What tubing and coolant to use?

[Nigh7Sh4de]

So I will be starting a custom watercooling loop soon and one part I am completely stuck on is the coolant/tube combo. I really really really really want a coloured loop.

 

As I see it there are 3 options:

1. Clear tubing + Pre-coloured coolant

2. Clear tubing + H2O + dye

3. Coloured tubing + H2O

(if there are other options I would love to hear them)

 

As I understand it, pre-coloured coolant is terrible for your loop and will muck it up >%50 of the time (according to the interwebs).

Using a dye is safer but you will still need to clean the loop very often (more often) and will most likely need to replace the tubing because it will get "cloudy".

Using pure distilled water is BY FAR the best option but it means that any see through components that aren't coloured (like coloured tubing) will not have colour.

 

Essentially I am asking is a dye worth the risk? Does coloured tubing w/ clear liquid not look that bad?

 

Also I have heard about something called a "biocide" but have no idea what this is, could someone please explain it to me?

 

Thank-you people of the interwebs

[Shaqo_Wyn]

I recommend you go with 3. Option 1 and 2 don't give everybody problems and you can also get new tubing and clean your water blocks with a 80/20 distilled white vinegar solution (although this will not remove hard set stains). The question is do you want to deal with these potential hassles? 

 

IMO option 3 doesn't look bad. Most of the colors if you go with say Primochill Advanced LRT are dark enough that you don't really see the liquid.

 

For colored coolant go with Mayhems, here's a guide with people sharing their experience. You can get a feel for what to expect. http://www.overclock.net/t/1286896/mayhems-users-club

 

Biocides prevent all types of waterborne life from growing in your loop. You can either use pure silver like a kill coil or Monsoon silver res plug, or you can use a liquid biocide like DeadWater or PTNuke. Mayhems coolants comes pre-mixed with all biocides.

 

@Nigh7Sh4de

[Nigh7Sh4de]

I recommend you go with 3. Option 1 and 2 don't give everybody problems and you can also get new tubing and clean your water blocks with a 80/20 distilled white vinegar solution (although this will not remove hard set stains). The question is do you want to deal with these potential hassles? 

 

IMO option 3 doesn't look bad. Most of the colors if you go with say Primochill Advanced LRT are dark enough that you don't really see the liquid.

 

For colored coolant go with Mayhems, here's a guide with people sharing their experience. You can get a feel for what to expect. http://www.overclock.net/t/1286896/mayhems-users-club

 

Biocides prevent all types of waterborne life from growing in your loop. You can either use pure silver like a kill coil or Monsoon silver res plug, or you can use a liquid biocide like DeadWater or PTNuke. Mayhems coolants comes pre-mixed with all biocides.

 

@Nigh7Sh4de

 

Yeah it looks like I will be going with option 3.

What is a "silver kill coil"? Is there a specific product page you could link me to as an example?

Are there any real differences between liquid biocide and silver?

Also, do you know of any really cool reservoirs that have built in LED lighting? (I have seen the t-virus and am not a big fan of the spiral... Looks too "zerg"y lol)

 

Thanks so much for your help

[Shaqo_Wyn]

Yeah it looks like I will be going with option 3.

What is a "silver kill coil"? Is there a specific product page you could link me to as an example?

Are there any real differences between liquid biocide and silver?

Also, do you know of any really cool reservoirs that have built in LED lighting? (I have seen the t-virus and am not a big fan of the spiral... Looks too "zerg"y lol)

 

Thanks so much for your help

kill coil: http://www.frozencpu.com/products/11441/ex-tub-705/IandH_Silver_KillCoils_-_Antimicrobial_999_Fine_Silver_Tubing_Reservoir_Strip.html

 

There is no difference between a kill coil and a liquid biocide. You can use one or the other, a few people use both to satisfy their paranoia.

 

Only other res I know is the XSPC Photon rezzys. http://www.frozencpu.com/products/20923/ex-res-635/XSPC_Photon_170_Tube_Glass_Cylinder_Reservoir.html

 

http://www.xs-pc.com/reservoirs/photon-270-tube-reservoir

 

They also come in longer versions. From what I hear they're pretty great.

[Nigh7Sh4de]

kill coil: http://www.frozencpu.com/products/11441/ex-tub-705/IandH_Silver_KillCoils_-_Antimicrobial_999_Fine_Silver_Tubing_Reservoir_Strip.html

 

There is no difference between a kill coil and a liquid biocide. You can use one or the other, a few people use both to satisfy their paranoia.

 

Only other res I know is the XSPC Photon rezzys. http://www.frozencpu.com/products/20923/ex-res-635/XSPC_Photon_170_Tube_Glass_Cylinder_Reservoir.html

 

http://www.xs-pc.com/reservoirs/photon-270-tube-reservoir

 

They also come in longer versions. From what I hear they're pretty great.

 

Mmmmm the photon 270 looks great... to bad my tower (Phantom 630) is like 600mm tall and that is 270mm long... Maybe I wil get 2x 170mm

[Shaqo_Wyn]

Mmmmm the photon 270 looks great... to bad my tower (Phantom 630) is like 600mm tall and that is 270mm long... Maybe I wil get 2x 170mm

Nice case! Feel free to show us the finished project in the build logs sub-topic.

[Maxwit44]

Mmmmm the photon 270 looks great... to bad my tower (Phantom 630) is like 600mm tall and that is 270mm long... Maybe I wil get 2x 170mm

 

I have the Photon 170 in my system, I doubt you'll need two of them. They hold fair amount of liquid.

[R4STABAN]

It's worth considering that some block manufacturers void your warranty if you do not use an approved premix coolant (either theirs or a third parties).

 

IIRC (haven't checked for about a year) EK and koolance were 2 examples, both stating that the use of silver in particular would void warranty.

 

Shouldn't really matter as you won't need to use the warranty if you have a corrosion inhibiting additive / don't have ally in the loop.

 

BTW option 1 and 2 are the same. Coolant is coloured by dye, whetehr you apply the dye or the manufacturer does. I would go option 2 in order to fine tune the colour myself.