Abysmal Vapor
Supersniffer 2000 - robot fart detection device
I and few other people are advising over and over again trough the years to members - not to use canned air for cleaning stuff that is to be to inhaled trough,often only to see someone else mentioning that he cleaned his vape with it two pages later. That is why i decided to start a thread and probably will put a link in my signature for a while ,so it can get exposure.
There are two main things that present danger to you and your equipment.
First thing is that all cans that store corrosive gasses are threated with a lubricant and it can shoot balls of it on occasion. If you feel like getting lipid pneumonia from vaping grease,please be my guest.
Second and more concering thing is the actual composition of the so called canned "air".
I have seen a couple of users complain trough the years that after using canned air,they started noticing robot fart smell and/or additive chemical taste. As a bonus to grease you get :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitterant
A bitterant (or bittering agent) is a chemical that is added to a product to make it smell or taste bitter. Bitterants are commonly used as aversive agents to discourage the inhalation or ingestion of toxic substances.
AIR DUSTER IS NOT “CANNED AIR”
Most aerosol duster contains a refrigerant/propellant that cannot be considered “air”. As a matter of fact, breathing too much of these vapors can lead to negative health effects. Compressed Air Duster is most commonly filled with the following propellants:
In my opinion it is much better to vaccum clean compared to blowing trough your equipment. You want stuff to get out not to get in.. Remember that even compressors use crumbly rubber hoses and lubricants on the pumps and fans or whatever is powering them.
Also so of them seem to be unsafe for the environment.
Environmental impacts
Global warming: Difluoroethane (HFC-152a), trifluoroethane (HFC-143a), and completely non-flammable tetrafluoroethane (HFC-134a) are potent greenhouse gases. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the global warming potential (GWP) of HFC-152a, HFC-143a, and HFC-134a are 124, 4470, and 1430, respectively.[5] GWP refers to global warming effect in comparison to CO2 for unit mass. 1 kg of HFC-152a is equivalent to 124 kg of CO2[6]
Ozone layer depletion: Gas dusters sold in many countries are ozone safe as they use "zero ODP" (zero ozone depletion potential) gases; tetrafluoroethane, for example, has insignificant ODP. This is a separate issue from the global warming concern.
Not trying to judge anyone,please use canned air if you like,but please consider the above.
Stay safe !
There are two main things that present danger to you and your equipment.
First thing is that all cans that store corrosive gasses are threated with a lubricant and it can shoot balls of it on occasion. If you feel like getting lipid pneumonia from vaping grease,please be my guest.
Second and more concering thing is the actual composition of the so called canned "air".
I have seen a couple of users complain trough the years that after using canned air,they started noticing robot fart smell and/or additive chemical taste. As a bonus to grease you get :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitterant
A bitterant (or bittering agent) is a chemical that is added to a product to make it smell or taste bitter. Bitterants are commonly used as aversive agents to discourage the inhalation or ingestion of toxic substances.
AIR DUSTER IS NOT “CANNED AIR”
Most aerosol duster contains a refrigerant/propellant that cannot be considered “air”. As a matter of fact, breathing too much of these vapors can lead to negative health effects. Compressed Air Duster is most commonly filled with the following propellants:
- HFC-134a – Nonflammable, most common for industrial applications when spraying energized circuits because of the risk of a spark lighting a flammable material. It is under close scrutiny because it has a Global Warming Potential (GWP) of 1400, so 1400 times the impact of CO2. On the back label, look for “1,1,1,2-Tetrafluoroethane” or CAS #811-97-2
- HFC-152a – Most commonly available duster in consumer retail because it is less expensive than HFC-134a. It is flammable, and will ignite when concentrated (i.e. in liquid form) and exposed to a spark or flame. HFC-152a has the advantage of a lower GWP (130) than HFC-134a. On the back label, look for “1,1-difluoroethane” or CAS #75-37-6
- HFO-1234ze – This is a newer, nonflammable material introduced in the last 10-years as a very low GWP alternative (<1) to HFC-134a. It is non-flammable and is almost indistinguishable from HFC-134a when sprayed, but unfortunately at a much higher price. On the back label, look for “trans- 1,3,3,3-Tetrafluoropropene” or CAS #29118-24-9
- CO2. It's as not as common because the spray force is not consistent. Because of the higher pressure, it comes in small, low capacity cartridges. The spray force diminishes as the cartridge is empty. On the back label, look for “carbon dioxide” or CAS #124-38-9
- DME – DME is rarely used and in many areas cannot be legally used because of safety and environmental concerns. DME is extremely flammable and is a VOC (volatile organic compound), which can contribute to smog. All of the other duster alternatives do not contain VOCs. On the back label, look for “Dimethyl ether” or CAS #115-10-6.
Industrial Duster Is Not The Same As Retail/Consumer Duster
Customers looking for the lowest price often look to consumer retailers. Consumer duster is designed to be as cheap as possible, sometimes imported from outside the US, but aren’t designed for industrial use and may raise concerns:- Retail duster generally contains HFC-152a – Look on the back of a can of aerosol hairspray, and you’ll generally find propane (the same propane as in your gas grill) or butane (the same butane in a Bic lighter). These chemicals are used because they are cheap, not because they are safe. In industrial markets, safety is a top concern, with careful oversight by OSHA (in the US specifically). Because of this, HFC-134a is more widely accepted in industrial markets, even at a higher price
- Purity can be questionable – Industrial buyers rely on trusted industrial brands because the quality is closely controlled. The material is highly filtered and controls are in place to avoid moisture and other contamination
- Additives to prevent huffing – Many retail dusters have bitterant added to prevent huffing. When duster is used in the home, there is concern that the material will be purposely inhaled (called “huffing” or “dusting”) by minors, which can sometimes lead to tragic consequences. To avoid this, bitterant is added to make the duster taste bad. This same bitterant can lead to unwanted and potentially harmful residues on sensitive surfaces like electronic circuit boards
- Shop air – In an industrial setting, dropping an airline is very common. In this case, a compressor constantly keeps the line pressurized with air. It can be an economical way to blow off dust, dirt and other contaminants, but you are tethered by the airline. This gets to be impractical for field work or in-house work that requires more flexibility. In addition, contamination can be brought through the airline from ambient air or oil from the compressor.
- Mechanical dusters – Plug-in or battery operator dusters are available. They can offer savings compared to aerosol dusters, which must be replaced after each can is spent. The actual spray force can be as low as 60-70% less than an aerosol duster, and they can be as loud as 90 kB (similar to the volume of a lawnmower)
In my opinion it is much better to vaccum clean compared to blowing trough your equipment. You want stuff to get out not to get in.. Remember that even compressors use crumbly rubber hoses and lubricants on the pumps and fans or whatever is powering them.
Also so of them seem to be unsafe for the environment.
Environmental impacts
Global warming: Difluoroethane (HFC-152a), trifluoroethane (HFC-143a), and completely non-flammable tetrafluoroethane (HFC-134a) are potent greenhouse gases. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the global warming potential (GWP) of HFC-152a, HFC-143a, and HFC-134a are 124, 4470, and 1430, respectively.[5] GWP refers to global warming effect in comparison to CO2 for unit mass. 1 kg of HFC-152a is equivalent to 124 kg of CO2[6]
Ozone layer depletion: Gas dusters sold in many countries are ozone safe as they use "zero ODP" (zero ozone depletion potential) gases; tetrafluoroethane, for example, has insignificant ODP. This is a separate issue from the global warming concern.
Not trying to judge anyone,please use canned air if you like,but please consider the above.
Stay safe !
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I figured one shouldn't inhale the contents, but didn't realize potential residue from usage, thanks for the heads up!
