Did you know about dust problem in 27" iMac?

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

Yep, I know it's super ugly, but the pillow cover does the job and it was... free . I've seen a slick iMac cover for like $30 here in Romania, but I'm not sure if it's worth it. Might consider it down the road, though.

I'll ask my wife to sew one for me, it's also free.... he he....

 

[freshj]

I just shone a torch up the bottom intakes on my iMac Pro. It looks like there is a lot of dust up there, stuck to the top of the vent. The vents look fairly deep, maybe about an inch. Can I clean this safely? Can I use a vacuum cleaner to suck the dust out? I have read that vacuums can cause static and damage electronics, but is that more relevant for open and exposed PC cases? I could get a small clean brush in there maybe, but it'd be quite tricky.

 

[ProTruckDriver]

Can I use a vacuum cleaner to suck the dust out? I have read that vacuums can cause static and damage electronics, but is that more relevant for open and exposed PC cases?

I've been using a vacuum cleaner about every 6 months or so if I see it's dusty on mine since I had the screen replaced a few years ago because of the black smudges. The vacuum cleaner hasn't harmed my iMac.

 

[wilberforce]

I've been using a vacuum cleaner about every 6 months or so if I see it's dusty on mine since I had the screen replaced a few years ago because of the black smudges. The vacuum cleaner hasn't harmed my iMac.

I just blew mine out. Although this was effective in that a lot of dust came out of adjacent vents, and the grating screen inside was then clear of dust, it probably wasn't the smartest thing to do as I probably blew some of the dust further into the machine. Duh.

 

[ProTruckDriver]

Well I usually use both at the same time. The can of air with the red straw I'll put in at an angle to not blow much dust into the machine and have the vacuum right next to the straw sucking out the dust. Apple needs to make a filter that can be changed or cleaned for the bottom intake on the iMac.

 

[freshj]

Well I usually use both at the same time. The can of air with the red straw I'll put in at an angle to not blow much dust into the machine and have the vacuum right next to the straw sucking out the dust. Apple needs to make a filter that can be changed or cleaned for the bottom intake on the iMac.

Thank you both. I don't have any compressed air but I could get some. I'm worried about blowing dust further inside the machine with compressed air. I'm worried about damaging the Mac with static from a vacuum. How do I solve this dilemma ha!

Protruckdriver, since getting the screen replaced and vacuuming your mac, your smudges haven't come back have they? Is there anything else I should be doing?

Apple said they cleaned this iMac Pro out when they replaced the screen last week, but the bottom vent is full of dust. Not very thorough.

The iMac Pro has another vent that runs along the bottom back of the machine, and a central rear outlet. Can I vacuum those too?

 

[ProTruckDriver]

Protruckdriver, since getting the screen replaced and vacuuming your mac, your smudges haven't come back have they?

No and it's been over 2 years ago. 🤞 (fingers crossed lol)

The iMac Pro has another vent that runs along the bottom back of the machine, and a central rear outlet. Can I vacuum those too?

I don't know about the iMac Pro. My iMac only has the intake at the very bottom which I use compressed air and vacuum both at the same time and only vacuum inside the door where I can change the Ram. I don't see any other vents on my Mac.

 

[freshj]

No and it's been over 2 years ago. 🤞 (fingers crossed lol)

I don't know about the iMac Pro. My iMac only has the intake at the very bottom which I use compressed air and vacuum both at the same time and only vacuum inside the door where I can change the Ram. I don't see any other vents on my Mac.

Thanks! Do you ever vacuum the central vent just above the power chord?

 

[ProTruckDriver]

I only use the Vacuum on the back exhaust vent ("B")
I use the Vacuum and Compressed Air on the bottom intake vent ("A")

 

[freshj]

A fair bit of dust came out the bottom vents. I couldn't really see into the rear vent, and it was hard to get the Hoover nozzle onto it, but hopefully it helped a bit

 

[avxkim]

Did someone met such a problem on iMac5k 2020 already?

 

[qoop]

My 2011 iMac had a similar issue. Distinct marks like dust or dirt appeared inside the LG IPS part. Eventually I took the whole thing apart to prove there was no dirt. In my case, it was a localised cooling problem. Light leakage would also occur. It was outside its warranty in any case. Later iMacs had a different design, mine used magnets to attach the screen cover.

 

[holycowe]

I forgot where I got this leather cover

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

No. How do you get dust under the screen?

Between the thin glass and the screen. I took apart my old 27", and found some dust between the glass and the screen. Kinda shocked me...

 

[TheIntruder]

Today, I inadvertently knocked something against the chin of my 2019 when placing it underneath, and then noticed that a powder-like substance had dropped onto the desk surface.

It was clumps and fine particles of dust. Accumulated over 21 months service time.

Tapped across all of the bottom vents until stuff stopped falling out, then gently applied some suction to each vent. Checked each one was clear with a bright flashlight.

I'd advise against blowing stuff further into the machine.

My old 2007 20" machine was cleaner on the inside when I opened it up to install an SSD.

 

[blairh]

I have something behind my screen. 2017 iMac. It's like a black speck. I'm gonna guess it's a very tiny insect but I have no idea honestly. I don't really notice it. I will take it to Apple one day. Still super annoying it even happened.

 

[Cyprusian]

Yup, as long as I have my 2009 iMac I have this problem, and after me so many. It's one of the reasons I still haven't updated this one yet.

My late 2009 27" iMac has never had this issue.... and I was not even aware that anyone had this issue until now.

 

[TwoH]

My late 2009 27" iMac has never had this issue.... and I was not even aware that anyone had this issue until now.

It's quite common in most iMacs - but of course, not everyone is going to experience it. Probably 1 in every 3 2009-2011 27" which I see will have dust trapped inside the LCD.

 

[Fuchal]

I experienced this issue with my 2009 iMac.

 

[blairh]

I have something behind my screen. 2017 iMac. It's like a black speck. I'm gonna guess it's a very tiny insect but I have no idea honestly. I don't really notice it. I will take it to Apple one day. Still super annoying it even happened.

Actually it appears it will cost a lot money to have Apple fix this out of warranty so I guess I'll just live with it.

 

[Nemanja604]

Did someone met such a problem on iMac5k 2020 already?

Yep, after 7 months of purchase

 

[Nemanja604]

I ordered my late 2012 iMac right after the Apple event, got those ugly, disturbing (especially as the mac is used for graphic design work) dust smudges in corners pretty soon, I thought I could live with it but decided to send it a week before the end of warranty, a year later it started again, no more warranty, and it annoys me since then. I vacuum regularly and obsessively and have an air purifier and ionizer in my room.

By now I thought everyone knew that if you get iMac you will get these sooner or later. And it was a very well known issue before, I wanted to get iMac in 2011 but because of this I waited and hoped for a redesign. It was such relief when they introduced it laminated, I ordered right away... What a lamination that is and why Apple don't give a f for so many years?

So vacuuming helps? You were able to extract dust from the corners?

 

[MattCritch]

I have a 2019 iMac 5K Retina and it has this problem after less than two years of owning the machine. I spent nearly £3000 on what I thought was a cutting edge display, and have been otherwise very happy with the machine. I then realise it has this clouding in both bottom corners, which is easily visible when displaying all one colour, like a plain white window in any browser. A real shame that the very latest model of this iMac still has this issue, and the issue hasn't been corrected after all this time. They clearly have known about it, and yet the model is still being sold with this fault. They should add 5K DISPLAY CLOUDS OVER WITH IMMOVABLE DUST DESIGN FLAW to the list of features on the advert on their website. Utterly let down. I do not have AppleCare but it is just less than two years since I purchased it and have been told over the phone by Apple tech support that the UK has two years statutory consumer rights on any purchase. I hope that Apple Store will at least repair the display for free, as this is their design flaw, no fault of my own. What is the point in a 5K Display if you effectively get clouding across hundreds of pixels. If these were dead pixels in an LCD display, you would get a replacement from the manufacturer. This is a terrible design flaw that should be flagged up and accounted for by Apple. I mean you think you're paying extra for quality design???

 

[vddobrev]

@MattCritch Sell it after they replace the screen. That is what I did. I had a 2015 5K iMac, and it developed the clouding within 12 months. The screen was replaced, and soon after that clouding again started to form. It was barely visible when I sold it. Never again an iMac.

 

[ProTruckDriver]

I hope that Apple Store will at least repair the display for free, as this is their design flaw, no fault of my own.

The first Apple store I went to in Norfolk Virginia the techs said it was my fault and not covered under AppleCare. They made many excuses not to fix it. I took it to another Apple Store 20 miles away in Virginia Beach. Showed the tech what was wrong, no questions asked, they said it was covered under AppleCare and fixed it. Almost 3 years now with new screen and no flaws. This is my first and last iMac. Good Luck @MattCritch