Dust paranoia

[pmouritz]

Hello everyone!

I just received my new 2017 iMac 2017 and I am so happy about it bla bla bla!

As the iMac slim models are completely impossible to take apart for a none professional and also risking the warranty, I wondered how one should clean them properly?
I want to take good care of my new machine in order to prolong its lifetime etc. and wondered how it should be handled in regard to dust. I am bit paranoid as my iMac is setting on my desk right next to my bed, meaning that there will be a lot of dust in the room.

I have seen that some use so called 'dust covers' which basically is a cover over the screen to avoid dust settling on the machine and in its in/outlets. However, I think it is a bit silly but if it actually provides extra care and protection in regard to dust, I will use it!

Everybody who has owned an iMac slim model, how is your experience with it in regard to dust? Is it a problem or not a problem?

I am completely paranoid, so someone please tell me that dust will not affect the machine in any harmful way

I apologise if this topic has been covered before but I cannot seem to find any threads. Perhaps, nobody else has been as paranoid as myself

 

[kblbn86]

I'm thinking of taking mine to an Apple Service every two years. They should have air guns and sprays for that sort of thing.

 

[Fishrrman]

Just use it.
Don't worry about the dust.
If it gets some dust on the outside, wipe it off.
If you need a dust cover for it, you aren't using it enough, anyway!

 

[Pakaku]

They're not meant to be opened, you would need to deal with popping the glass off, which is just absurdly inconvenient. So I would definitely consider a filter for the intake, especially if it's not easy to see from the front.

 

[jlseattle]

So, if you want to help reduce dust in your iMac you can get an HEPA air purifier. They are $80 for a good one on amazon.

 

[pmouritz]

So, if you want to help reduce dust in your iMac you can get an HEPA air purifier. They are $80 for a good one on amazon.

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Does sound like a good idea!! That would reduce dust in the entire room right?

Just use it.
Don't worry about the dust.
If it gets some dust on the outside, wipe it off.
If you need a dust cover for it, you aren't using it enough, anyway!

You are absolutely right! Would be annoying to put on and take off ALL THE TIME..

 

[ZMacintosh]

These new iMacs displays and glass panel have very minimal if at all any spacing between the two so you shouldn't have to worry about the dust issues, haven thad any since I've had the newer design since 2012

 

[cynics]

These new iMacs displays and glass panel have very minimal if at all any spacing between the two so you shouldn't have to worry about the dust issues, haven thad any since I've had the newer design since 2012

I believe he's talking about dust inside the iMac pulled in from the fan.

.......

Personally I just recommend using it normally. Years from now, long after the warranties have expired, the Mac isn't worth as much and you are more comfortable opening it you can clean it out then. Even then I wouldn't worry too much about it. Macs tend to stay relatively clean because unlike many desktop PC they will sit on the floor whereas an iMac is up higher and pulling air in from the bottom.

You can get a piece of software to monitor temps. Take a few screen shots with varying ambient temps at idle (fan at 1200RPM for control) and if you feel its not cooling as well years from just compare them.

An air cleaner for the room/house is never a bad idea though.

 

[ZMacintosh]

I took apart a two year old iMac to upgrade the fusion drive and I was as surprised to see a minimal amount of dust for a system that ran 24/7, so I don think it will be too much of an issue, especially with how they have the intake and ventilation out.

 

[RUQRU]

My wife had a 21" 2013 model and dust got sucked in between the glass and the LCD in the lower left and right corners. It had AppleCare. Brought it to the store last Sunday and by Monday it had a brand new clean screen!

 

[mbosse]

These new iMacs displays and glass panel have very minimal if at all any spacing between the two so you shouldn't have to worry about the dust issues, haven thad any since I've had the newer design since 2012

Me too. All post late-2012 iMac I have opened were exceptionally clean inside. Quite in contrast to the thicker ones before. Best, Magnus

 

[PhillyGuy72]

I feel a sense of incredible accomplishment right now, mixed with a sigh of relief. After Friday night, just rendering a small video...my "ancient" iMac just felt downright hot. (Even SMC Fan program would show the temp of the Mac just sitting here was pushing 120-140 degrees. Multi tasking would start to push the temps at 168-175!) It even got to the point this computer would make my entire office hot, heat radiating form the computer alone. So I felt there was no more waiting, I have to attempt this asap or I run the risk of burning this entire thing out.

I did look up videos on YouTube, how to's on removing the LCD screen - step by step which are such a life saver (If you see videos on "how to replace SSD on (insert year) iMac" these will show you also - even though replacing a hard drive is not your intention)

So I finally tackled this dust issue on my iMac last night. For me it kind of felt like surgery...lol I had these Clorox blue rubber gloves on so I wouldn't touch my bare hands against the LCD screen. Removing the 8 screws that keep the LCD screen in place was immediately an issue. I had a shorter T-10 Torx bit...not deep enough to reach inside, so I had to run out and get a longer one at Lowes.

Removed screws, tilted the LCD forward a bit just to look inside and see how bad the dust was. Yeah, it was extremely bad. Now the connections on the screen. Just had to have extreme patience and not force anything removing the connections - especially that ribbon for the display port! Little tricky as a first timer holding that LCD screen..preventing any tugging on the connected cables. I got that off. (whew)

Anyway, yes the dust was like I said just awful. I had a vacuum with a brush handle, but seeing that layout inside, I didn't use that ON the internals inside. I would shoot brief shots of air compressor which created a mess in itself...used the vacuum attachment to suck up the dust cloud.

Took about a good hour for a decent cleaning, fans looked good. the dust in the metal grooves on the logic board was perhaps worse than the fans.

Put it back together, hit power...(mumbled to myself "PLEASE show a white screen, logo!") It did. Booted up, display looked great and so far, so much better! Rendered a video to test it, no high fan RPMs churing, no hot casing. Idle temp is just 65-70, what an insane difference!

So I feel confident now to do this once a year, maybe twice! I have an older home, LOT of dust, especially during the colder dry winters - which is such a hassle. HEPA filters in multiple rooms, but they can only do so much.

 

[Koudspeel]

Ok so I've got a 2012 27" iMac and just used it without any fancy dust protectors of the sort. I must say that I barely notice a difference. There are times whenever I'm using Windows in bootcamp and play some games that the fans start to spin up faster than they used to in the past. But that's about it.

 

[Smoothie]

It's possible that Apple has designed the cooling fan and openings in the iMac to create positive pressure in the case; i.e., more air is pulled into the case than is exhausted out the back. Slightly higher air pressure in the case helps keep a lot of the dust out. Over time, dust will accumulate -- but not as quickly. If you live in a dusty environment, dust will accumulate faster.

 

[T Coma]

Thanks for the detailed info. I've got a 2011 that had really been running hot lately too - similar numbers to what you posted. I'm in the middle of many projects in my old house, and those are situations where I know what I'm doing, unlike cracking open a 27" imac that's been sealed for the last 6+ years. Judging by how dusty this house gets, I can only imagine what the inside of my imac looks like. I've read other posts here with guys talking about using a leaf blower to clean out the opened chassis. Sounds a bit extreme for me.

I feel a sense of incredible accomplishment right now, mixed with a sigh of relief. After Friday night, just rendering a small video...my "ancient" iMac just felt downright hot. (Even SMC Fan program would show the temp of the Mac just sitting here was pushing 120-140 degrees. Multi tasking would start to push the temps at 168-175!) It even got to the point this computer would make my entire office hot, heat radiating form the computer alone. So I felt there was no more waiting, I have to attempt this asap or I run the risk of burning this entire thing out.

I did look up videos on YouTube, how to's on removing the LCD screen - step by step which are such a life saver (If you see videos on "how to replace SSD on (insert year) iMac" these will show you also - even though replacing a hard drive is not your intention)

So I finally tackled this dust issue on my iMac last night. For me it kind of felt like surgery...lol I had these Clorox blue rubber gloves on so I wouldn't touch my bare hands against the LCD screen. Removing the 8 screws that keep the LCD screen in place was immediately an issue. I had a shorter T-10 Torx bit...not deep enough to reach inside, so I had to run out and get a longer one at Lowes.

Removed screws, tilted the LCD forward a bit just to look inside and see how bad the dust was. Yeah, it was extremely bad. Now the connections on the screen. Just had to have extreme patience and not force anything removing the connections - especially that ribbon for the display port! Little tricky as a first timer holding that LCD screen..preventing any tugging on the connected cables. I got that off. (whew)

Anyway, yes the dust was like I said just awful. I had a vacuum with a brush handle, but seeing that layout inside, I didn't use that ON the internals inside. I would shoot brief shots of air compressor which created a mess in itself...used the vacuum attachment to suck up the dust cloud.

Took about a good hour for a decent cleaning, fans looked good. the dust in the metal grooves on the logic board was perhaps worse than the fans.

Put it back together, hit power...(mumbled to myself "PLEASE show a white screen, logo!") It did. Booted up, display looked great and so far, so much better! Rendered a video to test it, no high fan RPMs churing, no hot casing. Idle temp is just 65-70, what an insane difference!

So I feel confident now to do this once a year, maybe twice! I have an older home, LOT of dust, especially during the colder dry winters - which is such a hassle. HEPA filters in multiple rooms, but they can only do so much.

 

[PhillyGuy72]

Thanks for the detailed info. I've got a 2011 that had really been running hot lately too - similar numbers to what you posted. I'm in the middle of many projects in my old house, and those are situations where I know what I'm doing, unlike cracking open a 27" imac that's been sealed for the last 6+ years. Judging by how dusty this house gets, I can only imagine what the inside of my imac looks like. I've read other posts here with guys talking about using a leaf blower to clean out the opened chassis. Sounds a bit extreme for me.

No problem, and lol..no, do not use a leaf blower. I can only imagine the power of that knocking a few critical wires loose and causing other damage. If you suspect theres a lot of dust like I did, I would get at least 2, maybe 3 cans of compressed air. Very important not shake the can or shoot it upside down. Doing so it will shoot out a super frozen icy spray onto the internals of the Mac.

I used a similar video to this to how to open, remove that LCD screen. (This one is for a 2011)

It worked for me perfectly, nice detailed step by step. I tend to get a little flustered with things like this I admit, then the task becomes a nightmare (lousy personal flaw). Just take your time and everything will work out.

It's been 48 hours since I cleaned this out, temp of the CPU is great. Already rendered some videos and it's fine. And no more high RPM sounds from the fans.