New switch cleaning

[ramon]

I have a customer who insisted on installing 20 Cat4500s in an incomplete building. Infortunately drilling, plastering etc. has left a thick layer of powder over the switches which seems to have partially set due to the moisture in the air while the building was drying. We have had several failures (also impacting the IP phones). Is there an official way to clean these switches without voiding support contracts or is the damage already done and should we simply expect a higher failure rate?

[glen.grant]

about the only thing you can do is get a good shopvac and get as much up as you can . Then possibly a damp cloth for the outside . Not much you can do for the inside short of maybe getting some cans of compressed air and trying to blow out as much as possible . Pay special attention to the fans if they have been running during this process .

[boban]

Could you maybe find a disaster recovery firm to clean out your switches? Maybe they have a solution they can soak the boards in to clean them off. There should be someone out there, think about all the companies that have fires, water damage, ceiling falling in - I bet there's a service out there you can find. Otherwise, upgrade your service contract to 4 hour turnaround and wait for the inevitable. Troubleshooting is going to suck because you won't know right away of it's the plaster, the config, or some other physical issue like the wiring or the phones themselves. Good Luck!