Entertainment Center: TVs, Stereos, VCRs and DVDs - Appliance Cleaning
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Pat Fox
05-12-01, 02:32 AM
I have been doing a lot of drywall repair and the dust has invaded my VCR, TV, computer and satellite dish receiver. I was wondering if there was a safe way to remove the dust from the inside of these units. We were going to take them to the repair shop for cleaning, but this can get quite expensive, any suggestions would be appreciated. Pat
Smokey
05-12-01, 06:17 AM
Good Morning, Pat Fox:
It's a shame you didn't have the forethought to protect these sensitive units from the influx of drywall dust. This form of dust is usually very destructive to electronic components.
Of the three, only the VCR should be sent to the shop for cleaning. Cleaning has to be very thorough on this unit to ensure the dust is cleared from the head assembly and drive bearings of the pinch rollers, etc. There's grease in the VCR and the addition of drywall dust makes it into a grinding compound. If you run the unit, it will suffer badly. Considering the costs of shop repairs, it may well be less expensive to just replace the unit.
In the case of the receivers, it is not as serious. Take off the cover of the receiver (with the unit unplugged, of course). Use a soft bristled brush to work the dust loose while holding a vacuum cleaner nozzle close in. The vacuum should remove the bulk of it. If it won't come loose, you can use denatured alcohol as a solvent. (Not rubbing alcohol....it has oil in it). You can buy a can of "compressed air" (used to clean computer keyboards) and jar the dust loose.
In the case of the television set, it has to be unplugged and shut down for 24 hours to ensure the high voltages have bled down to zero. Encountering a jolt of 25-45,000 volts is a startling experience.
Again, cleaning procedures parallel the receiver and can be achieved with very little effort.
If you have a small air compressor around, you can take the units outside the house and use compressed air to blow the bulk of the dust out of the units. Set the pressure on the compressor to about 40-50 psi.
Next time, wrap everything in plastic before doing drywall work. Best course of action is to remove the units to a safe area until it is all over.
Smokey ;)
It's a shame you didn't have the forethought to protect these sensitive units from the influx of drywall dust. This form of dust is usually very destructive to electronic components.
Of the three, only the VCR should be sent to the shop for cleaning. Cleaning has to be very thorough on this unit to ensure the dust is cleared from the head assembly and drive bearings of the pinch rollers, etc. There's grease in the VCR and the addition of drywall dust makes it into a grinding compound. If you run the unit, it will suffer badly. Considering the costs of shop repairs, it may well be less expensive to just replace the unit.
In the case of the receivers, it is not as serious. Take off the cover of the receiver (with the unit unplugged, of course). Use a soft bristled brush to work the dust loose while holding a vacuum cleaner nozzle close in. The vacuum should remove the bulk of it. If it won't come loose, you can use denatured alcohol as a solvent. (Not rubbing alcohol....it has oil in it). You can buy a can of "compressed air" (used to clean computer keyboards) and jar the dust loose.
In the case of the television set, it has to be unplugged and shut down for 24 hours to ensure the high voltages have bled down to zero. Encountering a jolt of 25-45,000 volts is a startling experience.
Again, cleaning procedures parallel the receiver and can be achieved with very little effort.
If you have a small air compressor around, you can take the units outside the house and use compressed air to blow the bulk of the dust out of the units. Set the pressure on the compressor to about 40-50 psi.
Next time, wrap everything in plastic before doing drywall work. Best course of action is to remove the units to a safe area until it is all over.
Smokey ;)
Pat Fox
05-13-01, 05:06 AM
I would like to thank you for your reply, it has been very helpful. I did cover all the units, but obviously not well enough. Thanks again. Pat
Smokey
05-13-01, 07:49 AM
Good Morning, Pat Fox:
I thought you might have covered them but I am honor bound to point it out as a courtesy. The dust is almost human in nature and gets into everything. Before the invention of white boards, we used to get tons of equipment in from the schools that were full of chalk from the blackboards.
Come back and visit us again if we can be of service.
Smokey ;)
I thought you might have covered them but I am honor bound to point it out as a courtesy. The dust is almost human in nature and gets into everything. Before the invention of white boards, we used to get tons of equipment in from the schools that were full of chalk from the blackboards.
Come back and visit us again if we can be of service.
Smokey ;)