Advanced watercooling question

[louisssss]

So i'm looking to get my custom water loop up and running again. i've had everything since 2010 and everything was working amazing the last time i took it apart. I'll do a test loop for leaks / pump functionality before installing.

My parts:
Swiftech MCP 355 12v DC Pump
XSPC - Acrylic Reservoir for Laing DDC
Swiftech MCR320-QP-K Triple 120mm Radiator
XSPC RX360 - Triple 120mm high performance radiator

My question: how do i go about cleaning anything that's creeping and crawling inside of the radiators and the pump? they've been just sitting in the bottom of my closet for the last 7-9 years. Anything i need to worry about corrosion? To kill bacteria... do people still get a Silver Kill Coil and shove it into the tubing somewhere?

[W-L]

28 minutes ago, louisssss said:

So i'm looking to get my custom water loop up and running again. i've had everything since 2010 and everything was working amazing the last time i took it apart. I'll do a test loop for leaks / pump functionality before installing.

My parts:
Swiftech MCP 355 12v DC Pump
XSPC - Acrylic Reservoir for Laing DDC
Swiftech MCR320-QP-K Triple 120mm Radiator
XSPC RX360 - Triple 120mm high performance radiator

My question: how do i go about cleaning anything that's creeping and crawling inside of the radiators and the pump? they've been just sitting in the bottom of my closet for the last 7-9 years. Anything i need to worry about corrosion? To kill bacteria... do people still get a Silver Kill Coil and shove it into the tubing somewhere?

For the pump you can open that up to give it a proper cleaning, the res might be a bit difficult if it's one of those units that are completely sealed and just ports. In terms of the rads it depends if they are very dirty most times using a dilute vinegar solution and then after a baking soda wash plus lots of rinsing is sufficient but for a deep deep clean the Mayhem Blitz would be the best. 

 

For additive you can still use silver coils as long as you don't have any nickel plating within your loop from either the blocks or fittings, more commonly it is now suggest to go with a proper watercooling fluid as it contains all the additives and anti-corrosive elements. 

[louisssss]

1 hour ago, W-L said:

For the pump you can open that up to give it a proper cleaning, the res might be a bit difficult if it's one of those units that are completely sealed and just ports. In terms of the rads it depends if they are very dirty most times using a dilute vinegar solution and then after a baking soda wash plus lots of rinsing is sufficient but for a deep deep clean the Mayhem Blitz would be the best. 

 

For additive you can still use silver coils as long as you don't have any nickel plating within your loop from either the blocks or fittings, more commonly it is now suggest to go with a proper watercooling fluid as it contains all the additives and anti-corrosive elements. 

The res has a fill port. Can I give it a shaking with water and dish soap, then vigorous rinse with vinegar? 

 

I'm worried that the inside of the rads are corroded, not sure why but that's the worse case scenario. How can I get the insides of the rads back to Shiney and new? 

[W-L]

3 minutes ago, louisssss said:

The res has a fill port. Can I give it a shaking with water and dish soap, then vigorous rinse with vinegar? 

 

I'm worried that the inside of the rads are corroded, not sure why but that's the worse case scenario. How can I get the insides of the rads back to Shiney and new? 

You will need to use something like the Blitz kit if you want to really clean the rads, it uses a phosphoric acid to etch and clean the interior surfaces. 

[louisssss]

Just now, W-L said:

You will need to use something like the Blitz kit if you want to really clean the rads, it uses a phosphoric acid to etch and clean the interior surfaces. 

Hm... Will need to look into that. I was really into wc in the late 2000s but haven't kept up. 

[W-L]

5 minutes ago, louisssss said:

Hm... Will need to look into that. I was really into wc in the late 2000s but haven't kept up. 

They have a kit that does the rads ( Part 1) and also a cleaning solution (part 2) to rinse a loop before the final fill. For your application you would only need part 1.

https://www.mayhems.net/products/mayhems-blitz-part-one-only

 

 

[louisssss]

1 hour ago, W-L said:

They have a kit that does the rads ( Part 1) and also a cleaning solution (part 2) to rinse a loop before the final fill. For your application you would only need part 1.

https://www.mayhems.net/products/mayhems-blitz-part-one-only

 

 

In the USA, u got a favorite website to buy this off of? I have a bunch of fittings and 2x 360 rads that have been left in a dusty closet for almost 10 years. Think following the video would be sufficient to get it up and running again?

 

also would need to get that inside of that pump real good.

[W-L]

20 minutes ago, louisssss said:

In the USA, u got a favorite website to buy this off of? I have a bunch of fittings and 2x 360 rads that have been left in a dusty closet for almost 10 years. Think following the video would be sufficient to get it up and running again?

 

also would need to get that inside of that pump real good.

Performance PC has lots of great watercooling stuff:

https://www.performance-pcs.com/

 

Long as the pump is still good and the used components are cleaned out well it should be good to go. 

[louisssss]

2 hours ago, W-L said:

They have a kit that does the rads ( Part 1) and also a cleaning solution (part 2) to rinse a loop before the final fill. For your application you would only need part 1.

https://www.mayhems.net/products/mayhems-blitz-part-one-only

 

 

will def get a Part 1 to clean my 2x 360s. Would i also need a Basic kit to clean my pump and res after i set up the test loop

[W-L]

7 minutes ago, louisssss said:

will def get a Part 1 to clean my 2x 360s. Would i also need a Basic kit to clean my pump and res after i set up the test loop

Personally I've never used it myself but it is marketed as a completely cleaning solution, I've only used part 1 for cleaning rads before and that stuff works really well. Just follow the instructions carefully and remember it is an acid so certain precautions need to be taken. 

 

The part 2 you still want to have a clean loop before using it as it's more of a system preparation from my understanding. 

Edited April 29, 2020 by W-L

[For Science!]

7 hours ago, louisssss said:

Shiney and new? 

Just in case, I hope shiney is used in a figurative context as the inside of the radiator (as far as I know) never looks shiny, it has a dull brass like appearance even when new. Sometimes people even think its "rusted" although it doesn't.

[louisssss]

6 hours ago, For Science! said:

Just in case, I hope shiney is used in a figurative context as the inside of the radiator (as far as I know) never looks shiny, it has a dull brass like appearance even when new. Sometimes people even think its "rusted" although it doesn't.

i meant it figuratively, although i've never seen the inside of a radiator. And i'd assume that it would be shiney as the bottom of a cpu block / inside of a cpu block.

[For Science!]

11 minutes ago, louisssss said:

i meant it figuratively, although i've never seen the inside of a radiator. And i'd assume that it would be shiney as the bottom of a cpu block / inside of a cpu block.

It's actually quite disgusting looking, also depending on the manufacturer. Here are two radiators I had close by and are "clean" as far as using it in a custom loop. 

 

Left is the HardwareLabs GTS that has this classic "brassy" appearance, it isn't shiny, very dull in fact. On the right this is an Alphacool Radiator with its "rusty" appearance. The Alphacool one might be genuinely a bit disgusting and may warrant some cleaning, if I wanted, but as far as it not affecting the loop, it is completely usable.