How to clean a PC from smoke damage

[tek9]

Hi all.
A customer called. He's had a fire in his home and his office was only affected by smoke damage; no water or fire. He wants me to clean up his computer and monitor.
Anybody have any tips and tricks what to look for and what to use for the job?
Thanks.

 

[MidwestGuru]

When this happened to me I used denatured alcohol and cotton swabs in the internal parts. And basic window clean externally. You need to clean the internal parts because a layer of smoke can increase heat build up.

 

[tek9]

When this happened to me I used denatured alcohol and cotton swabs in the internal parts. And basic window clean externally. You need to clean the internal parts because a layer of smoke can increase heat build up.

Did you take all the internals out of the case and remove the cpu fan etc. and clean underneath? Or is it not necessary?

 

[PeterH92]

Hi all.
A customer called. He's had a fire in his home and his office was only affected by smoke damage; no water or fire. He wants me to clean up his computer and monitor.
Anybody have any tips and tricks what to look for and what to use for the job?
Thanks.

I have found this on the Internet It tells you how to clean computers with smoke damage.

http://www.ehow.com/how_6145781_clean-computers-smoke-damage.html

 

[Steve202]

Did you take all the internals out of the case and remove the cpu fan etc. and clean underneath? Or is it not necessary?

I'd take everything out and give every component a thorough clean including the case inside and out.

 

[nesrinamb]

just take every part out and use alcohol.

 

[16k_zx81]

you can just stick the Board in a tub of hot water and scrub. You wont break it. The only thing is to leave it for a few days to dry afterwards,

ditch anything with moving components and replace (PSU, fans)

.

 

[Frick]

you can just stick the Board in a tub of hot water and scrub. You wont break it. The only thing is to leave it for a few days to dry afterwards,

ditch anything with moving components and replace (PSU, fans)

.

You won't break it right away... But after time the mineral deposits from the water bath can start to cause issues or shorts.

I would give it a bath/scrub with denatured alcohol, it's the standard solution to use when cleaning circuit boards.

 

[16k_zx81]

You won't break it right away... But after time the mineral deposits from the water bath can start to cause issues or shorts.

I would give it a bath/scrub with denatured alcohol, it's the standard solution to use when cleaning circuit boards.

Never had an issue here. Evidence to support claim?

 

[nlinecomputers]

Never had an issue here. Evidence to support claim?

You must have extraordinary good clean pure water. Most tap water is NOT safe for doing such. Pure water is an insulator. But water is rarely that pure which is why you can be electrocuted in it. It is the minerals suspended in it.

I'd only use distilled water in such a situation. But frankly alcohol is better because it evaporates faster.

 

[Frick]

Never had an issue here. Evidence to support claim?

I don't have the want to look up scientific result sources, but it's similar as to why you should only use distilled water in a clothes iron.

Many liquids, including non-distilled water, can leave behind dissolved salts when they dry or evaporate. These salts crystallize onto the board and can cause short circuits when the board is eventually powered. The salts continue to attract moisture which can cause further corrosion and failure.

 

[DocGreen]

I agree with not using tap water... while it may work just fine for 16k_zx81, other people will likely not have the same results because of the differences in water sources. And just on a side note... say you did clean a motherboard with tap water and a year later it died. Would anyone stop to think "hey, do you think maybe this is because I took it to that one computer shop and they drove it through a car wash?"

...doubtful.

It's just like not using a wrist strap while working... just because it worked fine after you built the computer on your shag-carpet floor with the help of your 15 cats doesn't mean you haven't significantly shortened the lifespan of the IC's.

Sometimes the damage caused by carelessness isn't always apparent. And don't think I'm singling out 16k_zx81 here, I make mistakes like this all the time without thinking.