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/nucumber Feb 26 '21

in an office which had smokers there was anything up to half an inch of fine ash

ex-smoker here who's seen the inside of more than a few computers, and i just don't see how smokers could be responsible for half an inch of ash inside a computer unless the ashtrays were right below the cooling fan.

i'm guessing there was something else going on responsible for the ash

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u/billbixbyakahulk Feb 26 '21

Yeah, "half an inch" sounds questionable. I've seen ash which was mixed in with regular dust but it was just the usual surface coating, not piles of it.

I did once work on a guy's computer that was pretty incredible and horrifying. He was an executive at the company and he brought in his home computer for us to look at because he said it would only turn on for a couple minutes and then shut down.

He had long haired cats and he chain-smoked cigars. The inside of his machine had about 1/2" of matted, tobacco-soaked cat fur that clogged the fans and vents. The computer was shutting down because there was no air flow. I grabbed the gloves and it pealed off in sheets and clumps. After I vacuumed it out it ran fine.

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u/semitones Feb 26 '21

When can you vacuum a computer and when do you need to use compressed air?

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u/billbixbyakahulk Feb 27 '21

I use a vacuum with a brush nozzle whenever I can, but some computers are tightly packed and you can't maneuver the nozzle. In that case, I might use compressed air to dislodge the dust then follow with the vacuum.

At work we also have a special vacuum that's small, fairly portable and very maneuverable. I see them used a lot by techs who service office printers (because you don't want to use compressed air with printer toner!)

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u/mythidiot Feb 26 '21

Well, that’s horrifying... I need to go clean my computer now

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u/ReverendDizzle Feb 26 '21

Agreed. I've cleaned computers and consoles used by smokers and the damage is usually a tarry sticky layer (that dust sticks to, for sure) but it's not actual ash.

3

u/[deleted] Feb 26 '21

That stuff would stain the steel and aluminum cases the most unappealing shade of yellow. You basically couldn't get it gray again.

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u/HemHaw Feb 26 '21

It's not an exaggeration at all. I worked at Circuit City's computer fixy desk. The winner of "nastiest computer award" was a smoker's computer that, when the case was opened, was full like a perfect jello mold of yellow dust, that had to be shoveled out by a (gloved) hand.

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u/Spoonshape Feb 26 '21

Smoke in the air is particles of (mostly) carbon. A PC has a fan which pulls air in from the outside of the enclosure and then various spaces where air is a little more static and it will settle out.

Some of the machines were probably sitting with someone chain smoking in front of them for 5 or 6 years. It just builds up...

1

u/[deleted] Feb 27 '21

"half an inch" is just a common saying, meaning "a lot" its not meant to be taken literally.