Has anyone actually damaged components by cleaning dust with an air compressor?

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llmercll

[H]ard|Gawd
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Feb 17, 2010
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Hi everyone,

I've been wanting to use my new air compressor to clean my PC (instead of buying canned air) but have read a few warnings online. One concern is that water and oil could get on your components. Another is that the compressed air could somehow charge the components and short them.

If i'm not mistaken, a compressor filter would take care of problem one. These are in line pieces that filter debris, oil, and moisture.

As for problem two...well it doesn't make much sense to me, intuitively. If the computer were plugged in and grounded, and charge would be dissipated, no? In addition, there is a tool called a datavac that moves air, wouldn't that be just as dangerous? I realize this is o2 that is being blown, not co2, which is inert.

I'm wondering then if anyone has ever damaged their components using an air compressor, or if anyone has ever heard of this? I'm not convinced that a grounded PC being cleaned with a filtered compressor is dangerous, and a lifetime supply of free "canned air" is tempting.

Thanks!
 
At the shop I worked at years ago, we used an air compressor to clean out the PC's that came in the shop. Had a negative pressure booth we used, so we didn't just recirculate all the dust! We never had a problem.

Water and oil, and particles can be a legitimate concern. An older tank may have some rust flakes on the inside that can come out and be a dangerous projectile. But consider this, most air compressors will pushing volume and air pressure much higher than your cans that are designed for cleaning electronics. Make sure you have a regulator to lower the output pressure.
 
I've used my air compressor to clean my computer for a couple decades.
I don't just use the air straight out of the tank though. I have an inline filter for oil, water and foreign particles, and I don't use more than 40psi@18" or more distance.
In other words, I just use common sense.
 
just make sure you do not use a hose that was used for oiled air tools . loaned out mine once and my brother installed an oilier and used my hoses , next time i used it i ended up coating my motherboard with a thin layer of oil .. it never booted again :eek:
 
Never had problems. I used to use an oil/water filter but not for many years. Take it out on the front step and blast away. I just make sure I don't over spin the fans by blasting in short bursts and/or hold the fan with my finger. I use 60 or so PSI from a distance, or really getting in the fins of heatsinks.
 
Been using my garage/workshop compressor problem free PC cleaning for many years. Lines used in an oiling system is a valid concern. So is moisture which can be filtered out. Far as static electricity goes, touch the air nozzle to a well established ground. You can check for a charge with paper confetti.

Excessive pressure can be an issue. Just use common sense. Don't go hog wild on the chip sets with 120-psi. Have mine regulated down to 15-20 or so.
 
-=SOF=-WID99 said:
just make sure you do not use a hose that was used for oiled air tools . loaned out mine once and my brother installed an oilier and used my hoses , next time i used it i ended up coating my motherboard with a thin layer of oil .. it never booted again :eek:
Click to expand...

This is why I just oil my air tools manually. A drop or two every once in a while and you don't have to worry about all the mess form an in-line oiler.

Also, why is everybody using such low pressure? 40psi I can maybe see being good enough, but 15-20 is not going to be strong enough in most cases.

I usually set it to 70-75 psi and just make sure I am not too close and I hold fans from rotating when blowing them off.

Been doing it like this for 20+ years and haven't had a single problem yet.
 
My father has an air compressor that's at least 35-40 years old and I've used it to clean out PC's before and never had issues. I always check the air stream for contaminants before using it though.

My preferred method to clean PC's is a small canister vac with the hose on exhaust. Works very well. The link above is similar and made by the same people and is likely equally effective. I've never seen that and might grab it.
 
I've used the air compressor at the body shop I work at to clean out pc's. I dial the pressure down to 75-80psi. At about 2 feet away it does the job nicely and I'm careful no to go all Rambo on it.

No issues at all.
 
llmercll said:
One concern is that water and oil could get on your components. Another is that the compressed air could somehow charge the components and short them.

If i'm not mistaken, a compressor filter would take care of problem one. These are in line pieces that filter debris, oil, and moisture.

As for problem two...well it doesn't make much sense to me, intuitively. If the computer were plugged in and grounded,
Click to expand...

You are right about the filter eliminating the issue. Someone also mentioned not re-circulating the 'dirty' air only to be propelled back onto the system by the compressor.

Problem two is I believe caused by air particles brushing on components' surfaces thus facilitating static build-up.
However each component or area of the system will have a different (impedance wise) path to the actual ground.

Another thing to consider- I would imagine directing a compressor at any inductor will 'microphone' in some electricity too via vibrations.

That said, no, I haven't damaged anything beyond an old GPU fan - on my first try :D
 
I have on two occasions before I stopped.

The first was a damaged motherboard, where I ripped off a capacitor.

The second time I ruined a GTX260 because my air separator didn't do its job and I sprayed rusty water into it. I never was able to get it clean enough and it popped.


The best tool I have found to use is an electric leaf blower. It has the perfect power to keep things clean without damaging anything. It also works great for drying your car without scratching the clear coat. :)
 
I have the Metro duster AP514 linked.

Works great. I use it for all my personal, and clients machines.

Just keep the filter in the bottom clean.
 
I've always used an air compressor, but I have a water trap on it. I also use it between 30-40 psi. The other important piece is to use your finger or some other tool like a small screw driver and prevent the fans from spinning. Fans are rated for a certain RPM, and running them at turbo speeds can damage the bearings.
 
Good results. Can clean the heck out of a heatsink. Just watch the fans as others have stated. I usually stick the nozzle so it's physically blocking the fan from spinning.

lower the pressure though in the air compressor. I keep mine at 40 PSI anyways to keep from over filling car tires.
 
llmercll said:
Hi everyone,

I've been wanting to use my new air compressor to clean my PC (instead of buying canned air) but have read a few warnings online. One concern is that water and oil could get on your components. Another is that the compressed air could somehow charge the components and short them.

If i'm not mistaken, a compressor filter would take care of problem one. These are in line pieces that filter debris, oil, and moisture.

As for problem two...well it doesn't make much sense to me, intuitively. If the computer were plugged in and grounded, and charge would be dissipated, no? In addition, there is a tool called a datavac that moves air, wouldn't that be just as dangerous? I realize this is o2 that is being blown, not co2, which is inert.

I'm wondering then if anyone has ever damaged their components using an air compressor, or if anyone has ever heard of this? I'm not convinced that a grounded PC being cleaned with a filtered compressor is dangerous, and a lifetime supply of free "canned air" is tempting.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Yes, an air compressor can damage your PC. I would be less worried about oil and water, and more worried about induction created by spinning fans at high-speed frying your circuits. If your air compressor uses an automatic oiler, then yes, oil will be problematic; however, most consumer air compressors sub-20 gallon capacity require you to add the oil to your tools whenever you use them into the tool itself, which is downstream from your air hoses. Commercial air compressors might have auto-oilers, but those tend to be the massive 200 gallon fixtures in automotive shops. As for moisture - so long as you are draining your air tank after usage and not allowing water to pool and remain in the tank, you can keep the compressed air relatively dry. Furthermore, you can purchase in-line "dryers" that will filter out any remaining moisture, and whatever is left after just draining the tank regularly even without an in-line dryer should be fine on most electronics. If you blow air onto your hand and it feels cool/moist, it wouldn't hurt to give extra dry time to your components, but water alone isn't terribly detrimental to most electronics - it is the rust from leaving water in the tanks after use that could pose a problem.
As for my original point - motors are electromagnets. When you provide power to them, they turn. Conversely, when you turn a fan without power applied to it, you can create an electrical current via a process called induction. There are over-voltage protection circuits built into cards/boards near the power supply of the card, but there are not protections further in the circuit where the fans are, and if you spin a fan very quickly with an air compressor, you have the capability to fry sensitive diodes and transistors that are connected to the fan circuit. I would highly recommend either unplugging any fans you wish to hit with such a powerful air stream as you get from an air compressor, or if that's not an option or if you want a faster solution, then hold the fan still with your fingers or a non-conductive item like a wooden chopstick or similar if you are unable to reach the fan with your fingers to hold it steady. A conductive item like a screwdriver would work too, but you have to be more careful with it so you don't accidentally touch a circuit board and short out something such as a capacitor that could send a voltage spike over those oh-so-sensitive diodes and transistors.
I know this from experience as I am a trained repair electrician, and I have been lazy with my own cleaning in the past and fried an HD 6970 GPU as well as had to troubleshoot a coworker's "cleanup" when he fried a copier Logic Board when I was working as a copier technician. Unplug or immobilize the fan, and don't use a vacuum as some have said as that will create static and also damage those sensitive bits.
Conversely, most cans of "compressed air" such as Dust Off don't generate nearly enough air flow to damage a circuit by over-spinning a fan, but you can never be too cautious, so it wouldn't hurt to follow the above guidelines of unplugging the fan or holding the fan still while dusting it off if you are at all concerned about the welfare of your electronics.
 
I have to SAY the Blower that I listed is still working Great..worth every bit of the price paid for it...As far as the FANS go Just hold the fan with your finger to keep it from Spinning(common sense) and the Fan blades are plastic so no worries on static
 
I always use something to hold the fans from spinning and have never had a single issue with using an air compressor.
 
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