Called Brinsea and I have to vent

[pusskatkins]

My Brinsea Octagon 20 advance ex's cover is dusty inside and the vacuum won't clean it. Other than removing the screws and dome, I don't know any other way to clean it.
So, I called customer service and asked their advice. I was told to "use the stuff people clean their keyboards with." Huh? I turn my keyboard upside down and give it a shake to loosen the crumbs, and then gently wipe the keys with Fantastic. So, I told her I wasn't familiar with "the stuff people clean their keyboards with", she explained an aerosol can shot air to clean under the keys. Whatever!
So, I asked what removes the bacteria and she apparently became annoyed because she responded sharply " what bacteria?" Uhhhhhh...the bacteria from the moisture, the dust, the slime...you get the picture, people...am I insane?????? She told me to just use the keyboard cleaner. I just hung up. She was rude and obviously preoccupied with another task because of the rattling in the background. I'm very disappointed with Brinsea's customer service, it was unprofessional.

 

[thefamilyflock]

Sorry to hear how frustrated you are! In order to clean mine out, I removed the screws and wiped everything down. It was quick and easy. The only thing I would say is to be careful putting the screws back in so that you do not strip out the plastic posts. Hope this helps.

 

[pusskatkins]

Thank you! I told the person I was tempted to do that, because it made the most sense. She warned me the motor could not get wet. One would think that the motor was protected anyway, since the cap is vented and humidity builds in there. She made me feel stupid, but you are making me feel good!

 

[featherz]

I always unscrew mine and wipe it with a damp paper towel and very dilute bleach solution. So far so good. I think they probably meant a compressed air can, but honestly opening it works better.

 

[thunderwagn]

Just wipe it out with a wash cloth or paper towel dipped in diluted bleach solution. It doesnt take much for the bleach to kill the bacteria. I do also use compressed air to blow out the dander just to make it a little cleaner. As far as getting anything wet, do your best to keep it dry, but really as long as you let it air dry before plugging in you should be fine. A wipe with a moist towel isn't going to hurt it. And like stated above, be careful with the screws and plastic. Kind of a crappy design in that area.

 

[tennesseeckn]

I'm sorry to hear about your experience. Unfortunately, mine was very similar. I'm just not a big Brinsea fan, now.

 

[sben451]

I also carefully take out the screws and wipe down the plastic as thoroughly as possible. Then I take the canned air and blow the dust and down out of the fan and heating element. Carefully replace the screws and you're good to go.