Cleaning rear projection

[IStoleYourUsername]

Howdy...I acquired a Philips-Magnavox 9P6034c103 60" rear projection TV.
The thing has a horrid picture. I took the front screen off and the mirror is filthy with a thick layer of dirt and grime as are the 3 color lense thingies.

I removed the back cover and inside is massive quantities of thick dust and dirt.

Would cleaning this up help before I think about spending the $$ to get a repair man to come look at it?
What sort of cleaner can be used on that mirror and the lenses?
Can I just use an air compressor to blow out all the dirt and dust? Or, could I stick a vacuum cleaner hose in there and suck it out?

Here's some pix

[markbr]

Personally I would use a airline on it and blow it all off that's the best way. It does look dirty!!!! But once sorted and cleaned, a 60" screen will be a treat in any home cinema.

[kpkelley]

My parents had a rear projection televions for nearly twenty years, and didn't clean it for the first 15. I remember when they cleaned it, it seemed like a completely different television.

I wouldn't use a vacuum. You could use an air compressor, so long as it's not too powerful. Best bet is probably just a damp cloth for most of the stuff, not sure about the mirror or lenses, perhaps some sort of glass cleaner.

P.S> Unplug before cleaning.

[browndk26]

When we had an extended warranty on our RPTV it included an annual cleaning and convergence check. The tech used regular glass cleaner and a paper towel on the lenses.

[IStoleYourUsername]

Well so far I took the front screen off and cleaned the mirror and the lenses....don't have an air compressor yet....picture doesn't look as crappy but still crappy.

The mirror was nasty. Previous owner is a smoker and that gunk gets everywhere.

[Lt. Aldo Raine]

should u eventually clean the inside of every rear projection tv? or jus certain ones, how long does it take for a rear projection tv to get dirty inside for it to effect the picture quality

i have a sony kds55a2020 for 3 years

[N8DOGG]

Damn, that's dirty! I'd go with an air spray can. You might want a shop vac, or vaccuum with a hose, running next to ya when all that dust comes flying off.

[sptrout]

Originally Posted by Lt. Aldo Raine

should u eventually clean the inside of every rear projection tv? or jus certain ones, how long does it take for a rear projection tv to get dirty inside for it to effect the picture quality

i have a sony kds55a2020 for 3 years

About a month ago I replaced the bulb in my 3 year old 61" Sammy DLP and was surprised to find no dust/dirt at all at least within the area that was visible when the bulb assembly was removed. Therefore, I do not think I would worry too much about it unless your TV is in a dirty environment.

[IStoleYourUsername]

Originally Posted by N8DOGG

Damn, that's dirty! I'd go with an air spray can. You might want a shop vac, or vaccuum with a hose, running next to ya when all that dust comes flying off.

lol...I was thinking the exact same thing!!

[Rob J in WNY]

Definitely watch out cleaning any reflective surfaces, such as the "mirrors" you are talking about. You can put the TV's RGB convergence WAY out of line. The mirrors will probably need more than a blow-off though. If you are fortunate, the TV will have its own, built-in convergence corrector. If not, then you will have to dig around the menus or even manually converge the primary colors, which can be a touch tedious. Assuming the TV is a few years old now, it probably already needs such calibration.

I used to live in Colorado, so at least you are not in a high-humidity environment (assuming you are along the Front Range or westward). Dust which is that thick, in a high-humidity environment, can "bridge" exposed electronic components. An air hose/compressed air (at low to moderate pressure) will be a good start!

[IStoleYourUsername]

Originally Posted by Rob J in WNY

Definitely watch out cleaning any reflective surfaces, such as the "mirrors" you are talking about. You can put the TV's RGB convergence WAY out of line. The mirrors will probably need more than a blow-off though. If you are fortunate, the TV will have its own, built-in convergence corrector. If not, then you will have to dig around the menus or even manually converge the primary colors, which can be a touch tedious. Assuming the TV is a few years old now, it probably already needs such calibration.

I used to live in Colorado, so at least you are not in a high-humidity environment (assuming you are along the Front Range or westward). Dust which is that thick, in a high-humidity environment, can "bridge" exposed electronic components. An air hose/compressed air (at low to moderate pressure) will be a good start!

Actually right on the Front Range in Colorado Springs.
I actually cleaned the mirror and lenses with some good cleaner, it's spotless and streak free now. You should've seen the nasty brown residue that came off...eww.

I did find some things on the internet about replacing the coolant stuff that's inside the lenses. Not sure if I'm up for that though. We'll see once I get all that gunk cleaned out of the electronics.

[Lt. Aldo Raine]

Originally Posted by sptrout

About a month ago I replaced the bulb in my 3 year old 61" Sammy DLP and was surprised to find no dust/dirt at all at least within the area that was visible when the bulb assembly was removed. Therefore, I do not think I would worry too much about it unless your TV is in a dirty environment.

no i keep my room clean so not much dust is flying around in the 1st place
but i did smoke for a year while having the set..

[Rob J in WNY]

Originally Posted by IStoleYourUsername

Actually right on the Front Range in Colorado Springs.

Awesome. I lived right in Colorado Springs a little over ten years ago. Westside, near Uintah and 19th Street. Loved it there. At around 6,000 feet, I wonder how many plasma TV owners you've got out there.

But yes, definitely you live in a low-humidity, semi-arid area. Good luck with the cleaning. Also, if there's a "color wheel" in your TV's innards, be careful not to damage it. If you have align the convergence, it will be worth it!

Let us know how everything looks when you finish and fire that baby up!

[IStoleYourUsername]

Here's a pic of the filth on them mirror. Look at the top and you'll notice a clean area, then look down and see the brown. Gonna put some plastic all around this thing before I stick an air compressor in the bottom part, don't want that crap all over the place.

[browndk26]

How did you get access to the lenses? The front panel or back panel?

[JennaD]

Did I hear mention of using an air compressor? Do you think this will damage the equipment? A vacuum sounds like a better option.

[JennaD]

Originally Posted by kpkelley

My parents had a rear projection televions for nearly twenty years, and didn't clean it for the first 15. I remember when they cleaned it, it seemed like a completely different television.

I wouldn't use a vacuum. You could use an air compressor, so long as it's not too powerful. Best bet is probably just a damp cloth for most of the stuff, not sure about the mirror or lenses, perhaps some sort of glass cleaner.

P.S> Unplug before cleaning.

I agree. You can use a product like Ecomoist which will really remove the dust to clean your phillips tv without spreading it around the room. Plus it is hypoallergenic, it doesn't affect pets, and it comes with a microfibre towel. I embedded the link from the same place I bought mine last month. I really like the product and the service was excellent.

[kenbenobi]

It never occurred to me to clean the inside of my TV. I just replaced my lamp for the first time in my Mitsubishi 60638, and now my TV is brighter than ever before. So if it's dirty on the inside, I cannot tell. I probably won't attempt cleaning the inside of mine... It looks good currently, and I'm WAY too lazy for cleaning stuff!

However, do you guys have any recommendations for cleaning the front of the screen? I know some chemicals are bad to use. I have just been using a feather duster, nothing damp cuz I'm afraid of leaving streaks...