Ethanol for Cleaning Thermal Compound

[Healy]

Hello,

I cannot buy Isopropyl Alcohol and I was wondering if I could use the following for cleaning the thermal compound on my 8600 GT:

Ethyl Alcohol/Ethanol (25% diluted)

Which contains:
Ethanol B.P. (96%) 259 ml
Purified Water Q.S. 1000 ml

It is blue in colour and I think it is commonly referred to as rectified spirit.

 

[cats_Paw]

http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=313494

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/311028-10-cleaning-thermal-paste-time

 

[Healy]

Thank you for the reply.

I've seen those threads before and they do not answer my question in any way. Some of the posts are referring to just 'alcohol' and I think they are referring to Isopropyl Alcohol.

As I have already stated in my initial post, I do not have access to Isopropyl Alcohol.

 

[christop]

You can just use a paper towel and clean it.

 

[Healy]

Thank you for the reply.

I am not looking out for alternatives or other methods. I just want to know whether the formulation which I mentioned in the first post can be used to clean thermal compound.

 

[Kursun]

You can use any kind of solvent. Any type of alcohol, cologne, vodka and even acetone if you are careful not to touch any plastic parts.

 

[omnimodis78]

You absolutely do not need anything but cotton balls. This crap about using solvents is heresy I say! The chemical composition of thermal paste is such that it does not leave residue when "dry wiped" but as soon as you introduce moisture, things change. You'll have to actually clean it off once you do that, instead of just dry wiping it off easily and just as effectively. I want to shoot the person who introduced the "Windex" approach (might as well call it that) nonsense to impressionable people...

Anyways, IF you want to go this route, why not just buy a product supposedly sold for this purpose? The risk you take if you go out and buy your own chemicals is that many solvents have additives that might either leave a film of oil on the die or chemically react with the thermal paste. You might not see it, but chemically it might all stay on the die. There's a very good reason why even fingerprints (read: oils from your fingers) are bad on the die/heatsink plate - and yet you want to use solvents that could potentially cover the entire surface with residue?

 

[Healy]

Kursun, omnimodis78

Thank you for your opinions on this.

 

[omnimodis78]

If you're dead set on this route, then get a hold of some Zeiss Pre-Moistened Lens Cloths wipes and use that. Eye glass lens cleaners are usually your best bet because they're completely oil free, and the cloth are lint-free also.

 

[RetiredChief]

No, I would not use any alcohol that has a dye introduced. The objective, if a solvent is used, is that upon evaperation it leaves NO residue.
Grain or wood alcohol is fine, the LOWER the water content the better. PS Booze is NOT an exceptable alternative.
Most pharmacies sell 90% alcohol, the 10% being distilled water. Myself, I use 100%.

On lens wipes,verify that it has NO silicones, Many eyeglass wipes use a silicone as a lubricant and to fill in vey small scratches.

 

[Azn Cracker]

Nothing wrong with ethanol. I use it in the lab i work in all the time and in evaporates in seconds. As someone mentioned before, try to get one thats not colored.

 

[getochkn]

I work on ps3's and xboxes full time and I just use a microfibre rag to clean them off, don't even use any solvents at all. Wipe it off, done.

 

[omnimodis78]

On lens wipes,verify that it has NO silicones, Many eyeglass wipes use a silicone as a lubricant and to fill in vey small scratches.

That's very interesting! Thanks for the heads up. Just goes to show you why wet-cleaning thermal paste scares me, and I never use it nor recommend it.

 

[Healy]

Thank you for all the suggestions. I appreciate it.

I cleaned the thermal compound on the GPU with a dry cotton cloth. For the heatsink, I used a dab of ethanol on a Q-Tip and I think it worked out well.

 

[RetiredChief]

Sounds good except for the "q-tip" which can leave tiny pieces of cotton Prabably OK, just not my choice. Best to use a lint free cloth.

Bottom line, should be fine - ENJOY

 

[Healy]

RetiredChief,

I just used the Q-Tip for applying the ethanol to the heatsink surface because I wanted just a tiny amount. Used high quality fiber after that to bring it to a shine.

Thank you for the help.

 

[internetlad]

just scrub it with mr clean.