# Is it a bad idea to blow compressed air into the laptop exhaust to clean it out?



## ShangWang (May 23, 2021)

Hi all,









I was cleaning my fans the other day using compressed air for the first time and did a good cleaning of the fans after this picture. I was not sure if I could blow air into the exhaust to get it out because I saw some videos of people who did that.

Is this a bad idea? Should you only blow air out of the exhausts?


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## SpywareDr (Jun 15, 2013)

Blowing compressed air into the exhaust vents does disperse the dust/dirt/hair back into the laptop. It can also damage the fan bearings if the fan(s) spin to fast.


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## Bill_Bright (Dec 17, 2004)

ShangWang said:


> Is this a bad idea? Should you only blow air out of the exhausts?


Since you have the notebook open, it does not matter. But there are a couple precautions.

1. Take the computer outside. No need to blow all that crud back into the room air where the computer's fans will suck it back into the computer.​2. Hold the fan blades stationary while blasting. Compressed air (even from a can of dusting gas) can cause the fan to spin faster than designed. And that will, at best, put excessive wear and tear on the bearing. At worst, it can cause the bearings to seize. Not good. I use a wooden glue/Popsicle stick to hold them still. Another plus to holding the blades still is there is no worry about blowing into the intake or exhaust!​
I see SpywareDr snuck in here while I was typing. The only thing I will add to his comment is with this being a laptop, I agree blowing into the exhaust would not be ideal "IF" you had not opened the case and fully exposed the interior. But assuming that screenshot is your laptop, blowing into the exhaust is not a problem.


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## ShangWang (May 23, 2021)

Bill_Bright said:


> Since you have the notebook open, it does not matter. But there are a couple precautions.
> 
> 1. Take the computer outside. No need to blow all that crud back into the room air where the computer's fans will suck it back into the computer.​2. Hold the fan blades stationary while blasting. Compressed air (even from a can of dusting gas) can cause the fan to spin faster than designed. And that will, at best, put excessive wear and tear on the bearing. At worst, it can cause the bearings to seize. Not good. I use a wooden glue/Popsicle stick to hold them still. Another plus to holding the blades still is there is no worry about blowing into the intake or exhaust!​
> I see SpywareDr snuck in here while I was typing. The only thing I will add to his comment is with this being a laptop, I agree blowing into the exhaust would not be ideal "IF" you had not opened the case and fully exposed the interior. But assuming that screenshot is your laptop, blowing into the exhaust is not a problem.


I see, thanks! I'll try blowing out the dust from the exhaust the next time I have to clean.

On a side note, I was opening my laptop to install a new NVMe for the first time and tried inserting it flat with slight pressure by accident. Inserting it at 30 degrees should've been the call.

Good news is NVMe works fine and was installed properly when it sprang to 45 degrees.

Do you know if these connectors can take pressure when inserted flat by accident? I'm worried I might have damaged or worn it out. 

This was because while installing windows the screen turned black or a split second, this might have been because I still had my faulty HDD still plugged in but I'm not sure.


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## Bill_Bright (Dec 17, 2004)

ShangWang said:


> Do you know if these connectors can take pressure when inserted flat by accident? I'm worried I might have damaged or worn it out.


They can wear out, but typically only after many many connects and disconnects. As far as damage by inserting it wrong, I would say if it didn't break when you did it that time, it probably is fine now. And since it is working, I would say it didn't break. Now go buy a lottery ticket!


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## ShangWang (May 23, 2021)

Bill_Bright said:


> They can wear out, but typically only after many many connects and disconnects. As far as damage by inserting it wrong, I would say if it didn't break when you did it that time, it probably is fine now. And since it is working, I would say it didn't break. Now go buy a lottery ticket!


Thank you, as for momentary black screens during a clean install is that normal? It happened during the last customization selection.


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## Bill_Bright (Dec 17, 2004)

During installs? Yes, that is normal.


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## ShangWang (May 23, 2021)

Bill_Bright said:


> During installs? Yes, that is normal.


Thanks, one more thing I'd like to ask is do you know what those little foam pieces on a laptop are for? One piece in particular which was beside my old HDD fell off, it was at most 1cm length and width and was green.

I don't think it was an important piece and I don't use the SATA port anymore either.

Are these important for the laptop at all or is it safe for pieces of foam to fall off?


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## Bill_Bright (Dec 17, 2004)

I am afraid I don't know what foam pieces you are referring to. But I have seen them used to help hold batteries, battery covers, or other devices firmly in place, so the devices don't move or bounce around during transport. Such movements might cause excessive wear and tear on connectors.


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## ShangWang (May 23, 2021)

Bill_Bright said:


> I am afraid I don't know what foam pieces you are referring to. But I have seen them used to help hold batteries, battery covers, or other devices firmly in place, so the devices don't move or bounce around during transport. Such movements might cause excessive wear and tear on connectors.


I see, nothing important then since I don't use the sata port anymore. 
I checked my NVMe SSD to re-insert it in case I did it wrong the first time. 

It's good now but I just remembered I forgot to hold down the SSD while I was screwing it in, so I believe it's flat right now but maybe has some room to "wiggle."

As long as it's screwed in fully it should be fine right? Would the SSD work normally even if it was slightly angled?


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## johnwill (Sep 26, 2002)

SSD's or even normal hard disks don't care what angle they're mounted at, they should run in any orientation.


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## coldiron (Dec 4, 2011)

ShangWang said:


> Hi all,
> 
> View attachment 331701
> 
> ...


The fans will explode if spun too fast, be very careful.


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## Bill_Bright (Dec 17, 2004)

I agree with johnwill. The drives don't care what angle they are mounted at. The main thing to worry about there is the the connectors are fully inserted, tight and secure. 

As far as wiggling causing problems, SSDs are very light so I doubt that would ever be a problem (again, assuming the connections are fully inserted). Drive, I suppose, could be a problem, if you were using the computer in a laptop while traveling down a bumpy road, and the connector was not fully inserted or loose. 

BTW, there is some debate about changing the angle of operation on "hard" drives that have been in one orientation for many years. For example, some claim if the drive sat in a flat, horizonal position for long periods of time, the spin motor's bearing might create a specific wear pattern in the bearing's channel (due to the effects of gravity). And if you move the drive to a vertical orientation, or flip it over, gravity now, pulling down at a different angle, might result in accelerated wear in those bearing channels. I suppose, in theory, this might be an issue. But i personally feel in this case, "in theory" does not jive with the real world. 



coldiron said:


> The fans will explode if spun too fast, be very careful.


Explode?  No they won't. That's a bit silly. Please read Item #2 in my post #3 above to learn what really "might" happen if you allow the fans to spin beyond design limits.


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## coldiron (Dec 4, 2011)

Bill_Bright said:


> I agree with johnwill. The drives don't care what angle they are mounted at. The main thing to worry about there is the the connectors are fully inserted, tight and secure.
> 
> As far as wiggling causing problems, SSDs are very light so I doubt that would ever be a problem (again, assuming the connections are fully inserted). Drive, I suppose, could be a problem, if you were using the computer in a laptop while traveling down a bumpy road, and the connector was not fully inserted or loose.
> 
> ...


LOL, well give it a try! Then you will see.


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## Bill_Bright (Dec 17, 2004)

Ummm, yeah right. You can follow the link in my signature to see if I might have a clue about how this stuff works.


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## coldiron (Dec 4, 2011)

Bill_Bright said:


> Ummm, yeah right. You can follow the link in my signature to see if I might have a clue about how this stuff works.


The fans are plastic, how many RPMs will they stand? compressed air will spin them to over 15,000 rpm and they will fly apart. This will also blow up a ball bearing, I have seen the steel ball bearings take our windows in a car by a guy blowing compressed air into the bearing until it exploded, only takes 10 seconds. I have certificates in engineering. Did your mama name Billie bright?


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## Bill_Bright (Dec 17, 2004)

You can always tell when someone is exaggerating or even totally making up what they are saying - they resort to personal insults to make themselves feel more significant. 

Regardless your anecdotal examples and claims to expertise, the advice to hold fans stationary when blasting with compressed air was given 2 days ago.

Time to move on.


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