Duster

This phenomenon occurs due to the expansion of the compressed refrigerant liquid as it dispenses through the aerosol valve and flashes to a gas. If the aerosol is operated for a long period, frost may form on the can because it is freezing the surrounding water vapor from the air. If it is collecting on the material to be cleaned, the operator is dispensing for too long of a period or is dispensing it too close to the material. The frost will evaporate and leave no residue. However, particulate matter blown onto a sensitive surface may cause damage due to the high pressure of the duster if dispensed too closely to that surface.

It may be different state-by-state, so contact your state environmental agency for regional specific regulations. For a general guideline, here is the process according to EPA hazardous waste regulations 40CFR. The can has to be brought to or approach atmospheric pressure to render the can empty. Puncturing is not required, only that it “approach atmospheric pressure”, i.e. empty the can contents until it’s no longer pressurized. This insures that as much contents as is reasonably possible are out of the can. It is then considered “RCRA-empty”. At that point it can be handled as any other waste metal container, generally as scrap metal under the recycling rules. Note that the can is still considered a solid waste at this point (not necessarily hazardous waste).

The red cap on Chemtronics aerosol products like flux removers, degreasers, and Freeze-It Freeze Spray has a notch on the top. That is engineered for the straw to snap in and hold into place so you don’t loose it. The aerosol trigger sprayers that are common on dusters, freeze sprays, and flux removers, have two ways to store the straw when not in use. The hole at the back of the body of the sprayer is just the right size for the straw to slide into place for storage. The slot below the trigger is also the right size for the straw to snap into place, which also has the advantage of locking the trigger.

The shelf life of a product can be found on either the technical data sheet (TDS), available on the product page, or by looking on the certificate on conformance (COC). The COC can be downloaded by going to https://www.chemtronics.com/coc. Once you have the shelf life, you will need to add it to the manufacture date for a use-by date. The manufacture date can be identified by the batch number. The batch code used on most of our products are manufacture dates in the Julian Date format. The format is YYDDD, where YY = year, DDD = day. For example, 19200 translates to the 200th day of 2019, or July 19, 2019. This webpage explains and provides charts to help interpret our batch numbers: https://www.chemtronics.com/batch-codes.

If the can and valving is intact and undamaged, it will not leak or spoil, so can sit on a shelf for as long as 10 years.

Yes, air duster is generally designed for use on electronics. There are a few things to watch out for:

1. Avoid spraying the refrigerant liquid, which can happen if you shake the can, or angle it too much. The refrigerant is very cold, so can damage some sensitive electronics.
2. Avoid cheap retail dusters that contain bitterant. Many retail dusters have bitterant added to prevent huffing. When duster is used in the home, there is concern that the material will be purposely inhaled (called “huffing” or “dusting”) by minors, which can sometimes lead to tragic consequences. To avoid this, bitterant is added to make the duster taste bad. This same bitterant can lead to unwanted and potentially harmful residues on sensitive surfaces like electronic circuit boards.

That depends on the size of the can and how much you use it. If the can and valving is intact and undamaged, it will not leak or spoil, so can sit on a shelf for many years.

The can of duster must be held in an upright position when spraying. Do not tilt can more than 40 degrees during spraying operation or shake during use. Before use, press actuator to clear valve of any liquid product. Extension tube can be used to remove dust in tight areas. Use short bursts to prevent cooling of can.