary smokers type computer gake in your throat mess.

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857GT Part 85GT Part 87GT Part Caddy, 93 Eldorado 4.9, 5spd Dual O2 Custom Chip, Custom Exhaust. MSD Everything Now with Nitrous. Capt Fiero --- My Over View Cadero Pics For Sale $4000, Yellow 88GT 5spd Full Poly Suspension, Lowered 1/2" in front, Corner Carver.

Thanks everyone for all your reply's, I think I will try using my small 110 volt air pump for pool toys first before spending anymore on canned air, it has multiple tips to fill everything from 1" down to a pin type for filling like beach balls, that's the one I will use. It gets the highest pressure without really being anything like my big shop compressor.

Something like this one, well mine looks more like one of those old canister eureka vacuums but I can change it from blow to suck.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/C...64-9b49-a997f08e951d &config_id=2&parent_item_id=5634288&guid=91ebad73-f002-4569-9d66-59f8bc59fa57&bucket_id=irsbucketdefault&findingMethod=p13n

I used it to blow up my old air mattress when I worked construction.

Steve

[This message has been edited by 84fiero123 (edited 07-05-2014).]

Don't look in the computer that sits in an operating room in a hospital. LOTS of dust. Clean dust, but still a lot of it. I've seen OR computers in place less than a month that had the CPU cooling fans blocked with pure white dust(looks like gauze when we clean them out).

As far as cleaning out computers at work we use ESD (Electro-static discharge[one of the things that kills computers]) resistant vacuums. At home I use the air compressor with a precision nozzle set to ~80 PSI with the nozzle 4-6 inches away from the component I'm de-dusting. Anything left in the fins I use a precision flat-head screwdriver to kinda clean out the fins, making sure to discharge an electricity by grounding against the computer case frame before touching anything in the case.

quote Originally posted by Rallaster: Don't look in the computer that sits in an operating room in a hospital. LOTS of dust. Clean dust, but still a lot of it.

Thats not dust, its people

I have always used my compressor with a blow gun to clean all my computers and other electronics, never had any issues. The only canned product I buy is an electronics cleaner lube for pots plugs and switches on stereos and guitar amps etc..

I've been cleaning PCs with a small compressor and 3M "toner" vac for 20+ years.
Use metal blower and use 15-20 PSI Max. Less if you can.

Cleaning w/ a normal vacuum can wreck PC. Normal Vacuum can charge static shock even in wet summer air.

Clean outdoors when using compress air/gas. The crap can be toxic, trigger asthma attacks, etc.
Many "Canned Air" are flammable because contains Butane etc.

When I clean inside then mainly only use 3M vac w/ Toner filter (SV-MPF2) and maybe a toothbrush to loosen the junk. Some other static safe brands are same w/ right filters.

You don't want users calling HR etc because your polluting their air with god knows whatever dust. I don't want to breath that 1-20 times a day. Many PC crashes are from crap blocking air to cool CPU, PSU, etc. because Many machine look like vacuum cleaner after running 2-5 even more years in a business. Even after many business ban smoking indoors.

You often can't clean Smoke damage w/ above. Tobacco smoking and many Factory/shop smokes are very hard to clean because of tars etc.

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Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.
(Jurassic Park)

The Ogre's Fiero Cave (It's also at the top and bottom of every forum page...)

I'm one of those that has been using a regular air compressor for always because of the frozen fingers when using aerosol cans. I have a nozzle with a long metal tube about 8 inches long metal tip , a water separator and a little donut compressor. The trigger on the sprayer is long enough that I can control the volume, even at low psi.

I have had 1 cooling fan go out on me in the past 20 or so years. I wasn't aware of the overspin problem.

quote Originally posted by Jake_Dragon: Thats not dust, its people

I thought people were green, soylent green ?

[This message has been edited by 84fiero123 (edited 07-06-2014).]

quote Originally posted by 84fiero123: I thought people were green, soylent green ?

Only after the dye is added, once the people goo is bleached to be a uniform color.

quote Originally posted by fierofool: I have had 1 cooling fan go out on me in the past 20 or so years. I wasn't aware of the overspin problem.

Never had a fan go out. I had never heard of the over spin problem either. It certainly make sense though and I will stop spinning them for fun actually I was doing it to clean the blade area, but I won't do it again.

quote Originally posted by Red88FF: Never had a fan go out. I had never heard of the over spin problem either. It certainly make sense though and I will stop spinning them for fun actually I was doing it to clean the blade area, but I won't do it again.

I have had countless fans die over the decades. I have replaced them for others more than i can remember ( laptops are always a pain ). 90% of the time a failed power supply i have replaced was actually due to the cooling fan no longer cooling.. so it just burnt up.

I have blown the dust out of my old tower twice, both times after a couple of years accumulation of dust. A LOT of dust, I started blowing as soon as the compressor started so before the air pressure was very high.

quote Originally posted by Red88FF: Never had a fan go out. I had never heard of the over spin problem either. It certainly make sense though and I will stop spinning them for fun actually I was doing it to clean the blade area, but I won't do it again.

Can go bad now or shorten fan life by allot.
Over spin can cause bearing problems. Sleeve bearings are worse but ball bearing can fail from over rev'ing them.

Most PC will under volt fans to reduce noise. To than also extents bearing life.

quote Originally posted by theogre: Can go bad now or shorten fan life by allot. Over spin can cause bearing problems. Sleeve bearings are worse but ball bearing can fail from over rev'ing them. Most PC will under volt fans to reduce noise. To than also extents bearing life.

As said, I understand. I guess I have just been lucky. Hate to think I used up some of my very rare luck on that though