Projector filters

[witch]

A two part query:
1. Do you all clean your own projector filters? I find it a real pain and hate doing it as I am asthmatic anyway and the children get in the way of the stepladder
2. We have Smart boards and projectors installed by Hugh Symons and the brackets are arranged such that you have to take the whole thing off the ceiling in order to get the filter out. They say that this is quite normal - well it isn't in my other school - I can't believe that they expect me to remove the whole thing every month. (on 8 hours a week and 15 projectors, I don't think I would have time anyway)
Thoughts please

[western]

Buy yourself a mini hoover and use it all around the projector and not just the filter area. Some manufacturers say that you should only remove the filter when you are replacing the lamp and show in the manual to use a hoover.

[badboyvtec]

Theres around 50 projectors here and when I notice the message coming up thats when I just go around all of them with some air cans at lunch times when nobodies around. Get around all of them in a few days or something. Considering the mini hoover idea from western though.

[Andrew_C]

1) DO NOT go up a ladder above the kids. Basic H&S common sense. Yes, those projectors with filters get cleaned by us, with a can of squirty air.
2) Some mounting plates are a PITA, I won't use the plate type any more, only the ones with arms.

[Halfmad]

I changed the projectors we were getting to a type with easy filter access, it's saved me a great deal of time. Although I do use a can of compressed air for cleaning I do usually remove the filter anyway to do so, makes a better job of it.

30 projectors, some require the projector to be taken off the mount and take a while longer but on the whole I manage to do all of them in about 5 hours every second friday. This prevents us ever having problems with error messages etc. I do see it as a waste of my time though, I think I'm to highly paid to be doing this sort of work.

I do it on a friday afternoon when the kids aren't here and most staff vanish, sometimes use a ladder but usually just jump on a desk - yes I know I'm a bad boy but they're usually more sturdy than the schools ladders!

[witch]

Thanks
Er - Andrew_C - I don't really climb up ladders with the children around, and indeed that is part of my problem as the little darlings are always here (or at least when I am anyway!) I do have a problem carting the ladder around the school though as they do tend to get under your feet.

Are some of you saying that you don't take the filters out to clean them? Doesnt that just drive the dust into the guts or am I missing something?

[maniac]

We clean ours regularly, but not as often as we should due to time constraints. Most of ours are easy to get to, but there are a few that are a pain. We use a can of compressed air, or simply flick the dust from them, ocassionally use a hoover on them if the projector is really dirty, but not very often.

Mike.

[Andrew_C]

We have a bunch of HP DLPs that don't have filters at a all. This is because the lightpath is sealed; the others have their filters taken out and blown through. The old Sanyos with 5 filters are a real pain.

[western]

better to suck the air out rather than blow it further in (air tins)

[Halfmad]

That's why I take my filters off and blast the air out of the filters

[mrforgetful]

I clean them when I'm told they need it.

Sent an email round a few weeks ago because noone had mentioned anything it went like this:

[I]Could people who have projectors in their classrooms please let us know when they start to display messages about cleaning the filter and not wait until the projector has reached the stage where it’s turning off. The sooner we can clean the filter the less likely the lamp will suffer and hence last longer. This will save your department money and remember replacement projector lamps cost anywhere between £150 and £350. It might also be worth turning the projector off when not in use.[/I}

Funnily enough I then got around 20 people with dirty filters! Went round with the compressed air, whipped out filter, blow it, blow rest of projector and put filter back, reset counter.

Incidentally, I usually just stand on a desk or chair, or once it was both, very naughty I know!

[plexer]

Everyone please note that if you are working at height you need to be a competent person.

The easiest way to demonstrate this is to attend a training course arranged by your LEA, ask the caretaking staff.

Unless you have done this refuse to do any work at height it is dangerous.

Even being a foot of the ground is dangerous and people have died being lower than this.

It is not just a case of whacking up a stepladder and going up it like a rat in a drainpipe.

If you need regular secure access to high projectors then some sort of scaffold or other platform would be better for you.

Ladders should all be marked and have a record attached to them of when they were last inspected.

If they don't then please don't use them.

I have a cleaning list for mine and do them once a month that way I know they've been done.

The one in the main hall hasn't been done for a couple of months as I'm still waiting for them to buy me a scaffold tower to get access to it.

Ben

[Midget]

I take the filter off and beat it against a desk or sink

[Geoff]

DO NOT go up a ladder above the kids. Basic H&S common sense.

To go further on this point. Have whoever is responsible check the school insurance policy. Chances are you're not insured above head height.

[VGeek]

DO NOT go up a ladder above the kids. Basic H&S common sense.

To go further on this point. Have whoever is responsible check the school insurance policy. Chances are you're not insured above head height.

Thats a very interesting point Geoff I will check the company policy. I was also curious do you have any information on hoovers which are useful for cleaning projectors. A mini hoover you know that is tried and tested by people in schools would be very helpful. I think because we have atleast 50 projectors and thats not even a joke dont have time to clean them all that easily. Your help would be much appreciated.