How do you de-Tar an ex-smoker PC?

I bought a Pavilion as a back up off eBay. The prior owner must have
used it as an ashtray. It was amazingly gross. The hood fan had to be
thrown away and I wiped tar off everything and took it all apart. Used
a vac and a blower. The dust mixed with tar for a brown goo. What a
waste of time.

I am trying to put it together and have it in a storage room. the case
is off. When I walk in the room, I get an almost immediate headache
from the tar smell which is weird. I am considering putting it in the
dumpster.

Anyway to clean it? I think CompUsa had a cleaner. Any suggestions.

Tip: If you buy anything off eBay - ask the seller if he is a smoker
before bidding.

You probably want to replace the power supply too. It probably has tar and goo
inside, and power supplies are devilishly hard to clean. There are commercial
cleaners for circuit boards. I'd advise using one. For the non-circuit boards,
start with a mild solvent like isopropyl alcohol... Ben Myers

On 18 May 2005 13:19:23 -0700, "George" <> wrote:

>I bought a Pavilion as a back up off eBay. The prior owner must have
>used it as an ashtray. It was amazingly gross. The hood fan had to be
>thrown away and I wiped tar off everything and took it all apart. Used
>a vac and a blower. The dust mixed with tar for a brown goo. What a
>waste of time.
>
>I am trying to put it together and have it in a storage room. the case
>is off. When I walk in the room, I get an almost immediate headache
>from the tar smell which is weird. I am considering putting it in the
>dumpster.
>
>Anyway to clean it? I think CompUsa had a cleaner. Any suggestions.
>
>Tip: If you buy anything off eBay - ask the seller if he is a smoker
>before bidding.
>

Hi,

George <> wrote:
#Anyway to clean it? I think CompUsa had a cleaner. Any suggestions.

There are various spray liquid electronics cleaners that can safely
flush circuit boards. They all have one thing in common, in the
post-floro-chloro world, they are all expensive, like $5 to $8 for a
tiny can.

#Tip: If you buy anything off eBay - ask the seller if he is a smoker
#before bidding.

Thanks, good idea.

Ken.
--
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I have a friend of mine who is a heavy smoker, and all of his
equipment is like that. You could try really hot water and dishwashing
soap, being easy on the scrubbing action for the electronics. Dry
electronics with compressed air.

If it is a slower system, take the chance to upgrade to a better
board/chip combo.

Ditching the power supply would be HIGHLY recommended, as they can be
a bitch to clean. That and they are cheap to replace.

NeonHomer
CompUSalv Ltd.


On 18 May 2005 13:19:23 -0700, "George" <> wrote:

>I bought a Pavilion as a back up off eBay. The prior owner must have
>used it as an ashtray. It was amazingly gross. The hood fan had to be
>thrown away and I wiped tar off everything and took it all apart. Used
>a vac and a blower. The dust mixed with tar for a brown goo. What a
>waste of time.
>
>I am trying to put it together and have it in a storage room. the case
>is off. When I walk in the room, I get an almost immediate headache
>from the tar smell which is weird. I am considering putting it in the
>dumpster.
>
>Anyway to clean it? I think CompUsa had a cleaner. Any suggestions.
>
>Tip: If you buy anything off eBay - ask the seller if he is a smoker
>before bidding.

What? Water has a corrosive effect on electronics. Better to pull all the
boards, clean the chassis with a cleaning solution (start with isopropyl
alcohol, which is very mild), get a can of the commercial solution used to clean
circuit boards. I agree that the power supply should simply be replaced.

.... Ben Myers

On Mon, 30 May 2005 02:48:08 GMT, NeonHomer <> wrote:

>I have a friend of mine who is a heavy smoker, and all of his
>equipment is like that. You could try really hot water and dishwashing
>soap, being easy on the scrubbing action for the electronics. Dry
>electronics with compressed air.
>
>If it is a slower system, take the chance to upgrade to a better
>board/chip combo.
>
>Ditching the power supply would be HIGHLY recommended, as they can be
>a bitch to clean. That and they are cheap to replace.
>
>NeonHomer
>CompUSalv Ltd.
>
>
>On 18 May 2005 13:19:23 -0700, "George" <> wrote:
>
>>I bought a Pavilion as a back up off eBay. The prior owner must have
>>used it as an ashtray. It was amazingly gross. The hood fan had to be
>>thrown away and I wiped tar off everything and took it all apart. Used
>>a vac and a blower. The dust mixed with tar for a brown goo. What a
>>waste of time.
>>
>>I am trying to put it together and have it in a storage room. the case
>>is off. When I walk in the room, I get an almost immediate headache
>>from the tar smell which is weird. I am considering putting it in the
>>dumpster.
>>
>>Anyway to clean it? I think CompUsa had a cleaner. Any suggestions.
>>
>>Tip: If you buy anything off eBay - ask the seller if he is a smoker
>>before bidding.
>