Question Trying to decide on a coolant (clear? colored? pastel?)

[MoreMoneyThanSense]

I think pastel coolant looks pretty sweet, but I also hear that it's the hardest on your system and tends to cause problems, especially if you plan to run the system 24/7 for months on end.

On the other hand I've heard to avoid colored liquid too because apparently dyes can stain your equipment.

That leaves plain distilled water or clear coolant, which is always an option too but I feel like it greatly limits aesthetic choices and runs the risk of looking too plain. Some people use colored tubes instead but I also don't want to be too limited in case I want to change color later. It seems easier to change liquid or lighting compared to remaking your tubes again (I plan to do hard PETG tube).

What are your thoughts? Can pastels be run long-term without issue? What are some tradeoffs or considerations to keep in mind when selecting these different coolants? It's really hard to find recent / up to date information on this stuff.

 

[rubix_1011]

Pastels - not a chance I'd ever use them. So many issues and videos reporting very bad things happening with these when used longer than a few weeks. They look great, but man, I've seen so many different people and their struggles when these break down inside cooling components.

Coolants - clear, sure. others? no. Clear + dye, probably safest

Distilled water + antimicrobial - best cooling performance (maybe 1C difference), cleanest on your system

I know a lot of new watercooling folks like to use coolants and things for display and eye candy, but for me, distilled water and antimicrobial is all I want. I prefer the clear, clean look of just clear water. It is also so much easier observe and maintain...you know exactly the state the coolant is in because if it isn't clear, you know whats up.

 

[MoreMoneyThanSense]

Pastels - not a chance I'd ever use them. So many issues and videos reporting very bad things happening with these when used longer than a few weeks. They look great, but man, I've seen so many different people and their struggles when these break down inside cooling components.

Coolants - clear, sure. others? no. Clear + dye, probably safest

Distilled water + antimicrobial - best cooling performance (maybe 1C difference), cleanest on your system

I know a lot of new watercooling folks like to use coolants and things for display and eye candy, but for me, distilled water and antimicrobial is all I want. I prefer the clear, clean look of just clear water. It is also so much easier observe and maintain...you know exactly the state the coolant is in because if it isn't clear, you know whats up.

Even present-day, pastel coolants are problematic? Is it not possible to run them long term without issue, or is it more that people are prone to misusing them by not cleaning things properly / often enough / something similar?

 

[rubix_1011]

Without knowing which do/which do not have issues, I wouldn't even begin to choose, and most of these problems occur under sustained loads or extended period of sitting - so either when the system is always working or when it is always off...choose your poison. I would never use one, but you can choose what you like.

 

[MoreMoneyThanSense]

If I were to do a pastel, I would probably do Mayhems Pastel, if that helps narrow things down any.

Any advice for how to run something like Mayhem's Pastel 24/7 without issue for extended periods of time?

I am mainly looking for a basic what-to-do checklist as far as initial preparation and ongoing maintenance goes.

Would this be reasonable:

Run blitz first time + fill with coolant, every 6 months or so drain + clean parts + re-fill with coolant? I see ketchup + water + toothbrush recommended a lot but don't know if that applies to most metals. Definitely avoiding aluminum parts in the loop, and not using alcohol to clean (since it apparently breaks acrylic).

Does this advice for how to clean the parts also extend to GPU blocks? https://www.ekwb.com/blog/how-to-clean-water-blocks/