help with amp smell

aragorn723 · 1421

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Offline aragorn723

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on: August 20, 2017, 01:18:15 PM
Hi,

So I just fixed up an old Sony amp from the 70's.  It sounds great now, but there is a bit of a musty smell coming from it.  No obvious mold growing on the board or anything like that.  Is there a good way to get rid of the smell?  Thanks,

Dave



Offline Deluk

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Reply #1 on: August 20, 2017, 11:59:03 PM
Hot vintage dust will do that so start by doing a total clean up.



Offline aragorn723

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Reply #2 on: August 21, 2017, 04:29:41 PM
I cleaned the board with 91% rubbing alcohol, and the cue tips came back really gross.  It looks pretty clean and smelled ok for a few hours, but now it smells again.  Got to stay home with my daughter tomorrow, so I'll probably run the unit for a while to heat it up a bit.  Is there something else I should use to clean? 

Thanks,

Dave



Offline Paul Birkeland

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Reply #3 on: August 22, 2017, 05:38:11 AM
Just clean the parts that get hot really well. Any heatsinks and anything touching those heatsinks.

Paul "PB" Birkeland

Bottlehead Grunt & The Repro Man


Offline caffeinator

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Reply #4 on: August 22, 2017, 05:47:08 AM
Hi aragorn723,

Repeated cleanings can help, of course, but successive treatments usually deliver diminishing returns.  Citriclean, or other citrus-based cleaners can help - Caig makes one, but be sure to treat a small area to check for any adverse effects before treating the whole thing.  The citrus aroma can itself be an issue; not everyone loves it.

I've had good luck with some low-tech approaches.  Soap and water usually help to clean and deodorize grimy old electronics - be watchful of paper caps and other items that may be porous, dry thoroughly before connecting to power or operating.  Sun and fresh air also help - expose as much of the amp as possible and literally let it 'air out' in the sun.  Not sure why it works, but it can help.  Note, of course, that UV exposure can be harmful to some plastics, possibly including some circuit boards, insulation, etc.  Generally, the amount of exposure to air out an item won't be pushing UV exposure limits.

Ozone treatment frequently comes up for odor removal, particularly for smoke damage.  I see that one can rent or purchase their own ozone generator, or hire treatment companies that do on-site or in-shop treatment.



Offline aragorn723

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Reply #5 on: August 22, 2017, 01:36:01 PM
Thanks for the responses.  I left it outside with the case open for an hour today and left the amp inside for a while uncovered too.  I'll probably clean the heatsink and the top of the transformer too.  Is it ok to try and clean the excess thermal paste (assuming that's what it is) off the heatsinks too?  Don't want to do anything that could mess with the amps heat dissipation :-p

Dave



Offline Deluk

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Reply #6 on: August 23, 2017, 01:28:54 AM
There's always a possibility that being old, some of the components are running hot and might soon expire. Checking with "frost" spray might be useful. Cook amp until it smokes, well warm it up well, switch off, remove power lead and then use spray on the boards. I think that's how it works.



Offline aragorn723

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Reply #7 on: August 23, 2017, 03:48:42 AM
Thanks for the tip.  I cleaned the transformer cover and heatsink, which were really gross.  Amazing how things can look clean till you swab them :-p. The smell is a bit better too.

Dave