This month’s Pro AV Trick comes courtesy of ZeeVee’s Technical Support Engineer Eric Hollohan who joined the company a few months ago. Since coming on board, he has been particularly impressed with how seriously the customer service function is treated within the organization.

“The technical support mandate is driven by CEO Bob Michaels and echoed by everyone at the company,” said Eric. “It is our mission to get our customers the products they need for their specific AV signal distribution applications. This requires us to be there to answer their questions and increase their comfort levels at the outset, as well as in the installation and post-installation phases, of their projects.”

It is in this spirit that he offers the following advice regarding how to properly clean your ZeeVee gear to maximize system performance, avoid overheating and potentially add years to each component’s longevity.

Before cleaning, you should switch off or fully disconnect the AC power from the external supply unit connector to the ZyPer unit. If the state of the AC power cannot be established, disconnect the DC input plug from the ZyPer unit before proceeding. You should also cover any unused cable receptacles with supplied rubber plugs or a piece of tape to prevent cleaning agent from entering and effecting the unit’s operation.

To commence cleaning, wipe down the exterior of the units with a soft cotton cloth that has been lightly moistened with an approved and recognized cleaning agent of either alcohol (isopropyl and ethyl), one that is ammonia-based (Windex) or water. The ZyPer4K units are fairly tolerant to cleaning with moistened cleaning cloths, but the unit is not fluid tight. Care should be taken to not spray cleaner directly onto the unit or into the vents to avoid liquid ingress and damage to the internal electronics.

Repeat this procedure with a water-moistened cloth, and then with a dry cloth.

You will next want to check the units’ air vents to make sure that they are free of accumulated lint or blockages. A vacuum cleaner with a soft bristle brush attachment can be used to loosen and draw out any debris appearing to clog the vents. Be careful not to blow the debris into the units as internal buildup of this material will degrade the ability of the units to cool themselves and reliability may be adversely affected.

CAUTION: Do not apply power if there is any evidence of fluid in the interior of any unit.