Is Smoking Really That Bad For Audio Equipment?


I have my friends over periodically, and some of them smoke. At the moment, I ask them to go outside to have a cigarette because I'm concerned that smoke will be bad for stereo equipment. I don't worry much about the smell because I have hardwood floors and minimal furniture, so there's not much to trap the smell. Does cigarette smoke damage speakers or does it get into audio equipment and leave residue on electrical connections, etc? I am curious whether there have been any incidents where cigarette smoke actually harmed someone's equipment?
firecracker_77

Showing 1 response by jclarka

I can't answer that question from a strictly audio point of view, but I can tell you that I used to have a PC repair business and serviced some computers at smokers' homes. It was disgusting. At times I took PCs outside in the middle of winter just so the smell didn't nauseate me.

The most common problem I found in smokers' computers was malfunctioning RAM and CPUs - two of the most sensitive pieces in a computer. While the smoke particles didn't actually affect the parts themselves (at least not enough to cause serious errors), it fell into the mounting slots and reduced the connection. After I opened up and cleaned the innards of the PC it ran better. Audio equipment has similar characteristics of electronic boards and cables being mounted into other boards.

I wouldn't worry about the audio equipment though. What about your health?