Question My radiator looks pretty dusty, should I vacuum clean it?

[morpheus6677]

Hey, I haven't cleaned my radiator for about 2 years. It looks like this

https://imgur.com/a/y2j9Haj

View: https://imgur.com/a/y2j9Haj


Is it safe to vacuum clean it while everything is plugged off or is there still a risk of unintended charge damaging my system?

Thanks for your help!

 

[Math Geek]

so long as you are careful to not smack anything inside the case it'll be fine to vacuum it. do be careful though of blowing strong air into/across the fans. spinning them super fast can damage them. otherwise, just be careful and it'll be fine. i use a shop-vac all the time to blow out excess dust from systems.

 

[morpheus6677]

so long as you are careful to not smack anything inside the case it'll be fine to vacuum it. do be careful though of blowing strong air into/across the fans. spinning them super fast can damage them. otherwise, just be careful and it'll be fine. i use a shop-vac all the time to blow out excess dust from systems.

Thank you

 

[Math Geek]

no problem. i was a bit nervous the first couple times i broke out the shop vac myself

perfectly valid concern.

 

[King Dranzer]

Hey, I haven't cleaned my radiator for about 2 years. It looks like this

https://imgur.com/a/y2j9Haj

View: https://imgur.com/a/y2j9Haj


Is it safe to vacuum clean it while everything is plugged off or is there still a risk of unintended charge damaging my system?

Thanks for your help!

If you already cleaned it then fine. If not one advise is to unplug the Fans from the board before doing that. because if they rotate backwards then they may generate enough power to pass it back into board causing it to short.

Extremely rare instance that it happens but yeah it happens.

 

[Math Geek]

If you already cleaned it then fine. If not one advise is to unplug the Fans from the board before doing that. because if they rotate backwards then they may generate enough power to pass it back into board causing it to short.

Extremely rare instance that it happens but yeah it happens.

never seen this buy i have trashed a couple fans over the years spinning em up to 30k rpm with a nice powerful shop-vac

i just put a pencil in the way for a moment as i blow out the dust. works great for a quick fan stoppage to keep it from spinning

 

[Eximo]

Don't the let the fans spin at all is the better solution. Pretty easy to overspin and break fan blades or ruin the bearings.

 

[King Dranzer]

never seen this buy i have trashed a couple fans over the years spinning em up to 30k rpm with a nice powerful shop-vac

i just put a pencil in the way for a moment as i blow out the dust. works great for a quick fan stoppage to keep it from spinning

Don't the let the fans spin at all is the better solution. Pretty easy to overspin and break fan blades or ruin the bearings.

Yes not letting it spin be ideal. If not unplugging from the board be better than leaving them plugged in.


Like in the above case his fans are sandwiched between the Radiator and top of the case. So he cannot stop them without completely removing the rad. So in cases like that better unplug them from the board.

 

[Eximo]

There had better be some vent holes up there, should be able to stick something through.

 

[punkncat]

Do not vacuum PC parts (the electrical components or items grounded to them while hooked up). Blow or brush. If you use an air compressor have an oil/water filter. Why? Static discharge.

IMO a method I have been taking to lately is a static free brush and a microfiber rag, or "over the trashcan", out the back porch, etc.

 

[punkncat]

Don't the let the fans spin at all is the better solution. Pretty easy to overspin and break fan blades or ruin the bearings.

I hear you keep repeating this and in decades of owning PC equipment I have NEVER EVER seen any manner of issue doing this. Not even to mention the various YT tech personalities like Corey Holzman that will TELL you to do it that way.

Not trying to call you out, per se, but I just do not see and have never seen or heard evidence of such short of you and perhaps one or two other people on here saying so.

I guess YMMV.

 

[Eximo]

Depends on the fan I suppose, and conditions. Smoking and vaping near a PC has effects on plastics. I've seen the results of quite a few GPU fan blades break with a vacuum clean. But they do tend to be thinner and closer to a higher heat source. Could be as simple as getting the fan spinning and touching it with the vacuum cleaner that snaps the blade rather than the spin itself.

The voltage thing is certainly true. You can test that with a simple multimeter. Whether the motherboard has a reverse bias diode in place to protect itself is another matter. Not sure about PWM fans though, that would be something to test.

Quality of the fan will matter a lot. Some cheap fans are pretty weak at the hub/blade connection and more prone to snapping. Thinner blades at higher RPMs then designed can stretch out and impact the fan frame.

A fan designed for 1500 RPM will react differently then one designed for 6000 RPM. A good ball bearing fan is probably fine. Some the cheaper sleeve bearing fans would be more prone to damage. A static pressure fan vs an airflow fan will act differently. And the more typical hybrid fans of today will be different.

Age of the fan and its current bearing status is worth considering. If the fan already has a wobble, over spin might claim it. People aren't generally cleaning shiny brand new parts.

Personally never happened to me, but then I don't let the fans spin while cleaning. It is a simple precaution. I tend to disassemble and hand clean everything, and I make good use of case filters. (I used to have long hair, and now I have a cat)

Since I have been buying higher quality components these last fifteen years or so, also hard to judge the average 5 dollar case fan. I still occasionally buy a pack of the cheapest Cooler Master fans for general use, but they don't see much in the way of 24/7 operation.

 

[punkncat]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9KA-xLLQXo


Sorry bud...

 

[bill001g]

I hear you keep repeating this and in decades of owning PC equipment I have NEVER EVER seen any manner of issue doing this. Not even to mention the various YT tech personalities like Corey Holzman that will TELL you to do it that way.

Not trying to call you out, per se, but I just do not see and have never seen or heard evidence of such short of you and perhaps one or two other people on here saying so.

I guess YMMV.

There are massive number of videos on youtube. Jayztwocents I think when he is out of serious content does stupid stuff. He has multiple times actually blown the blades off fans using things like air compressors and leave blowers. He also does show a similar voltage meter test as the above video showing how a fan can generate excessive voltages.

 

[Eximo]

I would also point out that the Intel stock fan is relatively small and pretty well made all things considered. Also doesn't have a full frame which really changes how the air moves around the perimeter of the blade.

Again, just because it isn't likely, doesn't mean the precaution isn't worth doing.

Look at something like this and tell me it can handle anything you throw at it.

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/sqjG3C/xigmatek-case-fan-clff1454

 

[punkncat]

I would also point out that the Intel stock fan is relatively small and pretty well made all things considered. Also doesn't have a full frame which really changes how the air moves around the perimeter of the blade.

Again, just because it isn't likely, doesn't mean the precaution isn't worth doing.

Look at something like this and tell me it can handle anything you throw at it.

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/sqjG3C/xigmatek-case-fan-clff1454

I sort of feel like you could look at that hard and break it. I used to buy some really budget level cases from DIY PC that often would have fans of that caliber, molex, fixed lighting type deals. Admittedly, in spite of how cruddy they looked and felt, none of them have given me any issue. I know it is silly but a lot of the time even asking a customer to pitch in $10-20 more on a build for some decent fans is that bridge too far.