PETG will not turn yellow with UV LEDS or cathodes.

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Doing a build log, and started disassembling my system. Every thread with PETG involved has said it will turn yellow with UV LEDs and cathodes. I've had the system for a year with both UV light sources. Zero discoloring has occurred so far.

 

Just thought I'd let future PETG users know that so far UV LEDs + cathodes seem to be OK for a year. Yes sunlight is a different story.

[W-L]

Doing a build log, and started disassembling my system. Every thread with PETG involved has said it will turn yellow with UV LEDs and cathodes. I've had the system for a year with both UV light sources. Zero discoloring has occurred so far.

Just thought I'd let future PETG users know that so far UV LEDs + cathodes seem to be OK for a year. Yes sunlight is a different story.

 

I believe it was that PETG is not normally not UV stabilized so they can become brittle over the long run especially with sun exposure. 

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I believe it was that PETG is not normally not UV stabilized so they can become brittle over the long run especially with sun exposure. 

 

Yeah sunlight will ruin PETG, but it has to be direct. If you left the tube in the sun for a few days, you'd have a mess!

I was worried about the UV lights because every said PETG will turn yellow, but it looks like that's wrong. Still bendy too!

[pagani123]

if you buy high quality petg it should be uv stable 

[W-L]

Yeah sunlight will ruin PETG, but it has to be direct. If you left the tube in the sun for a few days, you'd have a mess!

I was worried about the UV lights because every said PETG will turn yellow, but it looks like that's wrong. Still bendy too!

Probably the UV light's UV range is in the lower range near the visible spectrum so it's not as damaging or strong enough to cause problems which is good.

 

 

if you buy high quality petg it should be uv stable 

It's kind of a specialty item since polycarbonate seems to dominate that market over PETG being UV stabilized and relatively cheap.

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Probably the UV light's UV range is in the lower range near the visible spectrum so it's not as damaging or strong enough to cause problems which is good.

 

 

It's kind of a specialty item since polycarbonate seems to dominate that market over PETG being UV stabilized and relatively cheap.

 

Was it PETG or Acylic that you shouldn't use Ethylene Glycol with?

[pagani123]

Probably the UV light's UV range is in the lower range near the visible spectrum so it's not as damaging or strong enough to cause problems which is good.

 

 

It's kind of a specialty item since polycarbonate seems to dominate that market over PETG being UV stabilized and relatively cheap.

so it could be possible that the glycol modification makes it uv unstable because pet and pete is used in solar panel cells so they wouldn't want a uv unstable product clouding up solar cell 

[W-L]

Was it PETG or Acylic that you shouldn't use Ethylene Glycol with?

PETG doesn't play nice with Ethylene Glycol, I believe acrylic was fine with it, 

 

 

so it could be possible that the glycol modification makes it uv unstable because pet and pete is used in solar panel cells so they wouldn't want a uv unstable product clouding up solar cell 

Gylcol modification I don't think I've heard of this before but for sure most larger solar panels are either protected with a glass sheet or UV stabilized plastics.

[pagani123]

PETG doesn't play nice with Ethylene Glycol, I believe acrylic was fine with it, 

 

 

Gylcol modification I don't think I've heard of this before but for sure most larger solar panels are either protected with a glass sheet or UV stabilized plastics.

here i actually found a quote from an article on petg by a plastic company 

Overall PETG is a high-impact material but it’s not suitable for use in outdoor applications, although UV resistant stabilisers can be added to it. The UV rays in solar radiation will degrade most plastics in time, but this exposure depends on the temperature humidity, angle of the sheet in respect to the solar radiation and its intensity.  Degradation can be seen by the plastic becoming more yellow and there will also be a decrease in light transmission and its mechanical properties. PETG is also vulnerable to scratching, so avoid placing it in high contact environments

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PETG doesn't play nice with Ethylene Glycol, I believe acrylic was fine with it, 

 

 

Gylcol modification I don't think I've heard of this before but for sure most larger solar panels are either protected with a glass sheet or UV stabilized plastics.

 

I have a jug of CoolForce UV blue coolant; it contains ethylene glycol. Their website basically pairs it up with PETG tubing in their starter pack. I wonder if it's worth the risk haha.

[W-L]

here i actually found a quote from an article on petg by a plastic company 

Overall PETG is a high-impact material but it’s not suitable for use in outdoor applications, although UV resistant stabilisers can be added to it. The UV rays in solar radiation will degrade most plastics in time, but this exposure depends on the temperature humidity, angle of the sheet in respect to the solar radiation and its intensity.  Degradation can be seen by the plastic becoming more yellow and there will also be a decrease in light transmission and its mechanical properties. PETG is also vulnerable to scratching, so avoid placing it in high contact environments

 

Hmm makes sense why most use glass, similar to how really old plastic (poly-carbonate or acrylic) skylights turn all foggy and yellow over time.

[W-L]

I have a jug of CoolForce UV blue coolant; it contains ethylene glycol. Their website basically pairs it up with PETG tubing in their starter pack. I wonder if it's worth the risk haha.

 

I'd probably do a test with a piece of tubing in a glass or HDPE container and let it sit for a few months to see if it reacts, but I've heard of them before and didn't think they use Ethylene Gylcol.

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I'd probably do a test with a piece of tubing in a glass or HDPE container and let it sit for a few months to see if it reacts, but I've heard of them before and didn't think they use Ethylene Gylcol.

 

Yeah I thought they didn't; however the back of the label says it does. It also says it's compatible with all watercooling systems.  :unsure:

[W-L]

Yeah I thought they didn't; however the back of the label says it does. It also says it's compatible with all watercooling systems.  :unsure:

 

Not sure how much I trust them now....

[Benji_w]

Yeah I thought they didn't; however the back of the label says it does. It also says it's compatible with all watercooling systems.  :unsure:

 

 

Not sure how much I trust them now....

 

There is still a lot of testing to be done on this. I haven't seen any failures yet but tbh I've got acrylic tubing for my rig.

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There is still a lot of testing to be done on this. I haven't seen any failures yet but tbh I've got acrylic tubing for my rig.

 

I guess I'll be testing!