Accumulation of dust can do several damages to our computer system, but people are confused about whether dust inside the PSU is harmful or not.
After researching this topic in detail, I am writing this article to give you a clear idea of whether the dust accumulation impacted the Power Supply or not.
Dust Kills The Power Supply
The accumulation of dust particles generates a lot of heat inside the power supply; due to this heat, it lowers the amount of Output power, and this cause also makes the power supply less efficient. If this condition continues, then it ultimately ends up with power supply damage.
Now, we will discuss the topic of how your Power Supply gets damaged by the dust particles in detail. So, keep exploring this.
How is Dust killing Your Power Supply?
The computer can heat up due to several causes, and this heat can cause the power supply to fail and even it can damage the motherboard & other integral parts that are connected to the motherboard.
To protect the computer from overheating, it is vital to ensure good airflow within the computer system. Good air flow Keeps all the hardware components cool.
There are two parts of the computer that plays a huge role in keeping your computer cool, one is the exhaust fans, and another part is the air intake vents.
Generally, two fans keep your system cool one is the processor fan, and another one is the Power Supply fan.
Now, the failure of either fan can bring harmful effects to your computer system and ultimately can cause component failure.
Usually, the failure of the Power Supply fan is not so common; it only fails due to excessive overheating. But the main problem is that dust is sometimes clogged inside the air intake vents, so sufficient air cannot be pulled through the computer to cool components.
So, when this kind of task happens to your Power Supply, the air intake to the Power Supply gets restricted, which can cause the Power Supply to overheat and burn out. This is how your Power Supply overheats due to dust particles, and ultimately it kills your Power Supply and other integral parts like motherboards.
Another thing you need to remember is that not just dust particles, the pet’s hair and carpet fibres could also bring the same problems. Moreover, if you are a heavy smoker, the problem is compounded by smoke particles that often mat the dust and hair, completely blocking airflow.
How To Clean The PSU Dust?
Cleaning the power supply is not that difficult, and you can just kill clean the power supply by following some steps.
But before cleaning the power supply, I would suggest you remove your CPU from the PC case because it would help you to Clean the filter and side of the case properly. So let’s explore how you can clean out your Power Supply-
- First, switch off everything, unhook the Power Supply cord from the wall, and now wait a few minutes before removing the case’s side panel.
- Secondly, unscrew your Power Supply from the PC case, and once you unscrew the screws, then your PSU will be free from the case and then unplug the Power Supply cord from the motherboard, storage devices and other cords.
- Thirdly, arrange some things for cleaning, like dust off container, microfiber cloth and paper towels. Don’t use other things because they tend to leave particles on the surface. Also remember that using a vacuum is not recommended.
- Now, clean the intake and exhaust ports or the Power Supply carefully. Make sure the dust is completely removed from the PSU parts.
- Lastly, wipe down the PSU’s casing with a microfiber towel, and wipe it from top to bottom.
If you are still confused about cleaning, watch this video-
How To Protect The PSU From Dust?
Yes! It is possible to protect your power supply from dust particles, and there are mainly two ways in which you can protect your power supply from dust particles. Here we will look at how you can protect the Power Supply from dust and severe damage. So, let’s started-
Applying Cover
The first thing you can do to protect your power supply from dust particles is to provide a shield to the power supply by applying a cover. But the problem is that air moves in all directions, and providing an above shield is not enough.
Another problem with applying this method is heat removal. Removing heat is really important because it keeps our power supply cool.
Now, If you cover the power supply, then the ambient air will not pass sufficiently, which would cause overheating issues.
Although it is a suggestion to protect your power supply from dust particles, experts don’t recommend using this method because it will increase the heat inside your component.
Now, we will look at the second method; hopefully, this 2nd method will be helpful for you.
Remove Dust From The Source
This is the best method to protect your power supply from dust; you just have to remove the dust from its source.
There are a couple of ways in which you can do this: Firstly, clean your room air using filters; secondly, if you have an AC system, then clean its filter.
Thirdly, change your living habits to reduce dirt/dust from outside. Moreover, the final thing you can do is consume or quit smoking because it’s chemicals-based air will harm your Power Supply.
These are both the ways in which you can protect your power supply from dust and other polluted things.
But if you don’t apply any of these methods, then you have to get a vacuum and clean the dust at least 5 to 6 times in a year.
Can Dust Affect The Power Output of A PSU?
Yes! Dust could affect the power output of the Power Supply because excessive dust limits the performance of the intake fans.
Now, Suppose the fan can’t blow enough air due to the accumulation of dust particles. In that case, your Power Supply may get warmer, and during this process, if your Power Supply controller is smart enough, it will limits the output power due to the increased temperature.
Can Dust Fry A PSU?
Generally, dust damages the components inside the Power Supply, but it won’t fry your Power Supply. Dust accumulation can increase the heat inside the PSU and computer system and also make your PSU less efficient.
Final Verdict
At the end of this article, I want to summarize everything that dust can bring severe damage to computer systems, including Power Supply failure. Therefore, cleaning the Power Supply as frequently as possible is important.
Moreover, by cleaning your room, air conditioner and quitting smoking, you can also protect the Power Supply from dust.
I hope this article gives you an idea of how dust is killing your Power Supply and how you can clean the dust from your Power Supply. Keep following this blog regularly to know more about the Power Supply, Motherboards, PC cases and other PC components.
