DUST?

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  • Rock Dog
    Moderator Emeritus
    • Jan 2003
    • 417

    DUST?

    Wondering how members handle dust? DUST is a very important part of the care and maintainence of ALL your electronic equipment. It can cause real problems, especially with power supplys and amplifiers.

    1) Amps and power section with a nice layer of dust run hotter.
    2) If your home or local climate is fairly (or most often humid,) dust can become a rather "greasy" type of garbage that of course now becomes conductive.

    We've been in the house for 3.5 years now, and frankly the dust issue pisses me off a bit. My house, for whatever reason, seems to be fairly dusty. Although the wife is a consumate housekeeper (I do my share as well )she wipes, dusts, sweeps, and mops the entire place down, every Saturday. I still get decent accumulation of the stuff during the week. We seem to be dusting often. And especially around the gear. Black Laquered speaker finishes make it even more noticable.

    I'm going to look into an electronic filter for the furnance/AC system. Anyone have any experience, or recommendations with these?

    Working in the electronics/computer field all my professional life, I've made it part of a quarterly routine to stay on top of dust build up, inside my gear, as well as around it, and on top of it. Especially in the summer months. I usually take the stuff out of the rack every 3 months or so, take it into the garage, and blast it lightly with the air compressor. This goes for the computers, and the monitors as well. Especially 17 and 19" CRT models. Dust can really cause trouble with the high-voltage circuits.

    If your gear is not easy to get completely in and out of their respective housings. Another way to handle it is to take the covers off, and use the vacuum cleaner with a light brushing, to suck the crap up.

    Anyone else? Do you make sure your stuff is dust free as much as possible?




    -Thomas-

    The easiest way to find something lost around the house, is to buy a replacement.

    Hey You! Make sure you stop by the HTguide Off-Topic section. It's FUN!!!

    -Thomas-

    As long as people will accept crap, it will be financially profitable to dispense it.

    Hey You! Make sure you stop by the HTguide After Midnight section. It's FUN!!!
  • David Meek
    Moderator Emeritus
    • Aug 2000
    • 8938

    #2
    I dust the room and equipment every week with a static feather duster. This thing pulls dust to it! Once Cinemeek is complete, the components will be in a dedicated equipment closet which should minimize the dust accumulation problem. I haven't made a habit of opening the cases up to dust - don't want to void any warranties.




    David - HTGuide flunky
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    • Rock Dog
      Moderator Emeritus
      • Jan 2003
      • 417

      #3
      "Cinemeek" That's AWESOME. :LOL:

      True opening the case is not for everyone. But in can be quite beneficial, as well as simple, and trouble free. Expecially if you have an air compressor. There is no need to even touch the inards. One could even leave the top on, and blow through the vents. This method does not work as well. But does eleviate concerns of accidental damage to a degree. Of course using a vacuum needs a light touch, and gentle care, to get the stuff out without issue.

      If you do have (or use) a compressor. It should have a condensation trap, so that only dry air gets through. I'm not a huge fan of those little air cans (like those sold for computers) because they seem to condensate really easily, if the can is not held at just the right/correct angle.

      "CINEMEEK" I just love that. 8)




      -Thomas-

      The easiest way to find something lost around the house, is to buy a replacement.

      Hey You! Make sure you stop by the HTguide Off-Topic section. It's FUN!!!

      -Thomas-

      As long as people will accept crap, it will be financially profitable to dispense it.

      Hey You! Make sure you stop by the HTguide After Midnight section. It's FUN!!!

      Comment

      • Lex
        Moderator Emeritus
        • Apr 2001
        • 27461

        #4
        Oh boy, here's a buggaboo for sure. Dust is a real problem at my house too. I've given my housekeeper explicit instructions that she doesn't dust my equipment. I basically wait until it's haired over with dust and do a good wiping. I do feather dust my exposed edges, speakers, that sort of thing. But I agree, it's a real problem.

        Someday, I expect I will be supercharging my component, then put a negative charge on a retractor, then charge the two, so the dust jumps from the component to the retractor, lol. At least I will take the covers off, and suck it out first with a vaccum, then blow it out.

        I had my MC-1 open prior to trading it, and it wasn't to bad. I expect my Proceed amps are the real problem in this area with those open vents on top.

        Lex




        Cable Guy DVD Collection
        Doug
        "I'm out there Jerry, and I'm loving every minute of it!" - Kramer

        Comment

        • Robbie
          Senior Member
          • Aug 2000
          • 256

          #5
          You guys living back east kill me. You don't even know what dust is. Try living out here sometime. Dust is a way of life here. I do my best to keep the stuff clean. If the equipment is sealed (no ventilation) I keep it shut. I recently cleaned/lubed my CD carousel and it was fine inside. No noticable dust. My amp (the only thing I have that is vented) has ventilation holes top and bottom. I figure the dust goes in the top and comes out the bottom. Someday when I have more energy and time maybe I'll pop the cover.

          Use those compressed gas cans with caution. They create an enormous amount of static and can destroy static sensitive electronics.

          Robbie

          Comment

          • George Bellefontaine
            Moderator Emeritus
            • Jan 2001
            • 7637

            #6
            Static feather duster > What a great idea, Tex. Gotta get me one. Where do you buy them ?

            As for dusting, well, my HT is in the basement and pretty much dustfree, but I still do the thing a couple of times a month. Now a static feather duster will certainly make things easier.




            My Homepage!
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            • David Meek
              Moderator Emeritus
              • Aug 2000
              • 8938

              #7
              George, I'm ashamed to admit it, ops: but I think it was one of those "as seen on TV" items you can sometimes get at Walmart.




              David - HTGuide flunky
              Our "Theater"
              Our DVDs on DVD Tracker

              .

              David - Trigger-happy HTGuide Admin

              Comment

              • Uncle Clive
                Former Moderator
                • Jan 2002
                • 919

                #8
                DUST!? I think for the fact that we have a portable air cleaner running most of the time has helped reduce dust. Mind you it still gathers. I also use frabric softner sheets like BOUNCE to wipe my components. Just like in the clothes drier, I find that it helps to reduce static and dust




                CLIVE




                HEY!! Why buy movie tickets when you can own a Theater?
                CLIVE




                HEY!! Why buy movie tickets when you can own a Theater?

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                • Rock Dog
                  Moderator Emeritus
                  • Jan 2003
                  • 417

                  #9
                  I use Swiffers to wipe down most of the gear and rack. They are fantastic at picking the stuff up, and are pretty soft. You still have to be careful around Black Lacquered stuff, like my Mirage speakers. If you wipe too hard, you could get swirls in the finish.

                  Asking again... Does anyone have an electronic filter in their HVAC system? If so how do you like it, I here they can do a pretty decent job with dust and other nasty particles. Especially if your an allergy sufferer.




                  -Thomas-

                  The easiest way to find something lost around the house, is to buy a replacement.

                  Hey You! Make sure you stop by the HTguide Off-Topic section. It's FUN!!!

                  -Thomas-

                  As long as people will accept crap, it will be financially profitable to dispense it.

                  Hey You! Make sure you stop by the HTguide After Midnight section. It's FUN!!!

                  Comment

                  • David Meek
                    Moderator Emeritus
                    • Aug 2000
                    • 8938

                    #10
                    Thomas, we've used a passive (read: extra large) filtration unit on our house system. It's an accordion-shaped filter that is fitted to the return air intake on the unit(s) in the attic. It works really well - as an allergy sufferer too, I understand. The only shortcomings are that it needs to be replaced once a year and costs about $150 each time, so for us it's $300 a pop.




                    David - HTGuide flunky
                    Our "Theater"
                    Our DVDs on DVD Tracker

                    .

                    David - Trigger-happy HTGuide Admin

                    Comment

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