cleaning my radiator

[joe_p231]

yesterday i brought a gaming pc from some so i could use some of the parts from it and i drained the loop in it because it didn't look to nice and i discovered that i dont think the dude who used it was using a biocide  and there is a green looking build up inside of my radiator and i need to clean it. Is there any form of liquid i could run through it to clean it like maybe bleach or flash??

any help or tips is great.

[Guest]

Run lots and lots of water through it, perhaps even a mild soap plus a heap of rinsing. A compressed air gun is also an easy way to clear out the rinse liquid 

[joe_p231]

15 minutes ago, Windspeed36 said:

Run lots and lots of water through it, perhaps even a mild soap plus a heap of rinsing. A compressed air gun is also an easy way to clear out the rinse liquid 

ok cheers ill try that

[Leonard]

You can also use a mixture of 1 cup of vinegar to 3 cups warm water and pour it into the radiator about half full and just shake it then drain then repeat about 5 times then thoroughly flush with warm/room temperature water. 

[joe_p231]

3 minutes ago, Leonard said:

You can also use a mixture of 1 cup of vinegar to 3 cups warm water and pour it into the radiator about half full and just shake it then drain then repeat about 5 times then thoroughly flush with warm/room temperature water. 

ok ill try that

 

[joe_p231]

8 minutes ago, Leonard said:

You can also use a mixture of 1 cup of vinegar to 3 cups warm water and pour it into the radiator about half full and just shake it then drain then repeat about 5 times then thoroughly flush with warm/room temperature water. 

could i make a mini loop and let it run sopay water through it for a bit?

 

[Leonard]

4 minutes ago, joe_p231 said:

ok ill try that

 

I didn't mention this but the water will turn green and you may panic but that is just the reaction of the vinegar and the brass. 

[joe_p231]

3 minutes ago, Leonard said:

I didn't mention this but the water will turn green and you may panic but that is just the reaction of the vinegar and the brass. 

it wont damage my radiator will it

[Leonard]

1 minute ago, joe_p231 said:

could i make a mini loop and let it run sopay water through it for a bit?

 

Yes you can but make sure to close all ports tightly because there will be soap suds and you don;t want that all over the place. Also, make sure the warm soapy water is not hotter then the pump's operating temperature, no more than 50C i believe, or the pump will fail.

[Leonard]

Just now, joe_p231 said:

it wont damage my radiator will it

If you leave it to sit for hours on end it might but with just a quick splashing around then a good washing out with clean water after it won't. Most of use use the vinegar to clean the inside of the radiators. I just pour the solution in the radiator and use a folded up sheet of bounty on both ports with my fingers holding it in place then give the radiator a good shaking. The reason why i use bounty and my fingers is due to the fact that if you seal the radiator with plugs the pressure build up can cause the channels to be warped but if the hot air can escape through the bounty then it will be fine.