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Is this some kind of a weird joke? Smoke can damage a Mac Pro?

We used to have hundreds of machines come into the depot service center for work. You can easily tell which machines were from a smokers house; we'd have machine where the entire PCB was covered in a layer of nicotine and such. It definitely contributed to the failure of the machine.

Every machine that was smoked near we could tell no matter how little. There was a distinct smell and there was always residue on the PCB. Many times it didnt effect performance.

One thing you need to consider is the orientation of the PCB and the amount of airflow. If the PCB is vertical it will likely get less residue, and if its a confined area you'll get more residue.

But the smoke can certainly kill a machine.
 
Mac Pro 2009 said:
Someone told me today that smoke damages Mac Pros... This seems hard to believe, could smoke really cause permanent damage? I'm not a smoker myself but I have people (clients) who sometimes smoke in my studio (without even asking for permission)... Should I be worried? We also use a smoke machine on shoots and when the occasional smokers leave (it's not every day, maybe like a couple of times per month) I tend to burn Armenian paper or incense to get rid of the cigarette smell in the studio... When someone told me smoke can damage a mac I thought it was a joke, I googled it and found some articles that said it voids the warranty but can it actually cause damage? What about incense or armenian paper? This seems beyond believable...
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How can you be in any doubt of this.

Any form of smoke is just particle suspended in the air. If it's drawn into the computer and attaches to a board / etc before being extracted it will stay their and could build up over time.

Same with dust. Can cause a machine to over heat or short out.
 
I used to work in a studio where the head was a multi-pack a day smoker (shortly after quitting my asthma went away…but that's another issue :) and I can vouch that yes indeed, smoking around a computer does gum up the works big time. Not only does the gunk from the cigarettes (tar and residue) build up inside a MacPro (or, i assume any other computer that is not hermetically sealed), but the gunk also collects dust big time - which is not easily removed by brushing, compressed air, etc - so you are doubling the potential damage.

When I would open the MacPro I was using to do any sort of maintenance, swap out cards or drives, etc, the amount of crap in there was astonishing, especially on the fan (so even if the dust and gunk isn't damaging the delicate electronics, it's playing havoc with the motor of your fan). Adding more particulates in the air via incense is only making things worse.

And this was with an 'air purifier' (which I'm sure helps decrease the amount of particulate in the air, but can't eliminate it completely.
 
Tobacco smoke will damage your machine.

If it gets bad enough, your warranty will be voided, and if you try to send it in for repairs they will send it back in a biohazard bag. Legally Apple can't expose their employees to a tobacco filled machine. Health hazard.
 
Tar from tobacco smoke accumulates on bearings and fins. On bearings it increases friction on the motor causing them to burn out quicker. On the fins, the sticky tar residue will attract dust particles and prevent proper cooling as it blankets the metal that the air is supposed to be flowing over to provide the cooling effect.
 
goMac said:
Tobacco smoke will damage your machine.

If it gets bad enough, your warranty will be voided, and if you try to send it in for repairs they will send it back in a biohazard bag. Legally Apple can't expose their employees to a tobacco filled machine. Health hazard.
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Grave digging is bad for you too
 
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