Prepping watercooling components and liquid

[Ronnie30]

Hi All,

So I will hopefully be putting together my first custom water loop this weekend and I just realised that I need to clean the components before first use. What is the best way to do this?

1. Put the loop together. Fill it with distilled water (no additives, biocides, etc) and run it for a couple of mins, then drain it?
2. Run distilled water through the fittings and tubing, etc before it's built, just over the bathtub.

I've read that some people use a distilled water with vinegar solution (or some similar variants), but that since I have a nickel plated copper waterblock, I shouldn't use any acetic acid or citric acid additives, so is distilled water on it's own sufficient?

Also, I purchased all my components from EKWB and picked up their EK-Cryofuel Navy Blue concentrate. (I realise colouring could stain my soft tubing and I'm willing to take the risk). I'm seeing very few posts on whether the Cryofuel causes any problems, and a bunch of posts from people saying anything other than distilled water + biocide is a horrible idea. Does anyone have experience with Cryofiel? Or if you're on the Distilled + biocide bandwagon, could you suggest some biocides that you trust? It's hard to find items as I'm in Australia and the Mayhem's extreme biocide isn't available anywhere near me.

If going with Distilled + biocide, is anything else needed? As far as I know, a killcoil is only needed if I'm not using a biocide. Also, EK's guides say NOT to use distilled water (with biocide or killcoil) and ONLY to use a pre-mixed coolant (see https://www.ekwb.com/blog/antimicrobial-algae-protection/). Any other opinions on it?

Note: I don't want to go the route of automotive coolant

Thanks

 

[Eximo]

Hmm, a smorgasbord of questions.

You can flush with tap water from what I have read (and seen a few times), then use distilled water to flush that out. Vinegar is more a cleaning agent for a loop that has been used for a while or is gunked up (Though I have seen people do the vinegar on new parts). Gets anything that was a bit loose. (That plating won't last anyway, nickel is used as a sacrificial anode on bridges, ships, and locks, so I'm still not quite sure why they plate the copper rather than just putting a lump somewhere)

I use distilled water, a kill coil, and a low concentration biocide on copper/brass parts, my fittings were nickel plated and they are no longer. Seems to be fine so far. My last build used distilled water, and I recycled the fluid the water cooler came with, so it was quite dilute, but again, no issues. A light cleaning after about 1.5 years and I reused the major parts in my current build.

As for EK's recommendation. I think they are just covering themselves and attempting to make more profit in getting people to purchase their fluid.

There are certainly some concerns with just distilled water. Calculating how much fluid your loop holds to get a concentration suitable for acting properly with a biocide, you might measure what drains out after flushing. Pre-mixed coolants have anti-freezing agents, so if you live in an area with sub freezing temperatures it can be something to consider.

 

[Ronnie30]

Thanks, so going back to the 2 options I had, can I just rinse the parts over the bathtub (and fill the rad, seal it and shake it), then re-rinse with distilled? Or will I need to put my loop together and run it? A lot of the cleaning videos seem to suggest that cleaning solutions have to run for 6-12 hours, sometimes multiple times. Is that more for cleaning used components, as opposed to new ones?

I saw a video of Mayhem Blitz used on a new rad, and they had it sitting for 6-12 hours, and pointed out the debris once they drained it. Wouldn't a shakeup with standard or distilled water do the same thing, on a new rad?

Did you need a killcoil AND biocide? Don't they perform the same function? Would I need anything extra with my Cryofuel concentrate, besides distilled water?

Regarding measurements, could I not just use the entire concentrate to the correct ratio with distilled water, and just keep whatever is left, aside, pre-mixed, for the next time I need a top up or do a flush? Does the concentrate expire?

 

[Eximo]

Prep kits are another matter entirely. I've not really seen anyone use them, but I don't imagine they hurt. I assume it is a slightly acidic detergent without the foaming agents in soap.

I've never liked the idea of running chemicals through the pump myself. I have seen people attach hose fittings to their sinks/faucets for flushing.

Need and paranoia are two different things. I put in a dilute biocide to raise the PH of the water which should inhibit types of growth and the kills coil is there as both an ion source and for its biological properties.

Yes, you can do the mixing outside, but I don't like having chemicals in containers I don't know are designed to have that chemical in them.

 

[Ronnie30]

Thanks. I had someone else say they ran boiling tap water through the individual parts, over a sink, then rinsed that out with distilled water. I think I may do that, then build it.

I'm still curious of any issues with the Cryofuel, but I'm not really finding much feedback on that. I think I may just use it, and if there's any gunk build up in a few months, dismantling, cleaning and replacing with a different fluid will be my next adventure. Unless someone who's used Cryofuel posts prior to the weekend.