Hard and soft tubing in same build

[TheRealEaro]

Hello, 

I'm currently working on my first custom loop. The case that will be housing the build is Thermaltake Core p7.

 

Initially the plan was to use rigid tubing for the whole build, but recently I thought of using soft tubing for the back. I've seen it done in a few builds, and since it won't be visible I don't really see any drawbacks.

Whichbrings me to my question:

 

Are there any downsides of using a mixture of soft and hard tubes. Will it require more frequent maintenance? Would you recommend it or should I stick to hard tubing for the back side as well?

[fabafaba]

I'd go for hard in the front, soft in the back. While PVC-softtubing doesn't hold up as long as acrylic hardtubing and needs to be changed more often, it's easier and cheaper to swap out. It also makes work on other parts of the cooling loop easier.

[xenic]

On 2/8/2020 at 3:08 PM, TheRealEaro said:

Hello, 

I'm currently working on my first custom loop. The case that will be housing the build is Thermaltake Core p7.

 

Initially the plan was to use rigid tubing for the whole build, but recently I thought of using soft tubing for the back. I've seen it done in a few builds, and since it won't be visible I don't really see any drawbacks.

Whichbrings me to my question:

 

Are there any downsides of using a mixture of soft and hard tubes. Will it require more frequent maintenance? Would you recommend it or should I stick to hard tubing for the back side as well?

I don't see the point of hard tubing in the back, as you can't see it. And in my opinion it makes maintenance (and cable management) easier.

[TheRealEaro]

@fabafaba @xenic Yeah it seems like the logical decision, just wanted to hear from some more experienced builders (since it's my first custom loop). I already ordered a bunch of soft tube compression fittings for the back. 

Thanks for your input!

[Neggy-Z]

Since it's just soft tubing for the back, i take it there won't be lots of runs or much tubing used? If that's the case i would just buy a bunch of good quality tubing so you have heaps left over for replacements, it will easily last the life time of the fluid, assuming you are using some kind of premixed stuff from a quality manufacturer.

 

I didn't have any issues with EK's Duraclear tubing while combined with their Cryofuel coolants, in the past i used their navy blue coolant for 6-8 months and apart from slight blue staining on the tubes (well it stained everything really) it was still clear for the most part, no noticeable build up.

[TheRealEaro]

6 hours ago, Neggy-Z said:

Since it's just soft tubing for the back, i take it there won't be lots of runs or much tubing used? If that's the case i would just buy a bunch of good quality tubing so you have heaps left over for replacements, it will easily last the life time of the fluid, assuming you are using some kind of premixed stuff from a quality manufacturer.

 

I didn't have any issues with EK's Duraclear tubing while combined with their Cryofuel coolants, in the past i used their navy blue coolant for 6-8 months and apart from slight blue staining on the tubes (well it stained everything really) it was still clear for the most part, no noticeable build up.

Yeah it wouldn't be much. I got 3 meters so it should be plenty. 

I was also going to use Cryofuel (mostly because it's the only one I can find locally). I'm still not sure on the color... Initially I was going for yellow (even sleeved my pay cables in yellow and black), but now I'm thinking of azure blue or electric purple.. However I'm actually a bit scared of potential staining, so I might end up with EK's clear premix instead. It won't look as visually appealing as the colored alternatives but it might save me a lot of time and nerves in the long run.. 

 

Edit: pink is also an option... Colors are hard...

[Tristerin]

I personally prefer colored tubing over clear tubing.  The only issue I have found is trying to MATCH a colored tubing to a scheme is pretty hard as blacks may not be as black etc.

[Neggy-Z]

7 hours ago, TheRealEaro said:

Yeah it wouldn't be much. I got 3 meters so it should be plenty. 

I was also going to use Cryofuel (mostly because it's the only one I can find locally). I'm still not sure on the color... Initially I was going for yellow (even sleeved my pay cables in yellow and black), but now I'm thinking of azure blue or electric purple.. However I'm actually a bit scared of potential staining, so I might end up with EK's clear premix instead. It won't look as visually appealing as the colored alternatives but it might save me a lot of time and nerves in the long run.. 

 

Edit: pink is also an option... Colors are hard...

I'm not sure how modern coolants go but red used to be the worst colour for staining, blues and greens were usually the least staining colours.

Here's what my blocks looks like after years of blue coolant use, the gpu block isn't bad except for that one dark spot you can see, the cpu block is a lot worse.

I don't have any of the old tubing so i can't show you that but it's also built up inside the radiator too.

One thing to note however is that most of this staining is from EKs older generation of coolant.

 

[TheRealEaro]

2 hours ago, Neggy-Z said:

I'm not sure how modern coolants go but red used to be the worst colour for staining, blues and greens were usually the least staining colours.

Here's what my blocks looks like after years of blue coolant use, the gpu block isn't bad except for that one dark spot you can see, the cpu block is a lot worse.

I don't have any of the old tubing so i can't show you that but it's also built up inside the radiator too.

One thing to note however is that most of this staining is from EKs older generation of coolant.

 

Doesn't look as bad as I expected. Do you change the fluid every 6 months (asking since I'll be using Cryofuel too)? 

Also do you have any tips for the initial flush of the components? I was thinking of using tap water and then using some destilled water for one final flush or should I go with destilled only? Maybe fill the loop with destilled and run it overnight and afterwards swap to Cryofuel? 

 

I know there's Mayhem's Blitz and supposedly it does a great job, but sadly it's unavailable locally and the shipping cost makes it hard for me to justify. 

 

I'm getting a little off-topic with those questions and I apologise, but it seems better than making a new topic.

[Neggy-Z]

8 hours ago, TheRealEaro said:

I was thinking of using tap water and then using some destilled water for one final flush

This is pretty much what i do for blocks, for rads i like to use hot water + white vinegar, cap off the ports and give them a good shake for a few minutes, you may need to repeat this a few times depending on how dirty your rads are.

The blitz cleaning kits aren't necessary for new parts.

 

I can't remember how long i had the fluid in the loop, it was probably closer to a year before flushing.

[TheRealEaro]

16 hours ago, Neggy-Z said:

This is pretty much what i do for blocks, for rads i like to use hot water + white vinegar, cap off the ports and give them a good shake for a few minutes, you may need to repeat this a few times depending on how dirty your rads are.

The blitz cleaning kits aren't necessary for new parts.

 

I can't remember how long i had the fluid in the loop, it was probably closer to a year before flushing.

Thanks man, you were really helpful!