Second hand water blocks with red staining

kimura1243 · July 16, 2019

Hello, recently I've got an itch to try custom water cooling. While I was browsing the local ads this morning, I found a custom cooled pc with two 1080s with ekwb water blocks. The guy is also willing to sell the parts separately. What worries me is that he's using red coolant and he told me that there is some staining on the blocks. The price is really good, but I've heard it's really hard to clean the red staining. Does any of you have experience with it and would you recommend getting them? I was thinking maybe sand the plexi until it's clear again? Btw I'll be running white or yellow coolant.

Derrk · July 16, 2019

toothpaste & toothbrush actually work really well to remove any tarnish on cpu/gpu blocks. Its just a bit of a pain to open the blocks

as far as coolant, water with a biocide conducts the most heat & lasts the longest without needing to be changed. you can add dye if you want a certain color

kimura1243 · July 16, 2019

7 minutes ago, Derrk said:

toothpaste & toothbrush actually work really well to remove any tarnish on cpu/gpu blocks. Its just a bit of a pain to open the blocks

as far as coolant, water with a biocide conducts the most heat & lasts the longest without needing to be changed. you can add dye if you want a certain color

Won't that leave scratches on the acrylic?

Also what do you think about EK cryofuel premix (because it's the only coolant they sell around here...)?

Edited: I'm a dummie and mixed up the name of the coolant...

Derrk · July 16, 2019

Just now, kimura1243 said:

Won't that leave scratches on the acrylic?

Also what do you think about EK primochill premix (because it's the only coolant they sell around here...)?

heres a good video on cleaning out blocks:

primochill is decent, i've used it in the past. The temps are fine, but the biggest problem imo is that it's supposed to be replaced every 6 months, and it can still leave behind some discoloration

FlappyBoobs · July 16, 2019

What exactly is a "really good price" remember the RGB CPU block is about $80 brand new direct from EKWB (cheaper in many online stores).

IMO buying a used water cooling setup is like buying used toilet paper. Even if it's only lightly soiled it's worth nothing unless you have a fetish.

kimura1243 · July 16, 2019

1 minute ago, Derrk said:

heres a good video on cleaning out blocks:

primochill is decent, i've used it in the past. The temps are fine, but the biggest problem imo is that it's supposed to be replaced every 6 months, and it can still leave behind some discoloration

Thanks for the vid, I'll definitely check it out. Changing the liquid every 6 months won't be a problem, but just thinking about discoloration and staining on the blocks makes me nervous haha. I might end up going with distilled water and biocide.

@FlappyBoobs Well, the new one is 140 Euro where I'm from, and I can snag two of them for the same price (needless to say I have two cards as well).

You're right on that though. I got a used Supremacy Evo once and it was terrible. I managed to get it clean with a bit of help from the community but it was a pain in the ass.