Hey guys, I'm sort of new to the form but have been lurking for awhile. I have a dell laptop and lately the fans at the back have been starting to make alot of noise. A friend recommended that I buy a can of compressed air and clean the fans, because through normal usage the fans will naturally accumulate "crud" buildup over time, which may destablize the fan etc. My question is, if I blow compressed air at the fan, won't it just blow all the crud into the computer? I can't exactly disassemble the laptop and blow the fans from inside... so do I use compressed air and try to clean the fan or not? Thanks!
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Compressed air?
- Thread starter quiong
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- compressed
I think it's fine to use canned air for this. The fans will be able to blow out most of the dust that you blow back in as long as it's not stuck to the fan. It only sticks to the fan because the rotation of the fan creates static electricity and the dust clings to it; but that's over time. Blow it out with the canned air and let the fan blow out most of the dust when you turn it back on (oh yeah, always clean the fan with the power off).
evildave
Unregistered
E
Also, always stick something into the fan to keep it from spinning freely while you hit it with the air. You'll over-RPM it and potentially damage the bearings. It should never make a "Whoopee!" noise.
You can spray the fans a little obliquely at first, if you want to get SOME of the dust outside.
Don't spray directly onto/at/around CD/DVD read heads. They're often on a delicate spring gizmo that allows the head to focus, and this can be damaged easily, and are NOT cheap to replace on a notebook.
I also recommend you take it outside to do all of this. You'll just sort of feel silly doing it inside when all the dust shoots out.
You can spray the fans a little obliquely at first, if you want to get SOME of the dust outside.
Don't spray directly onto/at/around CD/DVD read heads. They're often on a delicate spring gizmo that allows the head to focus, and this can be damaged easily, and are NOT cheap to replace on a notebook.
I also recommend you take it outside to do all of this. You'll just sort of feel silly doing it inside when all the dust shoots out.
Jon_in_london
Illuminator
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- Aug 7, 2002
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Dont stick your fingers in the fan either!
Is this from a can or a compressor (like an airbrush )?
Reason I ask is some compressed air can be pretty wet.
Try it out on a paper towel first. Probably any water will be blown out in the first few seconds. If it stays damp, I'd be careful.
Reason I ask is some compressed air can be pretty wet.
Try it out on a paper towel first. Probably any water will be blown out in the first few seconds. If it stays damp, I'd be careful.