What went wrong with the cleaning of your PC?
What went wrong with the cleaning of your PC?
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15/05/24 - 11:44
#1
Hello, I had a rather bothersome experience cleaning my PC this morning. I popped the side off and used an electronic air blower, something I've done several times before without any problems.
Anyway, after about five seconds I noticed I hadn't unplugged the computer, so I continued as usual. I'm always cautious to check for any fan blades nearby and look for movement. I accidentally touched a small part of the GPU board briefly, though it wasn't close to visible circuits.
The room is pretty clean, so it didn’t take long. I inspected the outside of the case and gave a quick blow around the USB ports and connections at the top.
After plugging the PC back in, out of curiosity I left the side panel I removed off and turned it on. About a second later, there was a loud pop and the computer shut down completely.
I realized the circuit breaker for all the wall sockets had tripped, and after some more checking I found the 5-amp fuse in the PC power plug had blown.
I’m shocked the PC came back on without any issues.
I’m confused about what I might have done wrong, but any suggestions would be appreciated since I’m really worried about repeating this now. I cleared the room beforehand, possibly building up some static charge from that, though I did lightly vacuum the exterior with the brush attachment (the PC was plugged in but not connected), which could have been the cause.
Edit: A free USB cable was present throughout the process, having been used to charge my phone before cleaning the PC. It might have been left on the floor near the vacuum cleaner.
It seems the PC and likely other components exceeded the fuse capacity. The fuse might have been inexpensive, worn, damaged, or simply undersized. A fast-acting fuse could help mitigate some of this. There could also be an internal issue within the PSU, such as a short circuit. Static and vacuum cleaners won’t affect the system, as I regularly use them on my PCs and have done so many times. I sometimes power off my PC and clean the GPU with a soft brush. If static is causing problems now, it might be a recent change in Windows 11 that Microsoft introduced? The main concern about static is its extremely low energy level, causing minimal damage to small circuit components, which may remain undetected for years. After prolonged use of the toothbrushes on my GPU, performance remains consistent with previous results. Most static issues affect only minor areas and are shielded from easy access.