# How to keep dust out of your PC



## lotuseclat79 (Sep 12, 2003)

How to keep dust out of your PC.

*Home-made filters are cheap and improve your PC's reliability*

-- Tom :up:


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

Actually, for most people this is a very bad idea! The problem is that they don't regularly clean or change the filters, and so end up with no cooling!


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

If you change and keep the house air filter clean then your get less dust in the house.
Keep house clean and your get less dust.
Move the tower way up off the floor and your get less dust.

I think that adding filters to the tower is bad unless you can remember to keep them clean.


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## aka Brett (Nov 25, 2008)

Bad idea
Not only does it restrict airflow after its clogged but also restricts airflow before its clogged.

Good ole fashioned plastic screen catches alot...you would be amazed!...but be sure to scrape it clean every few days ...just like the clothes dryer filter,just scrape it off with your hand


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

I just blow the dust out of the machine now and then, works fine.


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## getoninja (Aug 28, 2003)

dang, that first picture is scary. i cant believe people dont clean out their PCs, thats nuts. I guess many dont know that have to also do that.

very awesome idea, but like many have said the airflow is restricted. Maybe punch tiny holes in the filter to help air flow. Dont know, still wouldn't try it.



JohnWill said:


> I just blow the dust out of the machine now and then, works fine.


hehe I do the same. I actually use a vacuum, works fine and dont have to buy those air cans.


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## lotuseclat79 (Sep 12, 2003)

JohnWill said:


> I just blow the dust out of the machine now and then, works fine.


Hi John,

That's what I do with my Sears portable electric air compressor - works well!

-- Tom


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## Stoner (Oct 26, 2002)

JohnWill said:


> I just blow the dust out of the machine now and then, works fine.


Same here.
I find once in the fall and spring.... cleaning is sufficient for me.
I use compressed air from a light duty garage compressor with an inline dryer.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

I usually have a reason to open the machine now and again, and when I do, I clean it.

Since I've been putting it to sleep whenever I'm not using it, I've accumulated much less dust between cleanings.


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## madisonn (Jan 27, 2010)

Hi Friends,

Make sure your computer is on a desk or table. Cover your computer with a dust cover or small sheet when its not being used. Cover open slots to help keep the dust out. Some slots are necessary to avoid overheating but there are larger slots that may not be being used that can be covered like your peripheral slot. Keep your computer in an area that has little dust accumulation or build up. Wipe down the outside of your computer at least once a week to avoid dust collecting and working its way into your computer.
As a final resort you can install an additional fan into your computer. You should have one fan that circulates the air to keep your computer from overheating. The second fan should blow the air out of the computer to prevent dust from settling inside your computer.


Thanks,
James


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

While sitting on a table will indeed reduce the dust, in many cases, this is not a practical solution to positioning. Very little dust will enter when the computer is not operating, so covering it when no fans are running is perhaps a cosmetic issue, but won't really help with the dust.

You should not have fans "circulating" air inside the case, you should strive for airflow from low in the front to high in the back. If you use an extra fan, first choice would be in the rear. The ideal is to allow any natural convection to assist in removal of the hot air, stirring the air around interferes with the natural airflow you are seeking.


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## pjlent (Feb 23, 2010)

I have, in the past, designed and built dust collectors (used for wood carving). So I know a bit about how to purposely collect dust. I also know how not to....

Most computers have the airflow backwards, which causes dust to easily settle inside. How you ask? Most computers have the air being sucked out of the box causing a vacuum inside the box. Where a better design is to push air in with the fans to create a high pressure environment, instead of a vacuum environment. Dust settles much more quickly in a vacuum,( think of a feather & a hammer being dropped on the moon). A high pressure environment should also be more efficient in removing heat from heatsinks than a vacuum environment would (denser air).

If you don't believe me, crack open any return & supply heating/cooling duct work in your house. You'll see that the return ducts are filthy with dust-bunnies and dirt (even in the cleanest house), and the supply (high pressure side) is clean as a whistle (even if you don't use a filter). This is why the filter in a forced air furnace system is always "before the fan", as the dust tends to settle on the filter media much easier in the vacuum environment that it is in.

My new I7 920 system has a large area of small holes on it's side panel for airflow, so i put two 140mm large but slow fans (they're quieter) there to suck air into the box, and attached a rather largish 2 inch pleated furnace filter to an assembly built on the outside of the panel to accommodate it. The power supply is bottom mounted, so that airflow is not filtered, but everything else should stay clean for years to come, as long as I change the filter once a year. 

The air comes in the side blowing air directly onto the all the major heat sources (CPU & Video cards, etc), and then exits the from the top, front (where the HD's are at), and rear of the computer case. I do have 1 smaller 80mm fan in the rear of the case that sucks air out, as it is very near the CPU's massive heatsink, but the pressure inside the case is still positive, and I can feel the air coming out the top and front of the case. Even without the filter, this kind of airflow should see much less dust settling inside the computer.

BTW, I had this all in mind when I selected the computer case, as it requires a bit of forethought.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

Well, the real reason that the furnace filter is in the return is to keep dust out of the heater and/or A/C coils, but I digress.


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## Liam1 (Feb 21, 2010)

Lol I get the hoover in and just clean in their about once a month, I hasnt Failed me yet... Touch wood


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## aka Brett (Nov 25, 2008)

JohnWill said:


> I usually have a reason to open the machine now and again, and when I do, I clean it.
> 
> Since I've been putting it to sleep whenever I'm not using it, I've accumulated much less dust between cleanings.


Thats the main reason I use hibernate...to keep er clean...the less often i have to unhook every thing and take the tower outside to the compressor to blow it out,the happier I am{I use about 40 pounds and stay back about 2 inches with the nozzle}.


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## sixpack (Jul 11, 2005)

JohnWill is on the right track. The fans are designed to remove the heat not the dust, that why the intake air should be from a low source where the air is cooler and piped out high as heat tends to rise. Cleaning dust and dirt from the unit is a maintance issue!


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## Shagula (Mar 1, 2010)

Stop being so lazy if you have dust problems.

It's crazy to think that people generally spend over a thousand dollars on their machines, and can't be bothered to take it out a few times a year to if anything clear the dust out.

I find myself every few months having a day where there's nothing to do, and I may happen to also be feeling the effects of overheating and the like (due to dust accumulation), so I throw a little elbow grease in there and clean my computer out. Takes an hour or so and just the performance boost is worth it, you don't realize how it slowly degrades until it feels like new again.

I get pretty crazy into it, pull out every peripheral give it a good blasting from compressed air can and rub down parts that are still bad with a microfiber cloth, keeps my PC looking good and feeling good. I tried to use fabric softener sheets as filters, but it did nothing but totally restrict air flow.

I live in a house with a cat and a dog, and be warned that even a couple animals potentially equals a LOT of MAJOR dust, be wary and take the time to clean it, you spend FAR more time cleaning your cars I'm sure so they are pretty on the road. Why not keep performance from top rigs, well, at the top?

Also be warned that to be extremely positive you won't cause any damage to your computer, be careful what you use. Vacuums, and garage air compressors have the capability to cause some major damage. Compressors often build up mass static charges and can build up moisture. Vacuums have the same electrical downside, just be careful and stay grounded. Oh, and smoking also wreaks MAJOR havoc on your computer's insides. So incense, cigarettes, etc. are all really bad for your PC.

Oh and if you really wanna see why you should clean out your PC, here's a few of the world's worst and probably some of the most disturbing tech images around.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/11/13/ventblockers/


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## aka Brett (Nov 25, 2008)

I run er till she clogs good-- runs like a snail...then take it outside and blast er out...I dont look forward to it at all...down steps..to the compresser...back up the steps..hook everything back up...cross my fingers and hope that the fan bearings didnt eat to much dust during the process


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## guy2 (Apr 30, 2009)

Iv thought about this many times ,i have a laptop that like's to get really hot and i get paranoid with my costly items.

I built a laptop cooler from old air conditioner sheet metal case ,it ''was'' more like a slanted stand with higher rear legs to let the fan have more than 4 centimeters of space with a nice fan opening from the slanted shark gill looking vents already built into the sheet.

It worked good but not as good as id like it to be so i added a fan and naturally thought of blowing air in because my laptop already has a wheel fan that sucks air in anyways. I powered the fan off usb and it made a big difference but still not as much as id like so then again i upgraded it and instead of using usb i rigged an old laptop power supply to the fan case and 2 fans running full power ,one blowing air in and one sucking it out ,the one sucking it out is on a resistor because of the noise. 

It made lots of extra dust ,enough to make me paranoid again so i use dryer bounce sheets for filters ,2 and they must be worn out good fresh from your laundry .It works with out any cooling issues because of the powerful fans working together to push air in a out even threw the 2 bounce sheets ,i could slap on 2 more but i don't need my computer that clean. I still use duster but not nearly as much and i ofter find my self cleaning nothing so it works.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

I have a USB powered laptop cooler that has three small fans that blow into the machine. It works and keeps my huge HP multi-media 17" laptop cool. This thing has two hard disks, and generates quite a bit of heat running, works fine.


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## guy2 (Apr 30, 2009)

Laptops make me nervous the components are to close and thoughts of the hard drive getting hot.

Lucky me o i bought a nice WD external


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