I'm planning to clean out the dust from my PC tomorrow in my garage. The weather here in the Northeastern US is quite cold and dry, with the garage temperature sitting around 66°F and about 38% humidity—pretty stable conditions for this kind of job. I'll be using an ESD-safe datavac to do the cleaning. My question is: after cleaning the PC in the garage for about 5 to 10 minutes, will bringing it back inside, where it's approximately 10°F warmer and with 5-10% lower humidity, create any risk of condensation? I know that rapid changes in temperature can sometimes lead to condensation issues. Am I worrying too much about this, or is it a valid concern?
3 Answers
Honestly, if this was a problem, winter would be a nightmare for anyone buying computers. You're definitely overthinking it! Just go for it and clean your PC; it'll be fine.
Just a heads-up, make sure to disconnect all the fans before you start blowing dust out. If they're spinning while you do it, they can create feedback that might damage your system.
You don't need to stress about condensation. Think about it: if any random metal or plastic object you leave in your garage doesn't fog up when you bring it inside, your PC should be fine too. The conditions you're describing are actually okay for cleaning.
I was planning on holding the fans in place like I did last time. Disconnecting them seems too tedious.