Preventative Maintenance

[Ed Maloney]

Anyone think that I should clean out the fans?



MiniFans.jpg

During quarterly maintenance I re-align the beam, so I thought I might as well yank the tube to remove the fans as well.

[Gary Hair]

Are they even spinning?

[Bert Kemp]

not just yet I think they can go another 5 years or so Now I'm sure every engraver here is checking their fans today.

They look like the air filter on my truck when they checked it last time I went in for oil, never cleaned or checked it in 10 years , my bad.

[Ed Maloney]

Yes. I never really paid attention to the fans since when they are active I couldn't clearly see they were so clogged up.

[Tim Bateson]

I lay a very thin/breathable filter over my fans. It's not so thick as to cause fan issues or to filter 100%. It's just enough to let the fans breath freely and catch the big dust particles. I wash it out a couple times a year.
Laser Filter.jpg

[Keith Winter]

Wow! Makes me want to take apart and clean my machines right now!

[Frank barry]

Tim is spot on a thin filter is the way to go and very easy to replace Frank

[Michael Kowalczyk]

yikes! Ed hope you are not breathing the rest of the dust that is not captured by your fans.

[Ed Maloney]

I lay a very thin/breathable filter over my fans. It's not so thick as to cause fan issues or to filter 100%. It's just enough to let the fans breath freely and catch the big dust particles. I wash it out a couple times a year.
Laser Filter.jpg

Tim - where do you purchase the filters?

[Ed Maloney]

yikes! Ed hope you are not breathing the rest of the dust that is not captured by your fans.

Hey Mike - Mostly I think it's because of dog hair more than anything else. Our Harrier Hound loves to hang out under my desk during laser time.

[Bert Kemp]

I have a couple of light blue furnace filters the type that hang on the inside of the furnace door , wonder it they would work ok?

[Kev Williams]

Whenever I post pics of something I'm working on or fixing, Dan always tells me I should "clean up that [whatever machine is in the picture]!!"

Yeah, well, my machines may have a good 'surface coat' of guck on 'em all the time, but what no one sees is that the insides of my computers and cooling fans- and there's a lot of them- is what I DO try to keep clean. Not pristine by any means, but I air hose or vacuum fans and their filters quite often. And every so often I'll haul a computer or two and an air hose outside and blow all the dirt out of the housings and power supplies, the heat sink fins, and really especially the processor heat sinks.

My machines could care less about a little grime, but the computers do NOT like running hot..!

This thread is timely, as I have about 3 EP modules and a couple of computers overdue for a CABJ...

[Tim Bateson]

Tim - where do you purchase the filters?

Sorry, I have no clue. Been using this one for nearly 8 years. When it's dirty I throw it in the washing machine & it's as good as new. Feels like some type of synthetic fiber. Not soft at all.

[Wilbur Harris]

Tim - where do you purchase the filters?

Amazon or eBay - search for computer filter or such until you find some you can use. Furnace filter material may be too thick for these small fans.

[Ed Maloney]

Whenever I post pics of something I'm working on or fixing, Dan always tells me I should "clean up that [whatever machine is in the picture]!!"

I thought Dan would be the first one to respond to my post. Guess he's on vacation! :-)