Compressed Air Cans

[hennessy1]

I've grown tired of purchasing 100's of dollars worth of canned air. I was wondering if there were any good suggestions out there for an air compressor that I could possibily buy at my local lowes or home depot. I was told before that it's not good to use these on computer and electronic parts because of the water that is in the air when it comes out. How true is that and what should I be looking for?

 

[gsaldivar]

I don't think the water is a huge problem, the compressor makes visible only a tiny amount of condensation from the water that is already present in normal room air. I would just get a cheapie compressor with a small tank and see if that works for you.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=93796
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=95275
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=90168

Good luck!

 

[imagoon]

I just put a water separator on mine.

http://i.ehow.com/images/GlobalPhoto/Articles/5051974/210822_Full.jpg

 

[gsaldivar]

I just put a water separator on mine.

http://i.ehow.com/images/GlobalPhoto/Articles/5051974/210822_Full.jpg

Nice!

 

[hennessy1]

That water seperator works good and it will work with any compressor? Is there a specific type I should look closer at. I see the oilless one might be better no refilling correct? Do they come with everything I would need?

 

[ecom]

Those cans you buy are not just air inside. They have some propellant and some kind of (supposedly) inert gas. I say supposedly because I once was fooling around trying to put someone's lighter out and instead threw a 50cm flame.

 

[lxskllr]

Plain air rushing over computer parts can build up a static charge. In practice, I doubt it's anything to worry about, but I don't know.

 

[Fayd]

Plain air rushing over computer parts can build up a static charge. In practice, I doubt it's anything to worry about, but I don't know.

i wouldnt use it for sensitive components, but when i blew out the case and power supply recently, (after i had pulled the mobo and most components) i just used the compressor and a hose. worked far better than the damn anemic can.

 

[lozina]

I just use my dad's contractor air compressor.

I just gotta remember to throttle the PSI down cause I once bent a few capacitors with it. Otherwise no problems. Oh and definitely clamp down the fans with your fingers before you hit them too....

 

[tcsenter]

Been using a vacuum cleaner and a medium nylon paint brush for years now. Never a problem. It actually pulls dust out of the nooks and crannies rather than forcing dust into them.

 

[imagoon]

That water seperator works good and it will work with any compressor? Is there a specific type I should look closer at. I see the oilless one might be better no refilling correct? Do they come with everything I would need?

Use oil less. You just need to empty the unit every so often. The valve is on the bottom.

 

[corkyg]

Those cans you buy are not just air inside. They have some propellant and some kind of (supposedly) inert gas. I say supposedly because I once was fooling around trying to put someone's lighter out and instead threw a 50cm flame.

Actually, canned air dusters do not contain air at all. It is a compressed hydroflourocarbon. Today, most have a bitterant added to preclude inhaling abuse by nitwits.

 

[0roo0roo]

how dusty is it?
i go through a can in like a year

 

[aigomorla]

i was told by a friend u shouldnt use an air compressor and should use an air can.

I personally always use a can, and yes i know the pain of having to go though a lot of them.

 

[pcgeek11]

I've grown tired of purchasing 100's of dollars worth of canned air. I was wondering if there were any good suggestions out there for an air compressor that I could possibily buy at my local lowes or home depot. I was told before that it's not good to use these on computer and electronic parts because of the water that is in the air when it comes out. How true is that and what should I be looking for?

You can use a compressor safely as long as some precautions are followed:

Lower air pressure so you do not damage components.
Use a water seperator and an air dryer the seperator is not 100%.
Use an ESD Nozzle to prevent the static buildup.

So the expense would be even greater using compressor properly.

pcgeek11

 

[yh125d]

An air compressor staying at say, 75 psi is nowhere near enough to drop any appreciable amount of water out of normal air, unless you're at 75% humidity and the compressor is chilled

 

[Red Squirrel]

This is how I roll:

I regret not getting a bigger compressor though, it runs quite often, I can shoot air for maybe 10 secs before it has to run again. The shop vac is used mostly to catch air borne dust, I don't actually vacuum inside the PC with it.

I can use the compressor for a good 30 minutes before I start feeling the gun getting a bit wet, at that point it's shooting a VERY fine mist so I stop and make sure to wait before plugging the PC back in. This mist is so small it probably evaporates within minutes.

Next time I'm at the hardware store and think about it I want to look for a filter, not sure how well they work though.

I did not know about staying below 75 PSI though, that's good to know. I tend to go all the way up to 135, which is it's max.

The thing with air cans is depending on the angle you hold it, it shoots ice. Sometimes you need to go in a weird angle to get in certain corners.

 

[Red Squirrel]

You can use a compressor safely as long as some precautions are followed:

Lower air pressure so you do not damage components.
Use a water seperator and an air dryer the seperator is not 100%.
Use an ESD Nozzle to prevent the static buildup.

So the expense would be even greater using compressor properly.

pcgeek11

That's good to know, I had no idea about static discharge, guess it makes sense, sorta the same principle as lighting strikes.

The thing is too, don't shove the nozzle right at the components when it's maxed out. I tend to send out bursts of air from about 3 feet away and it makes a huge puff of smoke which the vacuum picks up. I work my way in while lowering the PSI.

 

[corkyg]

The thing with air cans is depending on the angle you hold it, it shoots ice. Sometimes you need to go in a weird angle to get in certain corners.

There is a specific warning printed on the cans I use: "... DO NOT tilt, shake, or turn can upside down before or during use as liquid contents may be dispensed. ... Contains diflouroethane CAS #75-37-6."

I never use the can duster inside the computer but I use a special, non-static set of tools designed specifically to attach to a vacuum system. There are adjusters to lessen the PSI if necessary.

http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/Corky-G/vactools.jpg

http://www.amazon.com/Vacuum-Micro-Attachments-8-Piece-Kit/dp/B000BSJCLY

 

[garritynet]

Been using a vacuum cleaner and a medium nylon paint brush for years now. Never a problem. It actually pulls dust out of the nooks and crannies rather than forcing dust into them.

I use a vac with with the plastic brush attached. I just wipe it all down with an anti-static dryer sheet from time to time. I'm pretty sure its a waste of time and a dryer sheet, plus I can clean an old computer in less than a minute this way, but it has worked well for me so far.

 

[lozina]

if you are really worried about moisture in compressed air well obviously you dont want to do it while the computer is actually on - and just let it sit for an hour or so after cleaning it.

 

[RebateMonger]

Hi-Rel electronic manufacturers (like those who build transceivers for satellites) add ionizers to the tips of their air nozzles to prevent electrostatic discharge problems with the high speed air. But most of us seem to get away with it.

I'd probably PREFER a bit of moisture in my compressed air over super-dry air. We usually blow off things BEFORE working on them, so there's normally time for an occasional drop of water to evaporate.

 

[Rubycon]

Hi-Rel electronic manufacturers (like those who build transceivers for satellites) add ionizers to the tips of their air nozzles to prevent electrostatic discharge problems with the high speed air. But most of us seem to get away with it.

I'd probably PREFER a bit of moisture in my compressed air over super-dry air. We usually blow off things BEFORE working on them, so there's normally time for an occasional drop of water to evaporate.

We have those and some are pretty "hot" charged up with polonium to provide ion streams.

A nitrogen bottle works too just make sure you keep the regulator output well under 100 psi. I watched videos of fans being shot with nitrogen over 800 psi and they whined like dental drills then exploded sending their blades out like shrapnel from a claymore embedding themselves into wood over a quarter inch! That would leave a mark.

Compressors and blowers work fine. Cans are OK for little jobs. Too many people turn them too far over squirting liquid out which damages plastic parts. That same principle can be used to test thermally defective parts by chilling them rapidly with the power on, etc.

 

[VirtualLarry]

We have those and some are pretty "hot" charged up with polonium to provide ion streams.

Tasty stuff, isn't it.

 

[Rubycon]

Tasty stuff, isn't it.

You're not going to taste the effects of radioactive decay. MANY years ago it was believed that a small amount of polonium on the electrode of a spark plug increased the spark reliability making the plug fire under all sorts of conditions. I guess you could like a spark plug but I would not consider that anywhere near tasty.

That water seperator works good and it will work with any compressor? Is there a specific type I should look closer at. I see the oilless one might be better no refilling correct? Do they come with everything I would need?

Not really. They need a steady stream of air (think air tools or spray gun/sand blaster). They use tangential injection to literally "wring" the moisture out of the incoming air stream with centrifugal force. In the absence of steady/strong streams their effectiveness declines and output air dewpoint value differs little from the input!

A dessicator drier using silica gel is what you want. Whether 1 cubic foot per hour or 10 cubic feet per minute - air will be much drier - up to minus 20 degrees centigrade dewpoints in a 25 deg C dewpoint ambient! Of course the performance declines as the dessicant saturates. They have cobalt chloride crystals as indicators which will be blue when dry and pink when saturated. This media can be replaced or recharged in the household microwave. CAUTION!!! The beads will get VERY hot during this process and can release harmful material IF the air compressor was used in areas with poor/contaminated air, etc. This is why it's not practical