Can dust kill components, anything of this sort happened to you?

[Gomce]

Due to a case mod, well...not mod more like butchering the case so I can use Zalman's cooler (I had WBK 68 but while touching the fan while it was working I killed it so I must use the spare Zalman)
I've placed the PSU in the lower front part of the case so now I must leave the case open,
The case is placed in the corner of my room, not much moving around it but when I touch the fan or the CPU's heatsink there is dust on it...very much dust.
Can the dust kill components ?
Dont tell me please theoretical chances because I know there is possibility of short-circuiting, I am interested in examples that've happened to you,

Thanx

 

[kd7fhd]

The only damage I know of that can be caused by dust is overheating - acts like insulation on electrical components and keeps the heat in.

 

[ChrisOh]

dust can kill... yes... open your 30 year old case, suck in the dust, choke and die... bad stuff man, gotta clean the dust often.

 

[Priit]

I have seen some PSU's dying because they were full of dust and overheated...

 

[Atlantean]

Yep dust can kill if you get too much of it in your case. This happened to my parents computer because they left the computer for 3 years (their case was closed however) without getting the dust cleaned out. The man that came to clean it said that if they had left the computer for another week the processor would have had a meltdown or something because there was so much dust in the cpu fan. Just make sure that you clean the thing out with a can of air or something every 4 months and you should be fine. Maybe more often than that if there is as much dust as you say there is.

 

[Lalakai]

beyond overheating, it will restrict air flow, slow down fans, cause errors in floppy/cd/dvd drives. Most people will use compressed air to clean off the dust, but that just puts it back into suspension and you'll deal with the same dust in 2 weeks. Try a small vacum cleaner designed for keyboards and circuitry, or use a shopvac and have the intake hose close to the area you're cleaning so that when you blow the dust away, some/majority of the dust will be picked up in the shopvac.

if you're certain you have adequate fan power, check your case and try to filter the areas where air enters. Your power supply fan should be venting outside. If you have to leave the case open, is there anyway you could use a couple layers of cheese cloth to cover the exposed areas??? (Yeah it sounds dumb, but when working with large areas that have to be filtered, 2 layers of cheese cloth have worked wonders; a friend tried it and also used a light application of a dust spray on the outside of the cheese cloth - gotta be careful in that situation though.)

 

[pr0d2]

he he I used to do on-site service, and you would not believe some of the computers I came across, one person for instant must have smoked a pack of cigarettes while I was there anyways opened the computer and you could basically scrape 1/8" of sticky smoke smelling dust off everything contained inside the case, it was quite disturbing... the fans were spinning slow and were also covered in the nasty stuff...

anyways, like Lalakai said, suck it out don?t just blow it out, put nylons on all the air intakes or buy some nice fan filters or both, and do like I do, run a air filter in you're room

 

[Paulson]

Tell you what you do to fix any dust problems w/computers.

Get an older shop vac that has an exhaust connection on it for the hose. Turn the vac on, let it blow for a little bit (so there's no rocks or anything that could possibly damage the comp) then start blowing away at the inside of the computer... (probably would be best if you did this outside...)

I do this to both of my computers about every 3 months. Works like a charm, and hopefully will make it so I have to never worry about dust killing my components...

Just a good tip coming from a kid who wasted his youth away on computers

 

[Zebo]

<< Tell you what you do to fix any dust problems w/computers.

Get an older shop vac that has an exhaust connection on it for the hose. Turn the vac on, let it blow for a little bit (so there's no rocks or anything that could possibly damage the comp) then start blowing away at the inside of the computer... (probably would be best if you did this outside...)

I do this to both of my computers about every 3 months. Works like a charm, and hopefully will make it so I have to never worry about dust killing my components...

Just a good tip coming from a kid who wasted his youth away on computers >>



great idea and much cheaper than the $5 a can crap. I see a leaf blower in my future.

 

[mikable]

I get the nose and mouth dust/alergy masks and tape them over the fan intakes! the outward curved surface provides additional surface area to minimize the reduction in air flow. Since they are hepa filters, I get virtuly no dust! trick is to make sure you have a positive air flow into the case from the fans, (more air in then out) that way dust dosen't sneak in other areas like floppy drives and seams. Two case fans blowing in with the p/s blowing out works for me.

 

[billyjak]

I use a portable air compressor to clean mine

 

[JohnnyPC]

Keep in mind that it has to be some pretty thick dust layer to cause any harm...I mean thick thick thick. Don't get to paranoid about keeping your PC insides beloved patriot and span...just be reasonable about it and unless the place you live in is a total joint, you have nothing to worry about...

 

[Gomce]

I will just span some old T-shirt over the side that doesnt have cover panel

 

[mikable]

Dust, the silent killer. It steals away CPU cycles, ending it's life months before it's time. It cramps fans, covers memory chip, insulates the chipset, stifles harddrives, and chokes video cards. How many computers have died do to this disease? We may never know, but the numbers may be increadable. Every day Dust floats around looking for a victim, and once attacked, the victim becomes a magnet for other dust particles. Soon, if left unchecked, the entire computer is surrounded within a shroud of death. The victim, unable to dissapate heat burns up, unable to breath, unable to move, alone....

Be afraid, Very Afraid!


ok, so I need some sleep Dust removal is a important part of any preventive maintainince program, whichever you use: filters, or vacums, cans of air, or old T-shirts it's important.

 

[Jen]

dust kills everything in time............reminds me i just looked at my case...........oops time for cleaning



Jen

 

[Degenerate]

Killed my Vid fan.... BUt then it worked like a rusted mortor.. then all id good after running it for a while. Of course, i cleaned it.

 

[JohnnyPC]

Boy...you guys must have some killer dust where you live! :Q Is this maybe more of a cleanliness obsession rather than one rooted in actual problems caused by killer dust? How much dust are we talking here? I mean at which point would dust buildup contribute to a hardware failure in your opinion...sixteenth of an inch...eighth of an inch....quarter inch? Or does even a light "dusting" of dust cause your heart rate to double? Please explain...

 

[NOX]

<< Boy...you guys must have some killer dust where you live! :Q Is this maybe more of a cleanliness obsession rather than one rooted in actual problems caused by killer dust? How much dust are we talking here? I mean at which point would dust buildup contribute to a hardware failure in your opinion...sixteenth of an inch...eighth of an inch....quarter inch? Or does even a light "dusting" of dust cause your heart rate to double? Please explain... >>



LOL... I was thinking the same thing. I will usually clean the inside of my case once every two months (some dust) but mainly to make sure everything is ok in there.

I have noticed in the past that people who have carpeting in the area their computer is located is more likely to have greater dust build up. More so in offices where the whole area is carpeted. Co-workers walking all day long past your computer will surely affect dust build up. I've seen some old & newer computers where the dust is practically caked onto the power supply fan, rendering it virtually useless.

In my SOHO I have no carpeting at all. Only in the other parts of the house, but not in my HO area. That is not to suggest I don't have minor dust build up, but It usually takes about 6 months before I start to see minor build up around fans, CPU, vid card, case fans etc... Also some small stuff on the bottom of my case which I take care of with my shop-vac.

 

[Jerboy]

<< Tell you what you do to fix any dust problems w/computers.

Get an older shop vac that has an exhaust connection on it for the hose. Turn the vac on, let it blow for a little bit (so there's no rocks or anything that could possibly damage the comp) then start blowing away at the inside of the computer... (probably would be best if you did this outside...)

I do this to both of my computers about every 3 months. Works like a charm, and hopefully will make it so I have to never worry about dust killing my components...

Just a good tip coming from a kid who wasted his youth away on computers >>




Thats my way. I use electric yard blower.

 

[Gomce]

yes, I have carpent in my room, oh, and I am not cleaning obsessed... I just have squizzed every penny I have to buy this hardware.... (average sallary here is 200$ / monthly) so now I am running a open case and I dont want dust to cover my GF3 that costs 3 month sallary and kill it<Doktor> ok mali ... ne seri