Sony Z fan noise after sing compressed air

So I got my laptop about 3 weeks ago, and I adore it. So, I have been too adamant on keeping it clean... using compressed air.

Thing is, I have used compressed air in the exhaust port even while the computer is turned on (maybe about 10 times or less), and I just read that it's bad for the fan.

Now I don't know if it's just me, but it seems that my fan got louder, so i am worried that I might have damaged something. My computer temperatures seems to be fine.. it idles at low to mid 40s and reaches to 50s under moderate load.

I know it's hard to judge, so I attached a sound clip. It is taken with my iPhone 4, with the mic RIGHT against the exhaust port.

Using an iPhone decibel meter app, with the mic 1 cm away from the exhaust port, it is averaging at 52-54 dB. If I hold the mic to where my head is, it is about 32 dB

Here is the sound clip: View attachment Memo.zip

 

Blowing a jet of compressed air into a fan that's running, in the opposite direction that the fan is already trying to push air, does sound like a pretty good way to break it. Do you try and stick your car in reverse when you're driving 40mph forwards?

Can't listen to your sound clip, although I doubt it would tell me anything anyway, but if it has got noticeably louder then I would be wanting to strip the laptop down and take the fan out to check for split/fractured blades, bearing noise or similar, and possibly replace the fan.

You're probably better off paying someone else to do it unless you really know what you're doing - there will be an awful lot of screws.

 

My 2 week old VPC-Z13 sounds exactly the same. I will just buy a new fan, I'm not letting Sony have it fixed since they told me it will take 3-4 weeks!

 

Thing is, i'm not sure if it's just my imagination or not that it has gotten louder.

Did it sound this way the day you got it?

 

No it was quiet when I first got it, then after 3 days the fan noise started.

 

Anyone else's Z sound like this?

If not, then I might just bring it to warranty..

 

My fan makes many noises... depends on what I'm doing. I can't really tell from your clip (it's just the nature of many sound clips). Does it sound like something is loose? Are you plugged into AC power? I noticed i heard some buzzing when it was plugged in at times... Does it still make the same sound when on battery? Also your temps are very normal.

 

Nothing doesn't sound loose, it's just a soft buzzing sound and it sounds the same whether plugged in or not

 

Why did you do that? Yeah, it's bad for the fan! It's had to work double-time to try and push the hot air out while you were blasting it back in.

As it's new, it was totally unnecessary to use compressed air.

 

The fan might have misaligned from the bearings causing extra noise. You might need to give it a push to re-seat it.

 

I was just being OCD.

What do you mean by a push?

 

bump

Let's see if it's just normal.

 

Spraying compressed air in there can make the fan turn very fast. This can have deleterious effects on the bearing surfaces. If you do need to clean it (say after you've owned it a year or so and have reason to believe that there is too much buildup on the fan blades) it's better to open it up so you can hold the fan from spinning while you blow the air. I would do that with any computer, desktop or laptop, when blowing air at the fan.

 

Yes, I understand what I did was wrong, and what you described was the proper technique, and that is what I would do from now on.

However, at the moment, I just want to know if I need to bring my Z in for a replacement fan.

 

I don't hear any bad noises in that sample you provided. I would say just enjoy your laptop, it's a nice one.