Can you clean my pc components in water/soak in water?

[workstationguy]

My hyper 212 evo have been sitting for  quite long, they are full of dust. Is it safe to clean them with water? I  also have bunch of case fans from corsair 750d that are very dusty. Can I just soak them in water?  I wont use them for few weeks because I have already bought new case and heatsinks. And is it safe to clean my corsair 750i power supply version with water too? It's a cancer if I hav to clean it inside with clothes.

[johnno124]

basic rule, electricity + water = broken compenents

[Damascus]

Fans No, heat sinks else go for it.

[richardwei6]

1 minute ago, johnno124 said:

basic rule, electricity + water = broken compenents

Dry Everything after, Then it will hopefully be ok

 

[richardwei6]

3 minutes ago, workstationguy said:

My hyper 212 evo have been sitting for  quite long, they are full of dust. Is it safe to clean them with water? I  also have bunch of case fans from corsair 750d that are very dusty. Can I just soak them in water?  I wont use them for few weeks because I have already bought new case and heatsinks. And is it safe to clean my corsair 750i power supply version with water too? It's a cancer if I hav to clean it inside with clothes.

 

Wash it, Dry it as much as you can then, it might work

[JerrBear]

Not sure but if you do, make sure you don't just power it off but also unplug it.

[Beef Boss]

Yeah just keep them on so the buzzing noise helps invigorate the dirt from the stuffs yes yes 

[slightlyjaded]

Sure you can.... Just don't expect them to work again... They might, just don't expect it.

 

Okay now that the humorous response is out of the way. Water by itself is non-conductive, but it Is a very good solution for Metal Ions which instantly make the water conductive. What I do personally to clean my computer is just grab a can of compressed air, and take whatever I need cleaned outside, and just go to town on it. (In my case it's usually just case filters unless it's a job for someone else)

[AntonChigurh]

No no no no why would you ever do that that's a terrible idea. Anyone with even the most basic understanding of electronics can tell you that water + pc components = dead compnents

[BaRoMeTRic]

Just wait for the next Monsoon season and leave your rig out overnight, should be as good as new.

[DJones2894]

If you're very careful you can but it would be best to use distilled water and don't use tap water because it can leave contaminants behind.  You have to make sure the components are completely dry before connecting them to the computer so cover them in rice or in some kind of desiccant and let them dry for several days.  I only know about this because there was a big boom in cleaning computers where I live after the Nashville floods of 2010.  As for the power supply it might be safer to just get a new one.  Opening power supplies can be dangerous as the capacitors can still hold a charge strong enough to kill a person.

[Zyndo]

20 minutes ago, workstationguy said:

Snip

The short answer is.... yes. You CAN safely clean your components with water. if done properly with the correct kind of water the chance of something going wrong is minimal.

 

The long answer is.... no. If you have to ask if its possible to do, chances are you don't really understand how electronics really work and how water adversely affects them; powered on or not. Without this understanding, your chances of ruining something permanently is exceptionally high. If you want to wash out the heatsink of your Hyper 212 evo (the metal part and not any fans or electrical parts) that would be fine. I would HIGHLY recommend not doing it to any other component unless you know EXACTLY what you're doing.

[ProjectBox153]

Fan is a no. PSU is a no. Cooler is fine. Go for it. 

[Lord Nicoll]

39 minutes ago, workstationguy said:

My hyper 212 evo have been sitting for  quite long, they are full of dust. Is it safe to clean them with water? I  also have bunch of case fans from corsair 750d that are very dusty. Can I just soak them in water?  I wont use them for few weeks because I have already bought new case and heatsinks. And is it safe to clean my corsair 750i power supply version with water too? It's a cancer if I hav to clean it inside with clothes.

I have cleaned motherboards and PSUs with water, but I know what I'm doing (that's an inside joke, I don't)

I used soap and de-ionised water and rinse the boards in de-ionised water also, that was because soap only increases resistance and I didn't want any minerals from tap water. I most certainly do not recommend it, take it to somewhere with an ultrasonic cleaner, they have special solvents that are safe for electrics and can dry them completely, otherwise make sure you understand basic electricity laws and chemistry, even then I'd say stick to a duster cans for the bits that plug in, and water for the heatsinks. 

[Dabombinable]

42 minutes ago, johnno124 said:

basic rule, electricity + water = broken compenents

*non distilled water*
Pure water is a poor conductor.

[HelplmChoking]

6 minutes ago, Dabombinable said:

*non distilled water*
Pure water is a poor conductor.

 

And pure water will instantly pick up plenty of trace elements turning it into a perfectly good conductor.

[Guest Darth Revan]

If you clean the heat sink itself with water, then absolutely no problem. I actually did that some months ago.

The fan and everything else, that's a big no.

[rn8686]

Technically, if they are powered off, and you COMPLETELY dry them after doing so, it may be ok (As there is nothing to short). But this would mean leaving it to dry for several days at least (Week or so I would say), very risky. Just use rubbing alcohol if you must. 

[MicrowavedGerbil]

You can clean/soak them in isopropyl alcohol as it evaporates very quickly. You'll have to let it dry for a few hours after, as isopropyl alcohol is very conductive. Technically you could use water if the components are off, but you'll have to dry them for a few days after, so alcohol is reccomended.

[Ertman]

I would suggest not soaking anything. The heatsink would probably be fine though. Personally I like using alcohol over water. The fans can be easily cleaned by just rubbing them and you can use water on the blades and frames etc. The PSU is a no from me as it could be very dangerous. Just blow it out with compressed air.

[yathis]

Diesel works best as it evaporates and cleans real well. Sometimes I use WD40 works good on the hands too.

[MrDynamicMan]

No, you cannot clean fans in water safely. Water can get into the bearing and mess everything up. Just use a wet cloth to clear the blades.

[Praesi]

[You_are_a_cunt]

Short answer: no.

 

Long answer: yes, kind of. but don't, unless you absolutely positively undoubtedly know what you're doing.

 

Final answer: no.

[workstationguy]

3 hours ago, MrDynamicMan said:

No, you cannot clean fans in water safely. Water can get into the bearing and mess everything up. Just use a wet cloth to clear the blades.

Is it that bad? Even if I leave it dry for like a month + hour of hair dryer and so on?