Do you still use canned air?

[Nine Tailed Fox]

I invested in an electric duster(xpower) and money well spent imo. Feels like it was worth it after first use didn't have to worry about damn thing getting too cold

[WereCatf]

4 minutes ago, Nine Tailed Fox said:

worry about damn thing getting too cold

Are you talking about the can itself?

[Noah0302]

I gotta admit that I never used canned air, since it not really common where I live

I just use a powerful hand vacuum and remove the rest of the dust with something like q tips.

 

But getting an electric duster is a really good idea, might gonna get me one as well!

[Nine Tailed Fox]

 

2 minutes ago, WereCatf said:

Are you talking about the can itself?

[WereCatf]

1 minute ago, Nine Tailed Fox said:

meem

I'm having trouble grasping why it'd be a problem. Even if you had very sensitive hands, you could just take a few seconds' break, or swap the can to the other hand when it gets to be too much... But ok, each to their own.

[Nine Tailed Fox]

1 minute ago, WereCatf said:

I'm having trouble grasping why it'd be a problem. Even if you had very sensitive hands, you could just take a few seconds' break, or swap the can to the other hand when it gets to be too much... But ok, each to their own.

starts losing pressure too and electric constant, same

[paddy-stone]

Nope, used to use it way back like 5-10 years back... I've since invested in an air compressor as I needed it for other household and garage/shed stuff too, so use that on a low setting, with a moisture trap. Works really well, you just have to make sure you set the air pressure correctly so you don't break any fragile parts like fan blades for example. When I first started, I practised on some old components to make sure I didn't break something.

Now I use it on all my equipment, once every 2-6 months depending on the equipment, the PCs get done more often and my servers less often... takes me a few minutes to set up, but I leave the compressor outside, and use a long hose to get to the equipment... it'd be too loud to have in the house really when it's engine is running.

[Mark Kaine]

1 hour ago, Nine Tailed Fox said:

starts losing pressure too and electric constant, same

you aren't supposed to use a can with compressed air for a long time at once anyway. short bursts is what's recommended. never gets "too cold" that way.

 

Similar to an electric duster actually, though those get "too hot" if you don't operate them properly.

 

 

 

[NineEyeRon]

Bought electric duster probably 8+ years ago, still use it and not used an air duster since. It’s cleaned plenty of family electronics over that time and helped bring two laptops back to life.
 

Canned air needs to be banned for all but those who need it, the rest should invest in an electric duster as it has so many uses (wear a dust mask for a lot of them though unless you like dust allergy symptoms).

[Morrie Sells Wigs]

I had a bit of a dodgy experience with one of those cans of compressed air.

 

I was cleaning my ps4 and several times moisture was sprayed into the ps4.

[Tan3l6]

34 minutes ago, Maury Sells Wigs said:

I was cleaning my ps4 and several times moisture was sprayed into the ps4.

I've noticed the liquid comes when your bottle is upside down while spraying.

[Morrie Sells Wigs]

38 minutes ago, Tan3l6 said:

I've noticed the liquid comes when your bottle is upside down while spraying.

Yes, I think that was my mistake. 

[TetraSky]

Nope. Invested in a DataVac ED-500 electric duster a long time ago. I use it for a LOT of things, including drying my hair, lol.

Cans of air at the time I bought my duster, were between $5 to $10 for a good can (Mg Chemicals Compressed Air 450g). I used to go through two of them per year.

Considering it has been 8 years since I bought my duster for $72 (just checked the price today for a new one, holy balls it went up 2x to 3x...), it has basically paid itself already.

(prices in CAD)

[SolarNova]

I have access to a compressor for that so no i dont use canned air.

 

I really suggest people invest in an air compressor, u can use it for so much, from cleaning, to painting, to pumping tires, to stripping paint,grime and rust with a DIY sandblaster (or buy a sandblasting attachment). And ofc u can use it in conjunction with a CnC and mill to help keep machine tips cool while cutting. Very handy.

[Dyaets]

Using canned air. And although I had no issues with it, also looking into getting an electric duster. 

[dilpickle]

I used to buy tons of cans. Then I finally bought an electric blower. Use it a lot to dust out the PC.

[sub68]

I use a co2 bike inflater

I also use a sima lens pen

[Matt1632]

I got an Air Duster Blower and it doesn't quite manage my laptop quite as well but I am cleaning out computer's on a commericial level so the savings are fantastic. Also not wearing gloves and not worrying about it running out and ordering a replacment crete is a pretty good bonus too. It has tripped a few fuses tho (It's 850W).

[Bombastinator]

I do but only because I went through too much work dust mitigating my system.  1 can takes 5 years to use up.

[Driod]

Spoiler

I  still use compressed air but I buy them by bulk. So I get a discount on them.  Else its better to buy a electric blower

 

[Bombastinator]

Makes sense if you got enough of em. 

[Spitfire4]

For anyone that cares your cans of "compressed air" are not cans of compressed air. They're actually cans of refrigerants like those used in your cars air conditioning system. There are some worse for the environment than others and they are not good for you to breathe. The cans should have which refrigerant is used (ex. R-134a) and you can find MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets) sheets for them online which will tell you everything you need to know about them.

 

For the cost of a few cans you can get a small airbrush compressor (generally low PSI around 60 max) or you can get a cheap hot dog or pancake compressor for $50. Used for this type of application you would want an oil-less type compressor with an inline water/air separator.

 

You can blow on things all you want, it's not going to clean everything off if there's buildup. Light dust, sure, but some still gets "baked" on from warm or hot electronics and need physical cleaning. I've done this plenty of times with 140 PSI with hundreds of different things. Most dust will come off but you're probably blowing some of it into places it shouldn't be and will be hard to get out when it comes to electronical connections/connectors. 

 

I clean electronics with a quality long soft bristled paintbrush with electrical tape over the metal ferrule. Cheap paintbrushes tend to shed bristles. Kind of a pain to keep an eye out for bristles which is why I wouldn't really suggest this to anyone. 

 

So, what's the best way to clean electronics? I have no idea. I would think if you can get around the static dangers of using vacuums and a soft brush that would work best. 

 

Kind of a long post but I wanted people to know about the refrigerants. 

 

  -Safety Salamander

[Bombastinator]

1 minute ago, Spitfire4 said:

For anyone that cares your cans of "compressed air" are not cans of compressed air. They're actually cans of refrigerants like those used in your cars air conditioning system. There are some worse for the environment than others and they are not good for you to breathe. The cans should have which refrigerant is used (ex. R-134a) and you can find MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets) sheets for them online which will tell you everything you need to know about them.

 

For the cost of a few cans you can get a small airbrush compressor (generally low PSI around 60 max) or you can get a cheap hot dog or pancake compressor for $50. Used for this type of application you would want an oil-less type compressor with an inline water/air separator.

 

You can blow on things all you want, it's not going to clean everything off if there's buildup. Light dust, sure, but some still gets "baked" on from warm or hot electronics and need physical cleaning. I've done this plenty of times with 140 PSI with hundreds of different things. Most dust will come off but you're probably blowing some of it into places it shouldn't be and will be hard to get out when it comes to electronical connections/connectors. 

 

I clean electronics with a quality long soft bristled paintbrush with electrical tape over the metal ferrule. Cheap paintbrushes tend to shed bristles. Kind of a pain to keep an eye out for bristles which is why I wouldn't really suggest this to anyone. 

 

So, what's the best way to clean electronics? I have no idea. I would think if you can get around the static dangers of using vacuums and a soft brush that would work best. 

 

Kind of a long post but I wanted people to know about the refrigerants. 

 

  -Safety Salamander

Cans where I am are a few bucks (though I’m sure it varies.)  the biggest problem was people were getting addicted to huffing them so they can’t be bought in large numbers.   I’ve actually got a pretty good airbrush compressor as well as a 240v electric, but it’s easier to keep a can of air around. Have to schlep out to the garage.  

[WereCatf]

On 10/2/2020 at 2:22 PM, Maury Sells Wigs said:

I had a bit of a dodgy experience with one of those cans of compressed air.

 

I was cleaning my ps4 and several times moisture was sprayed into the ps4.

It's not moisture per se, it's just the refrigerant inside. It evaporates almost instantly, so it's not an issue anyways.

[Spitfire4]

1 minute ago, Bombastinator said:

Cans where I am are a few bucks (though I’m sure it varies.)  the biggest problem was people were getting addicted to huffing them so they can’t be bought in large numbers.   I’ve actually got a pretty good airbrush compressor as well as a 240v electric, but it’s easier to keep a can of air around. Have to schlep out to the garage.  

Wow. Huffing Freon must have been devastating to their bodies.