This is how I clean the air assist fan without removing it from the GF. I also use this method for pre-cleaning the exhaust fan.
I attach a straw to the inside of my hand held vac with masking tape wrapped around the straw. Cover the front with masking tape so I have suction. These tiny metal brushes are ONLY used on the exhaust fan. They are available at Harbor Freight and are used to clean an airbrush.
After I finish scrubbing and vacuuming I take an air compressor in the GF and blow out any leftover gunk.
This cleaning takes me about 2 hours. I am very meticulous. I put on Prince’s greatest hits, fix a Scotch and just do it.
Next week I will do my first advanced cleaning of the exhaust fan when the 3M Electronic spray arrives.
I have an old used hose from a C-Pap machine that just fits the output end of the air assist fan, and the other end just fits the shopvac. by making the connection the shopvac moves a lot of air through the fan though the machine is off.
While this is happening I use the hand sanitizer on the fan intake. If the fan was jammed stuck it quickly becomes unstuck and spins up, centrifugally removing sanitizer and now dissolved gunk. Meanwhile, the vacuum hauls out the mix of sanitizer, gunk, and whatever small bits are blocking the way and eventually evaporates all the sanitizer leaving nothing but a very cleaned blower system
Wow!!! Now your technique is Making America Great Again!!! I appreciate the way you think—— Outside The Box.
At Christmas Ryobi had a special—- buy a rechargeable battery — get a free tool. I got their version of the shop vac. I LOVE IT—— but there is a problem.
The hose is not a standard size hose and I am having a difficult time finding an adaptor to make it standard size. I would hook up my husband’s old cpap hose but with the current configuration it will not fit, What brand of hand sanitizer?
Very nice!!! Unfortunately I can not remove my grill. This grill is attached to something. It looks like it could be attached to the bottom of the exhaust fan. This attachment or “whatever it is” does not move.
it just occurred to me that I bet a gun cleaning kit would work wonders on that fan… brass or copper brushes… the cleaning solution I’d have to look into to make sure it doesn’t want to eat plastic or explode… but those brushes would be killer I think.
Counting down the days till i can cut mine out of there. but an line fan works well for now. dont need to clean the fan to deeply, just make sure there are not to many laser bits stuck to the blades lol
I have been migrating from the little grocery purell to the half gallon jugs on Amazon as I use it to clean everything, especially any smoke crud on nearly everything,
The shopvac is a tiny Lowes generic with a sub-standard size hose that is perfect for the C-pap hose, that also lifts parts out of the holes cut out and also eats the crumbs that don’t fall through.
Holy smokes you are tonight’s winner. Awesome recommendation!!! You are absolutely correct about the gun cleaning brushes. I never would have thought of them and we have every type of pistol, shotgun and rifle gun cleaning accessory.
Next time I clean the GF l will use them. In my original post I forgot to post about these oversized cotton swabs. I also use them to clean the GF. This kit is for gun cleaning.
Yeah, the grill is actually just a pattern that is punched out of a large aluminum plate that spans the entire back of the machine. The plate’s primary function is to provide the rigidity necessary to support the heavy lid because the case is flexible.
The grill on your machine is nowhere near as restrictive, both in airflow and accessibility.
I was intending to cut mine out next time I rolled it away from the wall & had some time. But then that thread where GF said they won’t repair a GF that is “unsafe” due to cutting stuff out changed my mind. I believe the thread ended up with Dan saying they “might” repair something like a tube or camera, etc that was not directly impacted by the cut out but they wouldn’t power it on which means no secret sauce factory calibration which is the whole reason to have them do the tube or lid camera (or lid itself in fact). So I’m leaving it and will just suffer through the cleaning process.
