Do I have to drain my water cooling loop?

[TechiGamer]

Hi,

I have a water cooling loop with a 50/50 split between distilled water and ethylene glycol. Although obviously most WC loops have to be drained regularly to preserve the components, I was wondering if ethylene glycol would present a different situation?
Glycol usually kills most living things, and is a lubricant and overall protectant and sealer.

What do I have to look out for in an ethylene glycol and water, water cooling loop?

Also, I would appreciate it if someone would suggest a link/guide to follow to clean out the loop.

 

[StoneyCashew]

Hey TechiGamer, there are two things to keep in mind, the first being the temperatures on the components (CPU / GPU), and the color of the solution. If you start to see temps go up then I would advise changing the fluid and if that does not do the trick you might have to clean the blocks out for any junk that might have gotten in there. Then if you start to see the color start to change then I would go change the fluid. Now you might be asking well the water is distilled and the ethylene glycol is a protectant and sealer, but you never know how this solution will interact with the metal's inside the blocks, especially if they are two different metals. Good luck on your endeavors!

 

[InvalidError]

If you use something like automotive 50-50 premix, you shouldn't need to flush more than once every 3-5 years.

With distilled water, the water will leech minerals and other chemicals out of the metals, tubing and other components over time. If there is contact between dissimilar metals, there will also be galvanic corrosion once the water becomes contaminated with free ions. With 50-50 premix, the coolant already contains additives to mitigate leeching and corrosion.

The pump will likely fail before premix needs a flush. You may still need to top it off once or twice a year due to loss through osmosis and micro-leaks.

 

[TechiGamer]

Thanks for the replies. I really appreciate the info

Seems like I won't need to flush it right away. Its only been going for about 2 years.

I also wanted to ask, that what pressure should the fluid in the water cooling loop be at? At the moment, its only flowing like a low-pressure garden hose.
Should the fluid be at a higher pressure?
If so, is there a way to facilitate that?
I always thought that a higher pressure would produce better results and would be more effective, but while there is a reservoir, which is using gravity to feed the coolant into the loop in my particular system, I don't see how it would be realistically possible.
Also, I'm not sure if the pump would be able to handle the higher pressure.

What do you guys think?

 

[InvalidError]

Pressure and flow are two completely different things: if you have low flow resistance, which you should, then you get the highest flow your pump is capable of.

If you introduce flow restrictions, those restrictions cause pressure drops and that's where pump pressure builds up. Your pump then has to work that much harder to push a given flow rate assuming it is capable of delivering that extra pressure. If it isn't, then flow rate drops or possibly stops completely.