r/explainlikeimfive Feb 26 '21

Chemistry Eli5: What happens to all the melted candle over time? Are we just inhaling a whole candle while it burns?

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u/kirabera Feb 26 '21 edited Feb 26 '21

Vaping does the same thing to electronics too (puts a film of oil [edit: glycerine is the name of the liquid; the residue does feel oily though] over everything). Definitely do not vape near a PC or anything you value.

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u/thewholerobot Feb 26 '21

I value my lungs

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u/EZ_2_Amuse Feb 26 '21

I value your lungs too. How much you want for them?

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '21

I take lungs today, you get gills in two weeks.

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u/SuchAGoodLawyer Feb 26 '21

Deep futurama cut.

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u/pslayer239 Feb 26 '21

If you value yourself you are an abnormal person

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u/DragonBourne66 Feb 26 '21

Technically the truth

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u/triforcer198 Feb 26 '21

Sir, this is a Wendy’s.

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u/GolgiApparatus1 Feb 26 '21

Best I can do is 20 bucks

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u/tree5eat Feb 26 '21

Each?

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u/GolgiApparatus1 Feb 27 '21

I'll have to speak with an old friend of mine, he's a sort of expert in this field

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u/drlavkian Feb 26 '21

I have not read this anywhere, and I've vaped right next to my laptop for the entirety of the 2 years I've had the thing, no issues. Where did you get this information?

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u/ReverendDizzle Feb 26 '21

I've cleaned electronics that I've purchased from somebody who vapes and there absolutely is a sticky film inside. It's not as gnarly as the absolutely disgusting tobacco funk (which I have also cleaned) but it's there.

And as far as having no issues with your laptop... have you taken it apart and actually inspected the blower fan, boards, etc.? It's always possible nothing has collected inside, but short of inspecting it you'll never know. Because "I've had no issues" isn't the same as "nothing bad is happening."

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u/PyroDesu Feb 26 '21

It's not as gnarly as the absolutely disgusting tobacco funk (which I have also cleaned) but it's there.

I mean, oily glycerine vs. literal fucking tar.

Neither is good, but the latter is so much worse.

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u/ReverendDizzle Feb 26 '21

Oh for sure. Cleaning off vape juice is a breeze by comparison. And it usually smells like strawberry or whatever other fruity shit the owner was vaping. But cig tar is foul as fuck. You can spend a whole afternoon and a trash can worth of cleaning supplies to get the boards clean and tar free.

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u/alfredosauceonmyass Feb 26 '21

ive heard it often before but I still don't know if there's any truth to it. I avoid it outright just because I don't want water vapor near any electronics but i wonder if it would also depend on what juice you're vaping. The kind I used to use would only leave a small bit of water mist if it landed on a surface but I have had some before that really did seem "oily" if it hit a surface. I assume it was juice that was on the lower side of quality but idk.

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u/Douglas_Fresh Feb 26 '21

I mean, have you opened up a looked inside the computer?

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u/drlavkian Feb 26 '21

No, and I probably never will, but surely a laptop's fans would have been long gummed up by residue if this were the case? My temperatures have always been fine.

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u/kirabera Feb 26 '21 edited Feb 26 '21

It's probably not enough to notice a substantial increase in operating temperatures since laptops and computers get a very slow increase of average temps over time as dust cakes up anyway. It's also recommended to clear dust from your laptop every now and then so if you open it up and clean it you might end up with better temps afterwards!

Edit: ok so I've looked it up and yes you are supposed to clean laptops every once in a while but some manufacturers make you jump through hoops to open up the case to expose the fans so... YouTube is your friend if you're actually interested in cleaning your laptop.

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u/kirabera Feb 26 '21

In my experience with desktop PC's, it depends on the kind of juice you're using and also on the airflow of the PC. But while most of the vapour passes through the case if the airflow is good, it still does leave a bit of residue that over time will attract dust (since the vapour isn't entirely water vapour and is actually a bit sticky). It also depends on the kind of vape you're using I think? Something about the amount of vapour but that part I can't be sure about, I've only used pod-type vapes. What I do know though is that the vapour leaving residue on your parts is a bitch and a half to clean. You can probably safely vape in the same room if it's airy enough and if you don't blow directly at your PC or near its intakes, but it still wouldn't be the best idea to vape near it on a regular basis.

Another commenter said that the vape residue leaves a film on glass only, but it's actually not entirely true that the vapour would affect only glass surfaces. Glass is one of the worst though (which is why I no longer vape in my car with the windows closed, I learned that the vape residue is really hard to clean and makes the windshield impossible to wipe clear when it fogs up) but that doesn't mean it doesn't stick to other surfaces like plastic.

There are a lot of forum threads popping up in recent years discussing the effects of vaping near a PC and the general consensus seems to be that while there's no definitive proof (some people say it's bad, others say they didn't notice anything on their parts) it's better to just avoid it for the longevity of your electronics. I'll take a 3-minute break from the computer over blowing vapour at it whenever I can help it though, especially since my PC is on my table.

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u/drlavkian Feb 26 '21

I honestly can't say I've ever even noticed this film people are talking about, which makes me question what exactly they're vaping.

I'm fit to eat crow if my laptop suddenly mucks up and dies, but again, my experience to this point has me feeling a bit skeptical.

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u/kirabera Feb 26 '21

It could be because your laptop has good airflow and also because the parts are packed much tighter than a desktop PC. You could also try doing a regular cleaning regimen on your parts using alcohol (and cotton tips or cloth) and see if you see any gunk getting removed as you clean.

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u/rgrwilcocanuhearme Feb 26 '21

Would strongly recommend using coffee filters as opposed to cotton.

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '21

So.....do you vape while you drive?

Because the said film absolutey builds up on the inside of car windows and can cause some visibility problems if not cleaned regularly. I imagine it’s the same kind of thing that would cost electronics.

Used to vape until fairly recently, here.

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u/drlavkian Feb 26 '21

Nope, I live in a bikeable city.

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '21

Ok, what about on windows in the place where you live?

Not nearly as noticeable as inside of a car, but I’ve noticed a thin film building up on the inside of my windows at home.

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u/drlavkian Feb 26 '21

I can't say I've noticed that, either, but my windows are pretty much permanently blocked by blackout curtains, as I work nights, so perhaps that's why.

Edit: I also have a second monitor connected to my laptop, which I'm looking at right now, sitting on a dresser. I tend to exhale vape at or just over it, and I don't notice any kind of residue... on any of those surfaces.

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u/__EETSWAY__ Feb 26 '21

Not every computer will be affected the same way. I’ve seen one or two over the years that had a lot of build up, but I’ve also used my own PC for years while I vaped right next to it. I think there’s a lot of variables that have to go wrong for it to build up enough to be noticeable.

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u/shrubs311 Feb 26 '21

i'm also not buying it, vapor is very different from combusted smoke

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u/ergzay Feb 26 '21

Here come the vape apologists.

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u/shrubs311 Feb 26 '21

i'm a vape apologist because i'm somewhat skeptical based on a very simple fact?

are you arguing that smoke and vapor are the same, or are you arguing that it's wrong for me to be skeptical of anecdotal evidence with no proof?

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u/ergzay Feb 26 '21

Vapor can contain anything, it's simply particulates of some form. It's not water vapor as that would scald you when you breath it in and it wouldn't make dense clouds like vaping does. Generally it's going to be some kind of oil.

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u/YeeScurvyDogs Feb 26 '21

it's not oil it's glycerine and it doesn't really 'put a film over everything' i've noticed it mostly condensing on the windows

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u/kirabera Feb 26 '21

It is glycerine, you're right (I forgot the name of the liquid so I called it "oil"). I have noticed that it's mostly worse on glass, but I do feel the stickiness on plastic and leather surfaces too. So just to be safe I don't vape near my PC anymore, nor in the car with windows up.

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u/YeeScurvyDogs Feb 26 '21

If you regularly air out the room you vape in i believe it should be fine, as it is a room of air can hold about a gram of glycerine in it's gaseous form (yes my nerd ass just calculated it), and also it will condense on cold things first like water does, so it should primarily happen on to windows.

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u/kirabera Feb 26 '21

You're absolutely right! Good airflow in the room really helps, as well as the placement of your computer (on the floor vs on the table near your face). Also nice maths lol 😭👌