Can I clean my power supply myself?

[E] John · #1 07-27-2009, 09:44

Dear visitor,

PSU's get dusty inside over time. How to clean them without opening them and thus breaking the warranty seal?

Simply use a vacuum cleaner / hoover on maximum power and hold it over the fan grill. There are no loose components inside any PSU, so nothing can get damaged this way and you get a lot (though not all) dust out of it.

I suggest to you to do this every 6 months. This will prolong the lifetime of the PSU and even improve the efficiency a little, since dust would be insulating the interior components and reduce their heat dissipation. (The colder a PSU is, the more efficient it is)

LEAD5510 · #2 10-14-2009, 10:19

what's better a vacuum cleaner or a can of compressed air?

ChrisWierts · #3 10-14-2009, 10:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by LEAD5510

what's better a vacuum cleaner or a can of compressed air?

Compressed air to loosen the dust, then a vacuum to remove the loosened dust.

[E] Joerg · #4 10-14-2009, 10:58

Excellent comment (though vacuum alone helps already a lot, since not everybody has compressed air available (could use a cold air hair dryer, though)

LEAD5510 · #5 10-14-2009, 10:59

Thanks Chris

[E] Paul · #6 10-14-2009, 12:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by LEAD5510

what's better a vacuum cleaner or a can of compressed air?

Compressed air would be easier for cleaning.

Raiden · #7 10-14-2009, 13:43

also using Q-tips/cotton swaps to clean the fans and other stuff because the dirt does get sticky and the usage of a can of compressed air and vacuum may not be enough.

ChrisWierts · #8 10-14-2009, 13:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raiden

also using Q-tips/cotton swaps to clean the fans and other stuff because the dirt does get sticky and the usage of a can of compressed air and vacuum may not be enough.

Indeed, Q-Tips are a life saver especially if you have pet hair in your house. Remember it's always better to keep your case elevated from the floor, especially if you have carpet.

AndrejD · #9 02-03-2010, 07:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by [E] John

Dear visitor,

PSU's get dusty inside over time. How to clean them without opening them and thus breaking the warranty seal?

Simply use a vacuum cleaner / hoover on maximum power and hold it over the fan grill. There are no loose components inside any PSU, so nothing can get damaged this way and you get a lot (though not all) dust out of it.

I suggest to you to do this every 6 months. This will prolong the lifetime of the PSU and even improve the efficiency a little, since dust would be insulating the interior components and reduce their heat dissipation. (The colder a PSU is, the more efficient it is)

You should also block the fan, so that it can`t spin while you use vacuum cleaner. The fans are not designed for such speeds. And you will damage them. No big deal if you destroy them because Enermax uses very low quality fans inside (That`s true for Modu 82+ series). And they will start making noises within few months of runing time.