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Compressed Air...

Ronnoco

Ronnoco

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Oct 16, 2007
2,568
522
United States of America
I live in an extremely "dusty" part of the country (the far south west, north coastal San Diego County) where we have our windows open most of the year and this combined with the drier climate and wind and the fact that many of us have fans running much of the year combines for a very "dusty" environment (most homes within a few miles of the coast where I live do not have air conditioning as the ocean breeze acts as "natural air conditioning" most of the year)...I can dust my office twice a week and STILL have some dust just about everywhere a few days later...
I know that "dust" (and salt air) is an enemy of computers and electronics in general. My question is, does using a can of compressed air on the keyboard, around the ventilation outlets behind the MBP and perhaps inside the optical drive slot have any adverse affect on the computer as the air coming out is EXTREMELY cold and tends to leave a bit of water on the surface for a moment...I assume it would be smart to turn the MBP off before I use the compressed air...
any information is greatly appreciated...:)
 
Can of air works fine but don't use it for e.g. SuperDrive as you're just pushing the dust deeper, so it works fine for cleaning the body but I wouldn't use it for cleaning the innards unless you take the bottom off and then clean it (not hard and I would actually do that).
 
Hellhammer said:
Can of air works fine but don't use it for e.g. SuperDrive as you're just pushing the dust deeper, so it works fine for cleaning the body but I wouldn't use it for cleaning the innards unless you take the bottom off and then clean it (not hard and I would actually do that).
Click to expand...

Thank you HH...:)
My biggest concern is under the keyboard and the cracks of the trackpad where dust and other tiny particles can accumulate...
 
Ronnoco said:
Thank you HH...:)
My biggest concern is under the keyboard and the cracks of the trackpad where dust and other tiny particles can accumulate...
Click to expand...

For those, a can of air works fine as they are part of the outer body and thus won't push the dust deeper to innards
 
Try to buy some actual compressed air, you can get this. The stuff you're using is actually compressed chemicals that aren't air.
 
brentsg said:
Try to buy some actual compressed air, you can get this. The stuff you're using is actually compressed chemicals that aren't air.
Click to expand...

Good advice brentsg...I ran out of what I had..IIRC, it was Endust Compressed Air...I'll be sure to check the label of the next can I purchase to make sure it is just "compressed air"...
 
All canned compressed air is a chemical refrigerant rather than air, unless you are buying a scuba tank of air or something. The reason for this is that you can fit a lot more "air" in a much smaller container if it is stored as a liquid. To get any reasonable amount of real air in a small space takes extreme pressure. Scuba tanks hold air at ~3000 PSI, which requires a very strong cylinder. Compressed "air" is a refrigerant that can be liquefied, and the vapor pressure is only ~70PSI, so it can easily be stored in a thin-walled container.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1,1-Difluoroethane

The best alternative to caned air would be CO2 cartridges, but the pressure would be too much for a computer without some kind of regulator. You could probably blow keys off the keyboard with a CO2 cartridge.

Personally I use a 2L soda bottle pressurized with a bike pump, but this method is somewhat dangerous (the bottle could explode), and does not remove moisture from the air. The moisture will condense when the container is depressurized, spraying a little water at the computer. It doesn't really concern me, though. Up to about 60-80PSI is safe, I think.
 
m85476585 said:
All canned compressed air is a chemical refrigerant rather than air, unless you are buying a scuba tank of air or something.
Click to expand...
Maybe I'm missing something, but what's wrong with using a "chemical refrigerant" that's not real air?
 
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