What's this stuff, and how do I get rid of it?

[mikegray]

[Note: I have a similar post on overclock.net. I'm kind of under time-pressure to get my system fixed, hope this is OK.]

 

I neglected my loop for a couple of years. Yeah, I know, I'm a rotten loop-daddy - but there was so much going on in life, and ... yeah. All of a sudden, my pump started having trouble. When I opened the system up, I discovered that the tubes had turned dirty yellow, the rad was blocked with greenish stuff, and when I looked above the waterline in my res, I found this:

Have a look: https://goo.gl/photos/25W5faotjWpjBE4L7

1) What would you say this stuff is? Algae? Flux from my rad? Plasticizer?
2) How would YOU recommend cleaning it out?

More information:
- I DON'T have any aluminum in my loop AND I've been using Mayhems fluid with anti-corrosive & anti-bacterial juice, so it shouldn't really be my problem. But it's obviously SOMETHING!
- Here's what's in my loop:

• Fluid: Mayhems Pastel UV White
• Tubes: Masterkleer PVC 13/10mm
• Fittings: Koolance  
• GPU: Aquacomputer Kryographics GPU blocks
• CPU: EK-Supremacy Clean CSQ
• Pump: Aquacomputer Aquastream XT 
• Res: Aquabox Reservoir
• Rad: Magicool 3x180mm

Plans so far:
Back when I first built the loop, I may have cut some corners on cleaning out the rad. Just dumped in a couple tea kettles of hot water, then poured it out. So I'm thinking that I really ought to do the following:

• Give my rad the Mayhems Blitz Part 1 treatment.
• Put the open reservoir in the dishwasher to clean out the green residue.
• Build the loop back up with fresh tubing (EK-DuraClear).
• Run the loop with Mayhems Blitz Part 2 before flushing with distilled water and filling with new fluid.

Think that'll be enough?

[R3ep3r]

4 minutes ago, mikegray said:

...

That greenish stuff is algae. You could easily wipe it off the bigger containers and in the pipes you could use some bathroom sink cleaner(or however is it called)

[Lurick]

Definitely algae. You can easily wipe it off with a cloth or something but for the tubing I would suggest a bristle cleaner or just replacing it to be sure. The tubes going yellow is generally just plasticizer stuff leaking out, I've had it happen when I used soft tubing.

Part 1 and 2 are great for cleaning everything out and then fill it up with new fluid, after flushing it out of course.

[samcool55]

That green is algae for sure, looks exactly the same as the stuff that appears sometimes in my aquarium.

It can be slippery/oily so make sure you clean it very well. It likes to leave a thin slippery layer behind.

[For Science!]

33 minutes ago, mikegray said:

-snip-

Yep, Algae. Too bad Mayhems fluid have no documentation surrounding whether they actually contain anti-algael compounds (note, not the same as anti-bacterial, completely different classes of organism). Also, any biocide has a half-life and it is possible that your chemical became ineffective after X years (though they should be good for 1-2 years).

 

Clean best as you can, I would personally do a few flushes with biocide containing fluid to extra make sure that things are dead. I would recommend a fluid with modern biocides like methylisothiazolinone or benzalkonium chloride. 

[mikegray]

19 minutes ago, For Science! said:

Clean best as you can, I would personally do a few flushes with biocide containing fluid to extra make sure that things are dead. I would recommend a fluid with modern biocides like methylisothiazolinone or benzalkonium chloride. 

First thanks to EVERYONE. LTT forums FTW!

 

Couple quick questions on your content, FS: 

- I'm assuming that Mayhems Blitz Part 2 contains plenty of biocide, right??

- When you mention fluid with modern biocides - do you mean CLEANING fluid or long term cooling fluid - and, assuming you mean the latter: Does Mayhems have something like this or would you recommend something else?

 

[Lurick]

1 minute ago, mikegray said:

First thanks to EVERYONE. LTT forums FTW!

 

Couple quick questions on your content, FS: 

- I'm assuming that Mayhems Blitz Part 2 contains plenty of biocide, right??

- When you mention fluid with modern biocides - do you mean CLEANING fluid or long term cooling fluid - and, assuming you mean the latter: Does Mayhems have something like this or would you recommend something else?

 

The part 2 is a cleaning solution that contains chemicals to balance the pH of the system and clean it out but not prevent additional growth after cleaning.

[For Science!]

1 hour ago, mikegray said:

-snip-

Yes Mayhems Blitz Part 2 is benzalkonium chloride so it should do some good.

 

I do indeed mean to have your loop running with biocide containing coolant for a day for two, to make sure everything is rinsed, and then drain the loop and then fill it up with the same stuff again so that there isn't any left over dead debris. I personally recommend EK-CryoFuel since I know the three components in the mix, but that choice is up to you. Generally Mayhems have terrible documentation so I cannot recommend any since they do not disclose their composition.

 

58 minutes ago, Lurick said:

The part 2 is a cleaning solution that contains chemicals to balance the pH of the system and clean it out but not prevent additional growth after cleaning.

 

1 hour ago, mikegray said:

-snip-

http://mayhems.net/sds/blitz/SDS_Blitz_Pro_Part_2.pdf

 

See the above PDF to confirm the use of a biocide in Part 2. However it is important that you:

1 - make sure your whole system has been rinsed throughly with the biocide

2 - replace the liquid with something that also contains biocide

3 - replace fluid periodically to make sure there is still active biocide in the system

 

While Mayhems doesn't disclose what is in their coolant, if you are fixed upon the looks of the coolant, by all means use Mayhems. But I would prefer to use a coolant that has some documentation and justification such as EK-CryoFuel.

[mikegray]

1 minute ago, For Science! said:

While Mayhems doesn't disclose what is in their coolant, if you are fixed upon the looks of the coolant, by all means use Mayhems. But I would prefer to use a coolant that has some documentation and justification such as EK-CryoFuel.

Nnng. I DO like me some white pastel - and EK-CryoFuel doesn't seem to have a white fluid.

 

OTOH, it's not like I spent the last two years staring at my beautiful rig (or I'd have noticed that something was off!) - and having a rig that actually works turns out to be pretty nice ...

 

It's weird - on EK's website they actually show a white fluid - they just don^t seem to sell it. I'm wondering if there's something I could add in.

[GeorgeDouj88]

1 hour ago, mikegray said:

[Note: I have a similar post on overclock.net. I'm kind of under time-pressure to get my system fixed, hope this is OK.]

 

I neglected my loop for a couple of years. Yeah, I know, I'm a rotten loop-daddy - but there was so much going on in life, and ... yeah. All of a sudden, my pump started having trouble. When I opened the system up, I discovered that the tubes had turned dirty yellow, the rad was blocked with greenish stuff, and when I looked above the waterline in my res, I found this:

Have a look: https://goo.gl/photos/25W5faotjWpjBE4L7

1) What would you say this stuff is? Algae? Flux from my rad? Plasticizer?
2) How would YOU recommend cleaning it out?

More information:
- I DON'T have any aluminum in my loop AND I've been using Mayhems fluid with anti-corrosive & anti-bacterial juice, so it shouldn't really be my problem. But it's obviously SOMETHING!
- Here's what's in my loop:

• Fluid: Mayhems Pastel UV White
• Tubes: Masterkleer PVC 13/10mm
• Fittings: Koolance  
• GPU: Aquacomputer Kryographics GPU blocks
• CPU: EK-Supremacy Clean CSQ
• Pump: Aquacomputer Aquastream XT 
• Res: Aquabox Reservoir
• Rad: Magicool 3x180mm

Plans so far:
Back when I first built the loop, I may have cut some corners on cleaning out the rad. Just dumped in a couple tea kettles of hot water, then poured it out. So I'm thinking that I really ought to do the following:

• Give my rad the Mayhems Blitz Part 1 treatment.
• Put the open reservoir in the dishwasher to clean out the green residue.
• Build the loop back up with fresh tubing (EK-DuraClear).
• Run the loop with Mayhems Blitz Part 2 before flushing with distilled water and filling with new fluid.

Think that'll be enough?

No matter what it is, which most people are saying is algae, you should replace the fluid around every year, unless you wanna be very sure nothing is gonna go wrong with your system then do it every six months

[For Science!]

1 minute ago, mikegray said:

-snip-

"Nanoparticles" or colloidal dyes by definition are particles large enough to scatter light (i.e. not let light through) which is pre-requisite for a coolant to appear opaque. None of the companies (Mayhems, Primochill, or Thermaltake) reveal what the composition of the colloid is, and so it is hard to predict how they will react in a particular system. This is highlighted by recent issues some people are having wit Mayhems Pastel and the Fluid Gaming series (see posts in my sig).

 

Thermaltakes' fluid seem to fall out of solution if you look at it, so they are not so popular. I think Primochill and Mayhems are equally good, but Mayhems seem to be a bit more popular. Again hard to justify because this is all based on testimonials and not science.

 

As far as I am aware, there are no colloidal additives so I don't think there is anything you can add to make the fluid opaque. Personally, I would prefer to have a clear loop, so tha I know that if it is cloudy, something it wrong

[DazMode]

Looks like a copper oxide, not algae. Just wash it out.

[mikegray]

On 8/7/2017 at 5:37 PM, DazMode said:

Looks like a copper oxide, not algae. Just wash it out.

Hmm. Thanks for your input! Any tips on how to tell the difference?