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Can contact cleaner be sprayed fair indiscriminately?

R

ridgeway

Member
I've got a noisy stepped volume knob on my receiver and the volume knob on my eq briefly goes to full volume before hitting minimum.

Is it fine to give them both a spray of contact cleaner (presumably the lubricated stuff), or is some nuance required when deciding what to spray?

My EQ also has 30 sliders per channel which may want some attention some day
 
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Oh, hell no ...

Lots of plastics don't hold up well to the stuff. Be especially careful around meters and dial glass. Granted, not as much an issue on an eq ...

I like DeOxit FaderLube for sliders - cleans and greases in one step.
 
Into the pot only, and ideally through an opening in the back of the pot. Less is more for this sort of thing too. I've had problems, particularly with DeOxit, when it was over-zealously applied. It doesn't evaporate off and what remains can attract dust and turn into a slightly conductive mess.
 
By "indiscriminately" I don't mean "spray all over the device", but rather just being able to spray it on every potentiate of every type on any device

deoxit isn't available in my country, but I have both contact cleaner and lubricating contact cleaner. the lubricating one is for pots/sliders I believe, so that's what I'll use. At the moment I just have my amp's volume knob and EQs volume knob to worry about
 
What specific contact cleaners are they and what do they say about qualities like whether they are plastics safe, whether they are quick drying, whether they leave any residue. In some controls and switches a residue of lubricating or protective material might be good, but, if there were over-spray, it might affect something nearby where residue could cause a problem.

For more indiscriminate spraying I use a product called CRC QD Electronic Cleaner, which is plastics safe, quick-drying, and residue-free. It is very good at flushing dirt away.

In controls and audio switches I might also use as a second step, some DeOxit D5, which does leave a protective lubricating residue, but a lesser amount if that is enough. I also have some old Radio Shack control cleaner which leaves a different kind of lubricant behind.

For power switches, or any switches that carry a lot of current, I would not use a cleaner with a reside, since that could cause arcing. Also a long drying time should be allowed after treatment.

For some applications it would be important to know that any residue left behind was also non-conductive.
 
One nuance you should definitely consider is the WAF {assuming you have one). She might not appreciate your spraying that in the house, unless you keep the windows open this time of year. Best done outside in a good breeze.
 
Like I said- Deoxit isn't an option where I live. I have 2 different "servisol" brand cleaners from my local hobby shop. One is "electrical clean and lube" which declares itself to be specially for switches and connectors. The other one is just 'electronic cleaning solvent'. "rapid drying, "specifically formulated for electronic equipment"
 
You usually have contact cleaners whith different kind/grade of residue or lubricant. Or without any lubricant.

When I want a dry surface after cleaning, I use isopropyl alcohol, which evaporates leaving 0% (almost) residue.

Then I apply a bit of cleaner with lube where needed. There are different cleaners with more or less lubricant, try your product on a surface and check how it feels after drying. As already posted, some greasy cleaners will attract dust.
 
I would think the electronic one is the better choice. Electrical cleaner tends to be a little more aggressive and may damage pots.
 
we have a tendency that if a little is good, then more is better, and the whole can is best.

the surface area of switches is only about 1mm square. spraying more than the minimum
gets it everywhere. sometimes it enables the uncleaned electrical contacts and parts to
conduct. sometimes, like water, it flows into/onto circuit boards and changes the circuit.

cover all areas before spraying (like covering parts under the hood when spraying the
engine compartment), then cleaning up after (like removing puddles of water on the
manifold, battery, serpentine belts, etc).

wait more than 10 seconds before powering up - more like one day.
 
I've had some rotary and slider potentiometers that have needed repeated cleaning, in some cases I tried to really flush them out with the CRC QD, leading some of that leaking out on other things in those receivers, but, as this stuff seems to be fairly mild as a solvent, is plastics safe, and very quickly drying, Iv'e never seen any collateral damage done. Of course, I always waited a LONG time for any more contained droplets of that compound to thoroughly dry before turning anything on. Sometimes a good flushing with that cleaner, followed by a small spritz of DeOxit 5D, for continued protection, has been just the right combination for some audio controls.

I wish somebody with specific experience with the electrical cleaners the OP has asked about would chime in.
 
Well I have experience with deoxit and various 'lubes'. If a drop of deoxit in the correct hole doesn't do it, a tidal wave of it won't either. It's probably just worn out. More than a drop or two will wash out the 'damping grease' that any other type of 'lube' will not restore. Once it's washed out, you'll have to take apart the pot to reinstall it, available in various viscosities. That's if you want that smooth resistance again.
 
I find that DeOxit D5 is safe to use most everywhere, including plastics. I also use it for power switches, tube pins, etc. Then turn them on right away with no ill effects. Just don't flood it, a little bit will work. I place a paper towel under whatever I am spraying to catch the excess.
 
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