Jump to content

Cleaning radiators?

Go to solution Solved by HollyBoni,

Initially you wouldn't use the pump to circulate the fluid. You'd slowly pour it through one of the openings and fill it till it was about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way full with hot water. Initially you'd also want to let it sit to try to reconstitute whatever's in the radiator so it can be rinsed away better. That is what is meant by the "seal and shake" method, as you'd fill it with hot water, seal the radiator with stop fittings, then shake it vigorously for a short time -- periodically unsealing it and resealing it to relieve pressure.

 

I can actually connect the radiator to the tap in the bathroom. :) Thanks guys, I'll try hot water and circulating a vinegar water mix.

Hey!

What's the best way to clean the inside of a radiator? I have two Watercool mo-ra 2s. I got them from a config that wasn't used for years. They sit assembled in a loop full of water and automotive antifreeze mix. After I got it I dissasembled the loop, and the radiators sit for about a year. 

 

I actually want to circulate something through them with a waterpump and bucket. Tips? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

almost boiling water from a kettle and rise though a few times is what I do.

Intel I9-9900k (5Ghz) Asus ROG Maximus XI Formula | Corsair Vengeance 16GB DDR4-4133mhz | ASUS ROG Strix 2080Ti | EVGA Supernova G2 1050w 80+Gold | Samsung 950 Pro M.2 (512GB) + (1TB) | Full EK custom water loop |IN-WIN S-Frame (No. 263/500)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

this should help

 

Don't know if I missed something, did he use just water? Is that strong enough? As I said my rads have been sitting for years. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

+1 to @starcoaster. That's the method I've used for flushing radiators, and it works quite well.

What I've been doing as well is doing a push-through flush with the pump before connecting it to a filter. Basically I'd have the pump hooked up to the radiator with the outlet on the radiator just dumping into the sink with an open reservoir above the pump. I'd then pour distilled water into the reservoir, turn on the pump, and keep pouring water into the reservoir as the pump pushed the water through the radiator with pressure -- the pump doesn't push so fast that it's difficult to keep up. I've found that this gets a good amount of the gunk out of the radiator, and the filter can easily take care of the rest.

Given the condition of the radiators you've mentioned, the push-flush is what I'd recommend to rinse out the radiators. You're going to need a more extensive flush of them first. And on that mark, given that automotive antifreeze was used, this means you'll want to make sure you get all of that old antifreeze out of the radiators. Hot water will help on that mark, so doing a "seal and shake" method will likely do the trick. Do as many iterations as it takes until the water comes out of the radiator clear, and for the first couple iterations, leave the water sitting in the radiator for a couple minutes before shaking it.

Now, and here's the important part: do not dump that water down the drain. Automotive antifreeze is environmentally toxic, so contact your water company to find out what to do with it. You may need to take the waste fluid to an auto service company for proper disposal.

Once you feel you have all of the old coolant out of the radiator, then you'll want to do the pump push-flush I mentioned to push clean distilled water through the radiator. Given the size of the radiator, I'd recommend 1 gallon (3L) plus an additional gallon for every 120mm/140mm of radiator space. So if you have a triple-120mm radiator, push four gallons (~12L) of distilled water through it. That water might be safe to let go down the drain as it should have only trace amounts of ethylene glycol.

Wife's build: Amethyst - Ryzen 9 3900X, 32GB G.Skill Ripjaws V DDR4-3200, ASUS Prime X570-P, EVGA RTX 3080 FTW3 12GB, Corsair Obsidian 750D, Corsair RM1000 (yellow label)

My build: Mira - Ryzen 7 3700X, 32GB EVGA DDR4-3200, ASUS Prime X470-PRO, EVGA RTX 3070 XC3, beQuiet Dark Base 900, EVGA 1000 G6

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

eventually even water will clean them, dilution to oblivion. I'd reccomend using very hot water though. Hot water will dissolve any soluble crap faster and is generally better than using cold water

Would very hot water damage the pump somehow? I don't want to buy a seperate pump just for cleaning the system.

What about circulation vinegar and water mix? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

Would very hot water damage the pump somehow? I don't want to buy a seperate pump just for cleaning the system.

What about circulation vinegar and water mix?

Initially you wouldn't use the pump to circulate the fluid. You'd slowly pour it through one of the openings and fill it till it was about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way full with hot water. Initially you'd also want to let it sit to try to reconstitute whatever's in the radiator so it can be rinsed away better. That is what is meant by the "seal and shake" method, as you'd fill it with hot water, seal the radiator with stop fittings, then shake it vigorously for a short time -- periodically unsealing it and resealing it to relieve pressure.

Wife's build: Amethyst - Ryzen 9 3900X, 32GB G.Skill Ripjaws V DDR4-3200, ASUS Prime X570-P, EVGA RTX 3080 FTW3 12GB, Corsair Obsidian 750D, Corsair RM1000 (yellow label)

My build: Mira - Ryzen 7 3700X, 32GB EVGA DDR4-3200, ASUS Prime X470-PRO, EVGA RTX 3070 XC3, beQuiet Dark Base 900, EVGA 1000 G6

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

Initially you wouldn't use the pump to circulate the fluid. You'd slowly pour it through one of the openings and fill it till it was about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way full with hot water. Initially you'd also want to let it sit to try to reconstitute whatever's in the radiator so it can be rinsed away better. That is what is meant by the "seal and shake" method, as you'd fill it with hot water, seal the radiator with stop fittings, then shake it vigorously for a short time -- periodically unsealing it and resealing it to relieve pressure.

 

I can actually connect the radiator to the tap in the bathroom. :) Thanks guys, I'll try hot water and circulating a vinegar water mix.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×