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Ok, so we all know to use compressed air to blast the dust out of small hard to reach places. But, sometimes that does not do the trick. Fans are usually fine without cleaning, but here is a trick that may save you purchasing a new fan because the old one broke. This is especially helpful if you have some sort of long haired creature (dog, cat, yourself, etc.) near your PC. So, for those who don't know, here is an easy way to open up many fans for easy cleaning/modding.
Disclaimer: I have only done this with regular case fans (mine are lian li fans), so proceed with care if you choose to disassemble your expensive fans. See Marin's post below for more info.
Tools needed:
Tweezers
Stout pin (I used a thumb tack)
First step is to get a fan:
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Now you need to peel the sticker off the front. Be sure to save the sticker to re-apply.
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This is what it will look like without the sticker. You should see a little plastic washer inside the hole. It was hard to get a good pic, but that washer has a small cut through it. This is where it gets tricky. Stick the pin down inside the crack and try and pry it apart.
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Get the tweezers and grab the washer. Be careful pulling it out, as it is spring loaded. You may want to put your hand over it, as the washer may fly out across your room never to be seen again (and you NEED the washer). If you loose it, you may be able to find one at a hardware store (or just pull one off of an old fan you don't use).
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After the washer is out, you can pull out the bearing and spring.
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The blades just pull off after this. Now spray out the inside with compressed air and unwrap anything that got wound around the fan. You can probably add/remove LEDs as well if you wish. Also, if your fan is rattling, I fixed that once by filing down a little burr that had developed on the fan hub.
To re attach, just do the above in reverse order. Remember to put the spring back in before putting the bearing on. If you wish, you may apply a bit of fan oil at this time. It is a little tough to get the washer back on, but I found it best to push the spring/bearing down with the pin while pushing the washer down with the tweezers (again, be careful, as it can fly off if you release it). Now put the sticker back on (to prevent dust from getting in the bearings as easily). If you lost the sticker, tape should work fine.
So there ya go! Enjoy your clean fan! If you see anything missing/wrong, let me know and I will add it.
Disclaimer: I have only done this with regular case fans (mine are lian li fans), so proceed with care if you choose to disassemble your expensive fans. See Marin's post below for more info.
Tools needed:
Tweezers
Stout pin (I used a thumb tack)
First step is to get a fan:
Now you need to peel the sticker off the front. Be sure to save the sticker to re-apply.
This is what it will look like without the sticker. You should see a little plastic washer inside the hole. It was hard to get a good pic, but that washer has a small cut through it. This is where it gets tricky. Stick the pin down inside the crack and try and pry it apart.
Get the tweezers and grab the washer. Be careful pulling it out, as it is spring loaded. You may want to put your hand over it, as the washer may fly out across your room never to be seen again (and you NEED the washer). If you loose it, you may be able to find one at a hardware store (or just pull one off of an old fan you don't use).
After the washer is out, you can pull out the bearing and spring.
The blades just pull off after this. Now spray out the inside with compressed air and unwrap anything that got wound around the fan. You can probably add/remove LEDs as well if you wish. Also, if your fan is rattling, I fixed that once by filing down a little burr that had developed on the fan hub.
To re attach, just do the above in reverse order. Remember to put the spring back in before putting the bearing on. If you wish, you may apply a bit of fan oil at this time. It is a little tough to get the washer back on, but I found it best to push the spring/bearing down with the pin while pushing the washer down with the tweezers (again, be careful, as it can fly off if you release it). Now put the sticker back on (to prevent dust from getting in the bearings as easily). If you lost the sticker, tape should work fine.
So there ya go! Enjoy your clean fan! If you see anything missing/wrong, let me know and I will add it.
