PSA: Clean Dust from Filters, Fans, and Radiators
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Posts: 975
Short Version: My computer has been acting up recently with freezes and crashes and malfunctioning equipment ... turns out my power supply was overheating because the cooling fan was covered with dust (actually all my fan filters were covered with dust). Now it is working well again.
Long Version: The first sign of trouble was my computer just completely shutting down when the denoiser function came on. Research on the internet suggested that the drain from large graphics cards could show a failing power supply. Just recently, I was trying to do an animated scene which first simulated an Arki dforce outfit (meaning layers to contend with) and then rendering in Iray. After some time, the mouse, keyboard, and all the USB outlets stopped working. The only thing I could do on the computer was a forced shut down which meant I lost hours of simulation time. Again, research showed that a power supply issue was the most likely culprit ... but now it specifically suggested overheating. Yes, the pieces of the puzzle made sense ... slowly getting hot and then shutting down when a sudden drain came on or powering down certain devices during long ongoing processes. That is when I looked inside my unit - - - nicely, hardly any dust was inside ... but the fan filters were blocked with dust --- and when I turned the unit up to get to the power supply fan it was about 10 times worse than the other filters (it does sit close to the floor). At the moment, I am happily sitting here with 1200 frames of deforced clothing ready to render and everything seems to be running smoothly again.
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Comments
you should monitor your temperatures with GPU-Z
if they are getting higher it is usually dust and a blow of air needed from a small compressor or a can of air
If you are a smoker, fans and filters can get so nasty. I used to have to clean my fans with qtips, and wash my mesh filters(take them out and wash with soap and water) like every 2-3 months. Since I switched to vaping, it is so much better. I really only need to vacume out dust from fans and filters once in a while, it don't get all gummed on and sticking now.
Yes, monitor your systems with something. There are numerous apps for that. One of those apps would have helped you notice that temps were going up, and that was perhaps time to dust.
And super yes, smoking is terrible for electronics, and well, everything, really. The tar from smoke makes everything sticky, and that will absolutely make things run hotter. This effects every single device you own. Your PC, your monitor, TVs, modems, EVERYTHING. It can clog your fans, as well as vents for passive cooling. And it will even stick to the components on the different boards, places that dust might not even normally go, so these run hotter, too.
I need a new battery. Not sure why but even plugged in I crash.
Wow, interesting! I have no idea where my fan is and how to clean it. I do have an air purifier a few feet away from the computer that I just turned on after reading this. Can that suck dust out of the computer? I have a very furry and sheddy cat and I smoke non-tobacco substances (that are legal here in California) as well. Is it only tobacco smoke that is harmful to computers or all smoke including marijuana and incense? Vaping has proven to be more dangerous than smoking...
Vaping releases oily substances that can cause dust to become more stubbornly attached to surfaces.
If you vape, don't do it near your computer. They make wipes for "Vaper's Windshield"* so if there is gunk on the fan blades maybe wiping them down with that might help... but alcohol wipes are probably just as good... I'm not sure how to remove that substance from lungs though... I looked up "Lung Wipes" but nobody makes those yet.
Some incense types do have oily substances in them too... As well as those plug-in type liquid air fresheners.
Also, for anyone living in a small apartment, don't fry or cook fatty foods while the computer is running... I've seen some pretty nasty things in old computers and you don't want your fans looking like the kitchen exhaust fans in some back alley greasy spoon dive.
*Spellcheck insists its "Vader's Windshield"... I never realized Darth Vader drove to work.
If you have a desktop you need to take off the left side panel. Looking inside you should see several fans. Make sure noneare clogged with dust/cat hair. Do not use a vaccuum cleaner. Either use a duster and be very gentle or get a can of compressed air and blow the dust out.
Yes, pretty much everything people smoke releases oil that deposits on surfaces and holds onto dust.
They make special air guns called datavacs that have a sole purpose to clean out computers and other electronics. I forget how much I spent on mine, but I think it was somewhere around $50 on Amazon. I'd avoid compressed air because it is easy to end up actually getting things wet with them if you aren't super careful and use it at just the right angle (which is really easy to do). I'd also avoid physical contact with a duster because you could end up leaving things you don't want behind, or moving things you don't want to move.
If you have never worked inside a computer before, it can feel quite daunting. Nicely, the fans and filters are usually on the outside edge of the machine away from sensitive electronics ... so that helps. However, if you venture in, ALWAYS:
1) turn off and unplug the equipment before working on it
2) if you do not have an official anti-static mat or bracelet, touch a piece of metal to make sure you do not have a static buildup before reaching into the computer.
By the way, I have found an old toothbrush works quite well for geting dust out of screens with small holes.
One thing I've read/heard with cleaning fans, is that before you go blowing a lot of air into them, use a chopstick/pencil/some non-metal stick held gently between the blades to prevent the fan from spinning off like a nut. If it spins the wrong way, it can damage the fan. Not sure how much truth there is to it, but I can't imagine it's anything but a good idea.
I do have compressed air cans (and chopsticks) but unfortunately I recently moved and everything is still in a zillion boxes. But thanks, this is something I definitely have to look into as soon as I'm unpacked! I was thinking all my problems had to do with the recent updates of DS, maybe not...
Anything that burns leaves a residue on surfaces we used to use those wax melts for making the house smell good. Until we found out they emit toxic crap now we use essential oils. All things that burn or release gases into the air can leave behind residues. Even the internal systems in our bodies.
Another thing to try for fan blade cleaning...
This is more for those who live in humid areas, or have pollutants that may make dust a little more stubborn... get a long handled artist's paintbrush, something soft, around a quarter of an inch wide with bristles about a half inch to three quarters long... most cheap acrylic or watercolor brushes will suffice.
With the brush, gently wipe off the leading edges of the blades where dust is a little harder to blow away.
Keep in mind not to do anything that will build up static... like brushing like a lunatic or wearing your portable Van de Graaff generator, which can possibly damage your computer and probably cause you to have a bad hair day.
A desktop computer sitting on the floor is basically a stationary vacuum cleaner...
DO NOT BREATHE THE DUST! Take your computer outside, face downwind, hold your breath or wear a good fitting dust filter mask and thoroughly blow the crap out of your machine. Don't get it in your eyes either. Germ city!
If you're a smoker, have plenty of Q-Tips (cotton swabs on stick) and alcohol handy to mop up the slimy sticky black goo that didn't make it into your lungs. Wipe both front and back sides of your fan blades (yeah, it's a bitch, but just do it). Fans can be found mounted on the back panel, attached to the CPU, mounted on the graphics board, and on the power supply. They all need to be cleaned. Also, if you've allowed black sticky, slimy, goo to accumulate in your machine it is everywhere. Carefully wipe down surfaces of memory modules, accessory cards, various heatsink radiators on the motherboard, etc. with Q-Tips & alcohol, but be careful about snagging cotton fibers on the circuit boards. Note: I do not recommend removing circuit cards from their sockets because in a filthy machine you're likely to smear black goo on the connectors or in the sockets and make things worse.
I have horror stories and photographs of fuzzy slimy sticky black goo creatures that inhabited the insides of the computers of some of my smoking customers. I had one customer machine so bad that the fan over the CPU wouldn't turn anymore. I tried giving it a nudge while it was turned on and it broke the fan axle, the fan then spun up to speed, flew straight upward, skittered across the ceiling and landed at the other end of the living room. You may not care about your lungs but smoke is bad for computers.
+1
_have one of these Metro DataVac Electric Duster _ bought at Staples $68 USD several years ago _Super Powerful _ look at this videos
All forms of smoke can be bad. They all have substances that can be sticky, sticky is bad under any circumstance. But tobacco is probably the worst from my experiences.
I can always tell if somebody is a smoker or not from inside their electronics. It is impossible to miss, the dust inside a smoker's electronics is just totally different because of how sticky it is. Plus it is dark, the boards are often turning yellow, depending on just how much they smoke. The problem with smoking is that this dust is VERY hard to clean compared to regular dust. An air duster can often handle regular dust just fine, and they can hit places you cannot reach otherwise. But with a smoker, because of how sticky their dust is, an air duster is not so easy. Sometimes there is no other choice but to brush things with something. A cotton swab is a pretty good method.
Always keep your self grounded when cleaning these things. It is easy though. Your case is metal, use that as your ground. Just keep a hand touching the case and you will be fine.
If you live on a dusty country road, like dirt or gravel, you can also collect a ton of dust. If that is the case, you will want to check more frequently.
If dust is a real issue, you can buy dust filters to place over your intake fans. But also be aware this has its own drawback, a dust filter might be a little too effective and restrict the air, causing things to run hot. That would kind of defeat the whole purpose.
I always recommend using a hardware monitor so you can spot any abnormal temps, giving you a chance to tackle them before something gets too hot and overheats. Besides, Iray can be pretty demanding, its a good idea to use one regardless.
Wow, given the reponse to this thread, seems like there are still quite a few smokers out there. I hadn't realized. At the cost of cigarettes (here in Connecticut, over $10 for a premium pack) and all the known health issues (even with vaping), I had assumed it was losing popularity.
As a side-story, my mother had smoked for years, and after I moved out she took over my old bedroom as her computer room. Really, the only thing she did on the computer was play solitare. But after she quit (cold turkey, go mom), she cleaned out the room and didn't realize til after the fact just how disgusting it was. She's been cold turkey for about seven or eight years now and looking back, she says she can't believe she smoked. My dad still smokes and she says she hasn't kissed him in years because she just can't bring herself to now. She wants him to quit so bad. He's not even allowed to smoke in the house. You'd think there would be incentive considering we had to watch my grandfather go out from emphysema...and it was bad. Like really bad.
negative ion generators are pretty awful for sticking dust to everything too.
I used to have one with air filters thinking it would help my allergies, but it just makes all the dust and cat fur stick to all the walls and everything in the room, I didn't have a computer back then but everything else filled with dust so one would of.
That is my situation ... I am near a woodworking shop so I am dealing with sawdust (not smoking, air fresheners, etc). I have the dust filters over the fans ... and they do an amazing job ... the inside of the machine only had a very fine layer of dust inside it whereas the sawdust and normal dust was thick on the outside.
Cat hair and litter dust. Gak! I vacuum with those attachments that cut down the suction and have small brush attachments. Spouse smokes OUTSIDE. Oh yeah, I spin next to my computer (while things are loading or rendering) so I get fluffy stuff in there too. My main front fan has a screen which frequently looks like a dryer vent after doing the towels... So GOOD REMINDER.
Years ago I read of a discovery somebody made when sent to clean a customer's computer. She was complaining about a hissing noise it made when she turned it on. hehehe ... yup, a little snake had found its way in there.
Not sure if you've ever tried it, but I highly recommend wood pellets for cat litter. Odor control is far superior to clay litters and there is no dust! It's also super cheap if you purchase horse bedding pellets from a farm supply store (if you're in the US it would be Tractor Supply Company).
Yeah, that was a good move. saw dust is course and large, it could cause cause real problems. Now that I think about it, I don't think I've ran into that.
Thankfully from what I have observed, smoking is way down from just a few years ago. I haven't had to deal with it nearly as much as I used to, and I am rather happy about that.
I don't usually like to preach, but if your electronics look that way...that's how your lungs look, too, and actually, they are probably worse. There is no sugar coating it. If somebody asks, I don't sugar coat it (as you may guess from my forum posting), I will tell them it is from smoking. I do not assume it is theirs, as sometimes it is a family member doing the smoking, or it may be possible the device is second hand. Its always interesting when it is another family member, because that person almost always responds by saying they will have a talk with them about it. I hope they followed through.
There is something about seeing this first hand. It is different from seeing stuff online or TV about smoking, those are other people. Seeing the damage done to your own stuff, and knowing that damage came entirely from your own doing, that is an eye opener. The stuff in your computer, well that's what you are breathing people. Even if its not smoke, that's what is inside of you.
I hope this shows the other costs to smoking. Its not just the sky high cost of the packs, everything is effected. It can shorten the life of your electronics...and of course, you, and even isolate you from others.
I know I should stick to edibles but they are so expensive now that it's legal, plus they add 21% tax!
Getting dry dust out of the radiator fins of the CPU cooler is easy, it just blows out, but slimy, ugly, smelly, sticky, black goo from smoke is not so easy. Fuzzy pipe cleaners come in handy here as do fine bristled small brushes but they have to be cleaned with alcohol often to get rid of the goo on the bristles.
Ex-smoker soapbox time: I grew up in the '50s and '60s when everybody in America smoked. Both my parents smoked like chimneys. In the house, in the car, in all restaurants, in public buildings, in workplaces. It's a wonder I survived childhood being subjected to second-hand smoke all the time. I started smoking in college, I smoked heavily (1-2 pack/day) for decades. Tried quitting several times. Finally quit for good in 2002 (broke, couldn't afford it anymore) Stopped coughing, felt better, saved lots of money. Started noticing that I couldn't stand being in houses of smokers, vile smell. Started noticing that smokers houses walls, lamps, carpets, etc. were covered in brown sticky stinky goo. Would nope out of riding in cars of smokers. Vile, filty, disgusting, unhealthy habit. Stopped hanging around smokers. I back away when talking to smokers, they don't realize how badly they stink. It's as bad as rotten teeth dental stink. And don't get me started on gum chewers.
But compared to the mid-twentieth century, American homes, public buildings, workplaces are now a breath of fresh air,
When I lived in Pasadena near LA, I'd go throught my "Cleaning Ritual" ~ once a month. With being surrounded by freeways & constant traffic, not to mention an army of leaf-blowers, the air is always being stirred up & is a soup of dust & partiulates even though it might look like a clear day.
My Ritual consisted of air compressor & Dyson Animal vac trying to catch as much as possible. Even so, the living room would look like it was in a fog bank for 10-15 mins.
The aging Win7 system just wasn't up to Iray & would peg the fans after a few mins. I'd use GPU-Z to monitor themps & knew where it would shut down the system & could kill the render .1 deg. before that.
Them were the days.
I live in an area in Oz that has been burnt out from the bushfires, bushfire smoke enveloped our area a few times over the past 2 months as well as dust from the proceeding dust storms.. since it has eased off one of the first things I cleaned was the PC.. wasn't too bad at all and not being a smoker was relatively easy to clean using just the vacuum cleaner and an old toothbrush and mine is a floor dweller.
Rendering on
Just make sure you don't force the fan off your gpu with brute force and ignorance and cook it cos what?! I needed thermal paste? What is THAT?! My son has forbidden me to do anything involving fans ever again.