Laptop fan cleaning recs/advice Dublin

combustible

Hello all

Does anyone have any recommendations for places/people that can clean laptop fans and heat sinks in Dublin? The only estimate I could find was "up to 70 euro" which isn't exactly ideal, seeing as I've to replace the battery soon too
I've a HP630 (I think it's called a notebook but it's not notebook sized, and I use Windows 7), and I know from watching dismantling videos that the fan is one of the last accessible parts of the laptop, so I'm worried that it'll be towards the upper end of the price estimate. I've had it for about 4 1/2 years now so I doubt it's still in warranty, and it was a gift, so I'm not sure if I can take it back to the shop and ask them to do it, if that's even a thing.

TL;DR: HP630 I've been shoving dust into for nearly five years needs cleaning. Even a general price estimate would be appreciated because I'm really not sure what kind of ballpark I'm in here, and while I'm tempted to try it myself, it's not something I'm confident with. Thank you!

Alanstrainor

Definitely not in warranty, and I wouldn't go to any shop like PCWorld looking for them to service it either.

Is there any reason you think it needs work? Is it over heating? Is it possible to use compressed air to perhaps help things even a little?

If the machine is just getting a bit noisy but is otherwise okay, it might be an idea to just live with it, I know it's not a solution, but given the age of the laptop it's probably the most cost effective.

bonzodog2

Fluff and fibres are more to be avoided than dust, they build up into a mat of stuff like you'd clean out of a tumble dryer. Its stops the hot air getting out as well as it should. Does the fan come on a lot? Is the air coming out very warm?
Holding the fan still with a paperclip (stops fan motor acting as a generator) and blowing an airline into it for a couple of seconds (with the laptop OFF !) shouldn't hurt, or sometimes Dealz have "air-in-a-tin" a lot cheaper than Maplin.
You can get programs to monitor the CPU temperature, e.g. CoreTemp or RealTemp, you might need to try a couple to find one that works with yours.

edit: always use it on a hard surface, or even propped up on a couple of pencils, to improve airflow
re the airline/canned air, blow it in the exit vent. If you've a fluff build up this may spread it around inside, which may not be good. Stripdown is best, some laptops allow easy access to fan, some don't.

ED E

Step 1. Air can

if 1 fails

Step 2. Local garage car pump ***

** On a new laptop this is a bad idea, but an uneconomical repair like yours its not a terrible proposition. Problem is theres a small chance of moisture due to condensation within the pump and it probably doesn't have a water trap. The risk is really quite low though especially if you let it sit afterwards.

combustible

thank you all for the replies! sorry for not getting back to this sooner (i had assumed i'd be notified if there were any replies but i'm still kind of new to this ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)

- yes, the laptop does overheat and die on occasion, but that could also be due to the battery's age/not having it plugged in
- the fan pretty much runs all the time, and gets louder when i'm on youtube or other image-heavy sites. i don't mind the noise, but i take it that it can't be a good sign
- i'm a bit wary when it comes to using compressed air because i've heard that they can do more harm than good, plus this laptop seems to have an additional grating behind the regular vent part, so i'm not sure how much use it'll be, but i think it's worth trying, at least
- the air pump thing... almost sounds stupid enough to work. almost.

there's a dealz pretty near me so i might head down today and see if they've any compressed air. thanks again!