Will compressed air work?

I have an LG E300 laptop with an Intel Core 2 Duo T5750. It has been running hot the past few months. I have already tried undervolting but that didn't really lower the temperatures that much.

I believe the fan is partially clogged with dust and I was thinking of using compressed air to clean it. But as in the pictures below, the ventilation holes have only 1mm spacings. Would using compressed air work to clean out the dust?

I'd rather not have to open up the laptop because of the warranty and I don't want to ruin anything. I already have the laptop on an angle so there is space beneath and I'd rather not get a cooling pad since I do take my laptop with me sometimes.

 

No, you should not use compressed air, but not for that reason. Compressed air does come with tiny straws that you can use to direct the air. However, spraying it in without opening up the laptop and holding the fan steady could cause the fan to spin past its design speed, damaging it. Also, you don't want to disperse the dust throughout the internals of your laptop.

 

Insert a needle through the ventilation holes to stop the fan during cleaning. If you blow compressed air directly onto the fan, it may start rotating at crazy speeds which may render it useless. I have heard a few people who screwed the fan bearings with compressed air..


--

 

all i can do is agree with those who posted prior. compressed air can burn out your bearings if you are not careful

 

Perhaps you can suggest an alternative, since the OP wishes to refrain from taking his laptop apart due to warranty issues?

To the original poster, go ahead and use compressed air with a straw attached. Ensure that you stabilize the fan so that it does not rotate while you are spraying the air. A needle, as mentioned earlier, will do the trick. Please note that you do not want to shake the can of compressed air or hold the can of air upside down while spraying air into the laptop's vent.

 

Air compressors are safe to use as long as you are not blowing ridiculously high pressure air.

As mentioned a needle works, a toothpick will work too if it fits. You want to stick a object in there so that the compressed air does not over spin the fan. This can cause premature fan death, or fan bearings to come out. Preventing the fan from spinning protects the fan.

If you are using compressed air cans you can buy, those are fine. Just keep the can facing vertically so that the propellant does not escape.

If you are using a air compressor with an electric or gasoline engine, limit the output to less than 100psi. You can limit it via a nozzle, or simply charge up the compressor and unplug it. Than use the compressed air charged in the tank.

Another option is to give your fan vent a good blow. Make sure your mouth is dry and you can clean it out pretty well.

K-TRON

 

I agree with all the posters. I serve as live evidence (of stupidity?. ignorance, for sure)

I blew air-in-a-can directly into my fan and destroyed my fan bearing. Lenovo replaced it under warranty though!

 

when you kill the bearings, what symptoms would it have?

 

Besides hurting the fan, the fan creating voltage (as its just a generator basically) can damage other components esp if its spinning in reverse.

Forget the weak can stuff it cant clean a dust bunny off, let alone clogged up stuck on dust, get a air compressor with an air tool and use something to keep the fan from moving.

 

The fan may not work at all, or make grinding noises when spinning.

 

Oh lol then I did that before to a video card fan
I took it apart to clean and oil (yeah probably bad but that was long ago when I was noob) it and just assumed dust got into the bearings

 

Actually, that may not be a good idea...depending. Some air compressors with tanks will allow condensation build up, resulting in forcing not only air but moisture into your PC.

Even some compressed air cans will have moisture in them (check for "Moisture free" on the label). like this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16899888208

Personally, I use something like this:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1032128&CatId=41

Probably more expensive than the OP wants for his single use

 

eh, I have no problem with air compressors as long as you limit the PSI and don't over spin the fan.. There is a ton of moisture in the air in many areas of the US as is.

 

I agree with K-tron and Dillio.

Keep the compressor around 25 PSI and you should be fine.

and just spray in bursts if you want to be more cautious.

 

I'm not concerned about the moisture in the air--my only point is that a compressor tank can result in excessive moisture.

 

Thanks for all your suggestions, bought a can of compressed air yesterday and cleaned the fan. Temperatures are a lot better now, almost 10C improvement. I was a little worried about the moisture since the can started sweating more than I do.

I may have gone a little overboard though, I did end up using almost half the can to clean it.

 

The can is supposed to get hot and moisture is supposed to build. It is an exothermic reaction

I sometime get endothermic and exothermic confused, so its one of them

K-TRON

 

wow the hole were the fan sucks in air is very limited...i knoe u said u dont want to open the laptop but it maybe necessary to replace the thermal paste otherwise u wont see any change in temps and buy a notebook cooler just to use at home u dont have to carry it with you...

 

Well, if the OP is worried about warranty issues when opening up his laptop to clean the dust out, I would recommend that he use the can of compressed air once every month or so. Hopefully this will mitigate future problems where he will ultimately have to open his laptop in order to clean it out.

 

The can gets cold, not hot. The release of pressure while the can maintains its volume results in a decrease in temperature. You could say the can is exothermic.