Tubing advice

[unknownmiscreant]

Around a month ago, I water cooled my desktop using this kit from ek:

 

https://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-kit-p360

 

I have been running just plain tap water in the loop, where I live, the water supply has very little lime, and is only ozone treated (no chlorine.) I have been replacing the water every 2 weeks or so to avoid any sort of growth in the loop. However comparing the tubing in the system and some leftover tubing, shows the tubing in the system to have become slightly opaque.

 

Is this normal? and what should I do to sort it out? I still have the bottle of EK-Cryo fuel, however chose not to use it, as most people were saying that plain ol' tap water is the best. I have yet to find a piece of silver to use as a kill coil.

 

If I need to replace the tubing, how hard would to be to switch to acrylic hard line (bad pun I know) as my local computer parts dealer currently has water cooling fittings etc on more than 50% off. I have saws, heat guns and de-burring tools already, my only concern is bending the tubing without kinking it. What would I need to do this.

 

Since I have the reservoir/pump combo mounted outside the case, due to space issues inside, with a push-pull 360rad, how difficult would it be to swap the hardline to soft tubing, after it has been run out of the case through a PCIe slot. I was toying with something ultra-janky like just siliconeing the tubes together, as if I found a silicone that stuck really well to both that would work right, especially if I found a larger tube to slide over the joint.

 

Thanks in advance.

[W-L]

5 minutes ago, unknownmiscreant said:

-SNIP-

I'm not sure who suggest to use tap water but you should be running distilled water with a biocide or premix solution like the cryofuel. You can swap the tubing to hardline but all the fittings need to be replaced, you also need a silicone insert to be used when bending the hardline tubing. 

[unknownmiscreant]

1 minute ago, W-L said:

snip

I figured since the water where I live is pure enough that the chemistry classes I take use it for titrations it would be fine for water cooling. Obviously not.

 

I'm currently doing a electronics/software/mechanical engineering degree, and have a fair amount of experience building stuff. I understand I will need new fittings etc, and what is involved in doing something janky like siliconing hard and soft tubes together.

 

My main concern at the moment is trying to clean up the tubing. I'm guessing some small lifeform has decided to start calling it home. $@($# it. Do you have any suggestions for how to clean it up, and would a small coil of silver is the reservoir prevent the situation reoccurring?

 

Thanks.

[Himommies]

6 minutes ago, unknownmiscreant said:

and what is involved in doing something janky like siliconing hard and soft tubes together.

You put a silione pipe inside the tube as you heating it so it retains it's shape

[unknownmiscreant]

Just now, Himommies said:

You put a silione pipe inside the tube as you heating it so it retains it's shape

Yeah, I got that. I've done a fair amount of research into water cooling, watching stuff, reading stuff. Just got no-where to buy one, where I won't get stung for shipping and or import taxes.

 

If you have any ideas for janky alternatives, I'd love to know.

[W-L]

9 minutes ago, unknownmiscreant said:

I figured since the water where I live is pure enough that the chemistry classes I take use it for titrations it would be fine for water cooling. Obviously not.

I'm currently doing a electronics/software/mechanical engineering degree, and have a fair amount of experience building stuff. I understand I will need new fittings etc, and what is involved in doing something janky like siliconing hard and soft tubes together.

My main concern at the moment is trying to clean up the tubing. I'm guessing some small lifeform has decided to start calling it home. $@($# it. Do you have any suggestions for how to clean it up, and would a small coil of silver is the reservoir prevent the situation reoccurring?

Thanks.

All tap water will contain minerals and contaminates that will cause problems in a loop, a kill coil can be used but with distilled water and as long as the loop contains no nickel plate either from blocks or fittings since they are borderline dis-similar metals in a loop environment. As for cleaning your going to want to tear down the loop and flush every really well with tap water and ensure nothing is left in the blocks or rads, after giving it a couple of good final rinses with distilled water. 

[unknownmiscreant]

1 minute ago, W-L said:

snip

Okay, I can do that. I get the whole dissimilar metals stuff, I studied redox reactions in chem. I have the loop setup to allow easy flushing, so will be able to get all that sorted pretty easily. Although I should probably obtain some more distilled water, as I don't imagine 3 year old distilled water is any good xd. 

 

How, if possible, would I be able to get the tubing back to being clear??

[W-L]

Just now, unknownmiscreant said:

Okay, I can do that. I get the whole dissimilar metals stuff, I studied redox reactions in chem. I have the loop setup to allow easy flushing, so will be able to get all that sorted pretty easily. Although I should probably obtain some more distilled water, as I don't imagine 3 year old distilled water is any good xd. 

 

How, if possible, would I be able to get the tubing back to being clear??

Yeah your going to want to get new distilled water, the clear tubing will have to be replaced there is no way to clean or repair that. 

[unknownmiscreant]

1 minute ago, W-L said:

Yeah your going to want to get new distilled water, the clear tubing will have to be replaced there is no way to clean or repair that. 

Okay, thanks. Also, what would you recommend as biocide?

[W-L]

Just now, unknownmiscreant said:

Okay, thanks. Also, what would you recommend as biocide?

Since it came with the loop the cryofuel would be a good option, alternatively you can get stuff like clear PT nuke which will work with nickel within the loop. 

[unknownmiscreant]

1 minute ago, W-L said:

Since it came with the loop the cryofuel would be a good option, alternatively you can get stuff like clear PT nuke which will work with nickel within the loop. 

Okay.  Thanks.

[Leonard]

9 hours ago, W-L said:

I'm not sure who suggest to use tap water but you should be running distilled water with a biocide or premix solution like the cryofuel. You can swap the tubing to hardline but all the fittings need to be replaced, you also need a silicone insert to be used when bending the hardline tubing. 

I bet you he got that from Linus's whole room water cooling series where he got Luke's dad to run the copper and used tap water from the tub he washes his sandal feet then couldn't figure out how he kept getting alge in the loop.

[unknownmiscreant]

36 minutes ago, Leonard said:

I bet you he got that from Linus's whole room water cooling series where he got Luke's dad to run the copper and used tap water from the tub he washes his sandal feet then couldn't figure out how he kept getting alge in the loop.

It was a couple of linus's videos, (the desk pc I think) and reading alot of threads on the internet about it, although come to think of it, most of them actually recommended distilled water. Guess I was an idiot. But live and learn I guess. I definitely remember not wanting to copy anything from the whole room WC videos after all their nightmares. Although it turns out it did.... rip.

 

Anyway, I've managed remove the biology from the loop, the tubing actually cleaned up quite nicely by poking toilet roll through it with a dowel, and giving it a wash with some soap and water. It was definitely an algae problem. The water was only a few days old, and already felt a bit disgusting and slimy. I got the cryofuel into the system, after cleaning everything, doesn't smell like anything would want to live there anymore....

 

Thanks for all the help @W-L

[Leonard]

4 hours ago, unknownmiscreant said:

It was a couple of linus's videos, (the desk pc I think) and reading alot of threads on the internet about it, although come to think of it, most of them actually recommended distilled water. Guess I was an idiot. But live and learn I guess. I definitely remember not wanting to copy anything from the whole room WC videos after all their nightmares. Although it turns out it did.... rip.

 

Anyway, I've managed remove the biology from the loop, the tubing actually cleaned up quite nicely by poking toilet roll through it with a dowel, and giving it a wash with some soap and water. It was definitely an algae problem. The water was only a few days old, and already felt a bit disgusting and slimy. I got the cryofuel into the system, after cleaning everything, doesn't smell like anything would want to live there anymore....

 

Thanks for all the help @W-L

What did you use for the pump and blocks because that gunk is in there, look up primochill sysprep, it will work nicely.

[unknownmiscreant]

6 hours ago, Leonard said:

What did you use for the pump and blocks because that gunk is in there, look up primochill sysprep, it will work nicely.

It wasn't that bad, as I'd been replacing the water every week or so. I used washing up liquid to clean all of the parts containing plastic parts and the fittings. I used alcohol and a toothbrush (as recommended on ek's website) to clean the base copper part of the block. I flushed the radiator with water, and then sloshed an alcohol plus water mix around inside it to kill everything in the radiator, before rinsing it.

 

I managed to get most of the gunk out of the block, thanks for the primochill sysprep suggestion, however I doubt I will be able to purchase it, without substantial shipping costs... Very little of the less main stream PC stuff is imported to my country. Whilst the prices of what is available is pretty reasonable, very little is available compared to in the US. I will endeavor to try find some though.

[Leonard]

1 hour ago, unknownmiscreant said:

It wasn't that bad, as I'd been replacing the water every week or so. I used washing up liquid to clean all of the parts containing plastic parts and the fittings. I used alcohol and a toothbrush (as recommended on ek's website) to clean the base copper part of the block. I flushed the radiator with water, and then sloshed an alcohol plus water mix around inside it to kill everything in the radiator, before rinsing it.

 

I managed to get most of the gunk out of the block, thanks for the primochill sysprep suggestion, however I doubt I will be able to purchase it, without substantial shipping costs... Very little of the less main stream PC stuff is imported to my country. Whilst the prices of what is available is pretty reasonable, very little is available compared to in the US. I will endeavor to try find some though.

I don't live in the US either but shipping is way easier and lower then most other non-US countries, so i understand. You can use a 50/50% regular vinegar and distilled water to flush the radiator too, just make sure to wash it out properly before attaching it to the loop.

 

Once you didn't have like any green alge attached to the reservoir then you should be fine.

[unknownmiscreant]

Yeah I got all the biology out. It hadn't actually gone green, and most of the discoloration was due to the water. Although another week or so and it would have been a completely different story....

 

I'll give the vinegar a try next time I am taking the loop apart. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

I totally agree, the US postal system is a mess, I once paid $50US for express shipping with quoted under 1 week delivery time. It took around 2-3weeks to arrive. NEVER use USPS.

Having said that, shipping within my country is pretty reasonable.