Cleaning out dust from computers: Canned air vs compressor

[tankman1989]

Last summer I was working for a PC support business and we cleaned out a companies computers with two small compressors. These computers had TONS of dust, dirt, hair and skin (yes A LOT of what is in the computers is dead skin cells). The compressors are much faster than canned air and I couldn't imagine spending $5/can for that stuff (criminal) and having to blow our 40+ computers. If you didn't get a bulk discount that would be about $600 for the canned air!

I looked for threads on this an found only a little discussion on it. Some people are afraid of ESD (electro static discharge) and moisture. I think the ESD could be remedied with an antistatic hose. AS for the moisture, I didn't see it as a problem. I did the blowing out in mid July when it was extremely humid yet I did not see any moisture coming out of the nozzle after 8+ hours of continuous use (outside).

I would say that the compressor would be the most efficient for all cases, especially in your shop/home use. you can buy an inexpensive, portable compressor for $40-100 at HF or other hardware stores. If you have a larger, non-portable compressor at home, you might want to invest in a small tank which can be filled prior to leaving for a job. I have used a tank roughly the size of a small 5-10lb propane tank (I think it was actually intended for helium) and it is plenty of air for a number of computers, probably as much air as 20-30 "cans of air".

Thoughts?

 

[tasaholic]

This is not a good idea unless you use an inline filter that will remove BOTH moisture and oil from the air, (similar to Diving Filters) , as any compressor produces air laden with moisture and traces of lubricant.The contaminants are not normally visible,but try running the air through a basic filter such as a wad of tissue paper and look at the results. Using unfiltered air will introduce both contaminants to areas of circuitry that cannot be then de-contaminated...resulting in some very unfortunate results!

 

[mraikes]

For all the reasons you mention above, I use two smallish compressors (a 2 gallon and an 8 gallon).

Initially I was somewhat concerned about moisture, oils, static, etc. But convenience and value won out. It's been over a year now since going "all compressor" and I've yet to have a problem.

Perhaps humidity might make a difference - here in the New Mexico desert we don't have much of that. Even "rainy" days here are lower humidity than a typical August day in Iowa.

 

[tankman1989]

For all the reasons you mention above, I use two smallish compressors (a 2 gallon and an 8 gallon).

Initially I was somewhat concerned about moisture, oils, static, etc. But convenience and value won out. It's been over a year now since going "all compressor" and I've yet to have a problem.

Perhaps humidity might make a difference - here in the New Mexico desert we don't have much of that. Even "rainy" days here are lower humidity than a typical August day in Iowa.

I have to agree on this. If you knew the minute quantities of oil an moisture that came out vs the quantity of dust, dirt, hair and cells which are there to absorb the moisture and "oil" i don't think the oil and water will make a bit of difference. I am not blowing continuously on the same chip or transistor for more than 1/2 a second. The air is basically used as a once over to get the volume of debris out and then go over all the surfaces again to get any residual.

While I thank people for being concerned about the potential moisture and oil, I feel it is a little like being a hypochondriac. Now if the computers were sitting in very cold temps (outside in winter or a very cold basement) and you take them into a warmer, room temperature house, there is bound to be 10-20x the condensation on the boards than 20-30 seconds of spraying compressed air into moisture absorbing dust/lint/hair/cell/debris. Wouldn't you say?

What is your protocol when moving a computer from a cold car into a warm shop? wait 8-10 hours or do you plug it in? I'm guessing that you don't have the time to wait 8-10 hours in the winter.

So, how can you say one is rational and the other not?

 

[studiot]

Actually, Tas, I think the oil and water bogey is a myth.

If you go on to any concrete construction site you will see them 'blowing out' the steelwork prior to concreting.

They blow out with standard (but large) compressors. If there was any oil in the stream it would deposit on the steel and prevent the concrete gripping the bars. You would be suprised how fanatical they are about cleaning oil off the bars - they actually do it with compressed air.

Further, they dry the bars in wet weather with the compressed air stream.

Compressed air is safe for circuitry, but you need some operator safety precautions, along with a method of preventing the fans spinning and destroying their bearings or generating excessive back emf.

 

[NickCat11]

+1 for a small compressor. Canned air is ok for minor dust but for anything more the compressor gets the job

 

[axslingr]

Just get a mini-vac that reverses as a blower. Moisture problem solved.

 

[mraikes]

I've done this as well. Just reversed the hose on my shop vac and used it as a blower. It doesn't work quite as well as the compressor, but good enough when necessary.

However, I worry more about static buildup using the shop vac than I do using the compressor. I don't know if that's valid or not, but for some reason I feel like it's more of a possibility with the vacuum.

 

[jackz]

Factories etc dry the compressed air before use.

 

[Iconic]

I use an air compressor to which I have rigged up an air filter at the intakes to prevent any contaminants from getting in. I suggest compressed air to customers and warn them away from air compressors that have too high of a PSI, some of those big ones can really pack some force behind them.

As a side note I listen to Podnutz Podcast and they have mentioned several times the use of a leaf blower as an alternative. Something else to consider.

 

[usacvlr]

Maybe there's a problem in more humid areas but here in the central valley of california you could use a compressor all day long and not have a single problem. You're more likely to damage a fan or heatsink fins with a compressor than any other problem. The static thing is not an issue but as I said the moisture could be if you don't drain your tank regularly.

Last summer I was working for a PC support business and we cleaned out a companies computers with two small compressors. These computers had TONS of dust, dirt, hair and skin (yes A LOT of what is in the computers is dead skin cells). The compressors are much faster than canned air and I couldn't imagine spending $5/can for that stuff (criminal) and having to blow our 40+ computers. If you didn't get a bulk discount that would be about $600 for the canned air!

I looked for threads on this an found only a little discussion on it. Some people are afraid of ESD (electro static discharge) and moisture. I think the ESD could be remedied with an antistatic hose. AS for the moisture, I didn't see it as a problem. I did the blowing out in mid July when it was extremely humid yet I did not see any moisture coming out of the nozzle after 8+ hours of continuous use (outside).

I would say that the compressor would be the most efficient for all cases, especially in your shop/home use. you can buy an inexpensive, portable compressor for $40-100 at HF or other hardware stores. If you have a larger, non-portable compressor at home, you might want to invest in a small tank which can be filled prior to leaving for a job. I have used a tank roughly the size of a small 5-10lb propane tank (I think it was actually intended for helium) and it is plenty of air for a number of computers, probably as much air as 20-30 "cans of air".

Thoughts?

 

[PDXMicro]

+1 Compressor

I'm almost as far north as you can get (in the states anyway) and I have been using a $99 twin-tank compressor for some time now. I have never had a problem related to moisture or contaminants. I have, however, had an issue with blowing out a rear exhaust fan. Come to find out, fan's don't like to spin at speeds they are not meant to.

Thing to note when using either compressed air and especially a compressor: When blowing out any fans, ensure that you are NOT letting the fan's spin. You will either burn out or break the bearings inside... Learn from my mistake

 

[coolnezz]

air compressor.
i've been using it for a couple of years now to clean my computers
and laptop. i was concerned about the moisture at first so i do the
cleaning outside and figured it should evaporate quickly. no problems
so far. canned air can get expensive and not that strong to really get the
dirt and dust out especially inside the psu and in between the cpu fan and heatsink.

 

[TheTechWizards]

I just use this 3M Vacuum Cleaner, it's very Powerful and has a static strap for safety
h t t p://www.cdw.com/shop/products/default.aspx?edc=09222&enkwrd=ALLPROD%3a3m+vacuum

 

[Wheelie]

I use a very clean 6 HP Craftsman shop-vac which blows thru a 2" needle tip to increase the velocity while still achieving a lot of volume. Seen some wicked-nasty sheet coming out of a few PC's in my day. Gotta make sure which way the wind is blowing before you start! PC's do not enter the shop unless they've been cleaned 1st.

Never even once considered using a 12 ounce can of dust-off.

 

[Tom from Cleveland]

Actually, Tas, I think the oil and water bogey is a myth.

If you go on to any concrete construction site you will see them 'blowing out' the steelwork prior to concreting.

They blow out with standard (but large) compressors. If there was any oil in the stream it would deposit on the steel and prevent the concrete gripping the bars. You would be suprised how fanatical they are about cleaning oil off the bars - they actually do it with compressed air.

Further, they dry the bars in wet weather with the compressed air stream.

Compressed air is safe for circuitry, but you need some operator safety precautions, along with a method of preventing the fans spinning and destroying their bearings or generating excessive back emf.

I think it depends on environmental conditions. Years ago, I was a research intern in a foundry lab during the summer. One of my first projects was ruined because of oil and water getting into a test setup from the compressed air. Maintenance had to change the compressor filters. After that, I always ran about 15 seconds of air before applying it to setup. If it sits unused for a long time, you need to bleed that water vapor out of the line.

 

[TLE]

I've just bought a Convac 3000-P which I think I will serve it's purpose very well. I managed to bag a brand new one for £60 including postage on EBay. It's portable as well, so I can easily take it with me on site to customers.

http://www.convac.co.uk/

I tend to use a vac for the majority of jobs, but I do use compressed air canisters for those hard to reach areas. An air compressor just isn't an option for me. I couldn't do with the dust generated.

 

[MobileTechie]

I know the oil thing isn't a complete myth because when you fill scuba tanks you have to take pains to prevent this. But whether that level of contamination does anything to circuits rather than the human lung under 20m of water is another matter.

BTW the skin cell thing is somewhat of a myth. Tests of household dust show that most of it is just dirt from the outside rather than dead human skin.

 

[studiot]

I know the oil thing isn't a complete myth because when you fill scuba tanks you have to take pains to prevent this. But whether that level of contamination does anything to circuits rather than the human lung under 20m of water is another matter.

BTW the skin cell thing is somewhat of a myth. Tests of household dust show that most of it is just dirt from the outside rather than dead human skin.

Yeah agree with both
and also those who said you have to blow out the traps and filters if you run your compressor intake on a dirty old site or from the squaddies shithouse.

However if you were an auto mechanic you would be used to spraying electric/electronic circuits with WD40 - which is an oil.
There are also oil submerged motherboards about for cooling purposes.

Remember Mama said

Oil is good Fat is bad.