Gunk in custom loop causing low flow rate?

[tommi_6o]

Hi everyone! I've got a custom watercoolinv loop with 2 alphacool monsta rads, 2 ek gpu blocks, supremercy evo cpu block and a d5 pump with ek x-res top. My system is mostly acrylic but there are a few pieces of soft tubing. Fluid is pure distilled water.

I noticed that the flow rate was lover than normal. I opened the gpu block and there was some guink built up. On my parrellel gpu block condiguration one of the blocks was more restricting than the another one. I opened the more restrictive one but it was almost clean. I haven't opened the less restrictive block but I'll open that too. How can one of the blocks be more restrictive than the another one if they are both clean and they have worked fine before?

Can the lover flow rate be caused solely by the gunk in the cpu block or is there something else which could be causing it?

Edit: When I disassembled my loop the rads had still some water in them. Will there be any harm to the rads if they are exposed to water and air for long periods of time?

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Always treat distilled water with additives. Distilled water also isn't widely recommended anymore, and remains an opinionated topic. Looks like algae to me, but it could be plasticizer.

[Enderman]

how do you know the flow rate through two different blocks??

do you have a flow sensor on each one individually or something?

[tommi_6o]

Always treat distilled water with additives. Distilled water also isn't widely recommended anymore, and remains an opinionated topic. Looks like algae to me, but it could be plasticizer.

The copper rads/blocks should kill algea by themselves though additives will be more effective. I'm more just trying to find out the cause for the low flow rate.

[AnonymousGuy]

 

How can one of the blocks be more restrictive than the another one if they are both clean and they have worked fine before?

 

The CPU being clogged will drop overall flowrate, but not each individual waterblock.

 

GPU- even though the flow is parallel, the blocks aren't manufactured the exact same way and the plumbing going to them is usually one-sided meaning you're flooding one card first and then it "spills over" to the other card.  This is where people like jayztwocents who oversimplify things piss me off.  Parallel doesn't usually mean exact same flow through each block.

 

Also, how can you tell the flow rates in each GPU?  You have that many flow indicators?

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The copper rads/blocks should kill algea by themselves though additives will be more effective. I'm more just trying to find out the cause for the low flow rate.

 

Pretty sure only pure silver does that effectively. It really depends on the copper surface.

[tommi_6o]

how do you know the flow rate through two different blocks??

do you have a flow sensor on each one individually or something?

I could get some air bubbles to go trough the blocks and I could see them going a lot slover trough one of them.

[tommi_6o]

The CPU being clogged will drop overall flowrate, but not each individual waterblock.

 

GPU- even though the flow is parallel, the blocks aren't manufactured the exact same way and the plumbing going to them is usually one-sided meaning you're flooding one card first and then it "spills over" to the other card.  This is where people like jayztwocents who oversimplify things piss me off.  Parallel doesn't usually mean exact same flow through each block.

 

Also, how can you tell the flow rates in each GPU?  You have that many flow indicators?

Air bubbles

[pagani123]

The copper rads/blocks should kill algea by themselves though additives will be more effective. I'm more just trying to find out the cause for the low flow rate.

only dry copper kills algea and other microbes wet copper does not

[Enderman]

I could get some air bubbles to go trough the blocks and I could see them going a lot slover trough one of them.

that's not really an accurate way to measure flow rate...

the air bubbles can move at different speeds depending on the adhesion to metals or the block acrylic, the inclination of the waterblock could make the bubbles rise faster, etc...

[pagani123]

May be best to add a silver kill coil or a biocide to loop until the new mayhems green is released 

whats mayhems green? is it a new fluid or is it just new color for pastels

[tommi_6o]

Pretty sure only pure silver does that effectively. It really depends on the copper surface.

I'll be getting mayhems pastel extreme green when they have it available. I've had 3 broken Gigabyte boards so I didn't want to use any expensive coolants year so they wouldn't go to waste.

[tommi_6o]

whats mayhems green? is it a new fluid or is it just new color for pastels

Pastel extreme is their new line of coolants which will be available in multiple colors including green.

[ThatOneRussian]

The copper rads/blocks should kill algea by themselves though additives will be more effective. I'm more just trying to find out the cause for the low flow rate.

you need additives copper blocks dont kill algae you need things like silver kill coils

[tommi_6o]

that's not really an accurate way to measure flow rate...

the air bubbles can move at different speeds depending on the adhesion to metals or the block acrylic, the inclination of the waterblock could make the bubbles rise faster, etc...

If I turn the pump speed to lowest setting the card which seems to have lower flow rate will start to heat up but the one I think is having faster flow rate stays at the same temp.

[tommi_6o]

And now you have the e-ws

They ran out of E-WS so i had to go for a x99-A. Sad life.

[tommi_6o]

only dry copper kills algea and other microbes wet copper does not

Didn't know that. Thanks. I'll be changing the coolant so it will not be a problem.

[tommi_6o]

You going to paint the white black?

Maybe at some point. First I have to make sure the board works

[BrightCandle]

Looking at the initial picture I am 99% certain that is plasticizer, its got that gooey plastic look to it. Typically algae is black by the time you pull it out of the CPU loop or green as it goes around the actual loop and it looks a feels like wet dead plant matter (duh?!).

 

Given that I would say its time to change the tubing. Please don't get coloured premixed water, at the very least just get clear if you must get a premix (you really don't need the anti freeze and anti corrosion if you made your loop right and it just impacts the performance of the loop and makes the water horrid) as every single liquid with colours in it has split given time. Sometimes its 6 months sometimes its a year but it always splits and it always cakes and gunks up your components, its impossible for it not to.