the best and safest way to clean a CPU fan?

L

lp41

New Member
hi,

i was just wanderin wot is the best/safest way to clean a CPU fan? shud you take the cpu fan apart or leave it on the heatsink and clean it??? also wud u recommend using a brush to clean the places u can clean with a vacuum?

cheers
 
i take the fan apart from the heatsink and clean it
and then put them back together .... it's not really dangerous !
and i use that thing the maid uses to clean the dust off wood surfaces and stuff i don't know what it's called.
 
I've cleaned my fan/heatsink with compressed air before while it was still on the CPU. Like this type of compressed air:
20848068be2.gif


If you take it off the CPU than you might have to reapply thermal grease.
 
i take the fan out, than spray it. i sometimes hit the insides of the computer, not straight into it, like on an angle.
 
Take the fan off the heat sink and blow everything out with compressed air but dont remove the heatsink from the cpu.
 
i usually take the HSF off the CPU and plunge it into a big bucket of clean water, swoosh it around for a bit, gets the dust/dirt out of all the tiny corners that compressed air cant get to.

Leave it in the airing cupboard for a few hours make sure its dry and back on it goes.

dragon
 
k, thanks 4 your advice but why do some people recommend Isopropyl alcohol to clean your fan or even monitor? how does Isopropyl alcohol help?
 
lp41 said:
k, thanks 4 your advice but why do some people recommend Isopropyl alcohol to clean your fan or even monitor? how does Isopropyl alcohol help?
Click to expand...

Using any 100% alcolhol works well on many electronics(and super ninteno games and the like!) beucase it eveaporates MUCH more quickly then water and will cuase much less errosion.
 
Arm_Pit said:
Using any 100% alcolhol works well on many electronics(and super ninteno games and the like!) beucase it eveaporates MUCH more quickly then water and will cuase much less errosion.
Click to expand...
You mean corrosion not errosion, erosion is active corrosion is passive.
 
Arm_Pit said:
Using any 100% alcolhol works well on many electronics(and super ninteno games and the like!) beucase it eveaporates MUCH more quickly then water and will cuase much less errosion.
Click to expand...
Ya in fact most lcd cleaners you buy are 50% alcohol and 50% water. But for my heatsink I just blow it out with some compressed air. Don't know how you got the idea compressed air is bad for your comp yea_pc_phonics, it cleans so well, and don't know how air hurts electronics. Now from an air compressor its a little bad for it because there is some condesation in there, thats why I use the cans now.
 
I think he was talking about jp using his air compresser, which some can be very stong.....

dragon2309 said:
You mean corrosion not errosion, erosion is active corrosion is passive.
Click to expand...
Really?
 
Actually:
Erosion
Corrosion

Erosion is when stuff is broken down due to things like water, wind, etc. aka. the elements. While corrosion is cause by things like reactions to the environment, usually it effects metals.
 
Arm_Pit said:
I think he was talking about jp using his air compresser, which some can be very stong.....
Click to expand...
It still isn't bad for it, unless you like blew off a capacitor or something by putting the nozzle up to it. All you have to do is set the psi to around 15 to 20, not too high but enough to blow off that stubborn dust, and you are good to go.
But the condensation is what you need to worry about, so just don't use an air compressor when it is on, but an can of air is fine.
 
bball4life said:
Actually:
Erosion
Corrosion

Erosion is when stuff is broken down due to things like water, wind, etc. aka. the elements. While corrosion is cause by things like reactions to the environment, usually it effects metals.
Click to expand...
I was being sarcastic on my last post....
 
dragon2309 said:
i usually take the HSF off the CPU and plunge it into a big bucket of clean water, swoosh it around for a bit, gets the dust/dirt out of all the tiny corners that compressed air cant get to.

Leave it in the airing cupboard for a few hours make sure its dry and back on it goes.

dragon
Click to expand...
Do you reapply thermal paste/grease? Won't the water wash it off?
 
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