Water cooling maintenance question

[CrazyWhiteShow]

so im about to clean my loop and all that jazz and i know how to do every thing except the pump/res i couldn't find anything on google about it and id like a general run down before i start this whole process 

[Captinjigglesworth]

2 minutes ago, CrazyWhiteShow said:

so im about to clean my loop and all that jazz and i know how to do every thing except the pump/res i couldn't find anything on google about it and id like a general run down before i start this whole process 

I run distilled water thru the system or a system cleaner would be better but distilled water is prob the best just leave it running for about an hour on distilled water 

[Oshino Shinobu]

There's generally not much you need to do with the pump and res. 

 

For the res, just rinse it out and make sure any dirt/algae build up is cleaned off. For the pump, take off the pump top and check for any dirt or blockages in the housing and check the condition of the o-ring seals. If they're hard, cracked or brittle, you'll want to replace it. 

 

After any cleaning, it's generally advised to rinse it all off using distilled water.

[Captinjigglesworth]

1 minute ago, Captinjigglesworth said:

I run distilled water thru the system or a system cleaner would be better but distilled water is prob the best just leave it running for about an hour on distilled water 

 

4 minutes ago, CrazyWhiteShow said:

so im about to clean my loop and all that jazz and i know how to do every thing except the pump/res i couldn't find anything on google about it and id like a general run down before i start this whole process 

Something like this would work really good on CPU block and pump but distilled water is fine https://www.amazon.com/Phobya-CPU-GPU-Cleaning-Kit/dp/B0067M0UVY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1520478472&sr=8-1&keywords=watercooling+cleaning&dpID=31PwU5ZmtRL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

[CrazyWhiteShow]

1 minute ago, Oshino Shinobu said:

There's generally not much you need to do with the pump and res. 

 

For the res, just rinse it out and make sure any dirt/algae build up is cleaned off. For the pump, take off the pump top and check for any dirt or blockages in the housing and check the condition of the o-ring seals. If they're hard, cracked or brittle, you'll want to replace it. 

 

how do i take off the pump top? i don't really know what that looks like. sweet build btw, don't see a lot of nice flex tube builds 

[CrazyWhiteShow]

2 minutes ago, Captinjigglesworth said:

 

Something like this would work really good on CPU block and pump but distilled water is fine https://www.amazon.com/Phobya-CPU-GPU-Cleaning-Kit/dp/B0067M0UVY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1520478472&sr=8-1&keywords=watercooling+cleaning&dpID=31PwU5ZmtRL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

i think i actually have something like that that came with my coolant thanks ill try that out.

[Oshino Shinobu]

1 minute ago, Captinjigglesworth said:

 

Something like this would work really good on CPU block and pump but distilled water is fine https://www.amazon.com/Phobya-CPU-GPU-Cleaning-Kit/dp/B0067M0UVY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1520478472&sr=8-1&keywords=watercooling+cleaning&dpID=31PwU5ZmtRL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

Something like that isn't advised for something like nickel plated blocks. The acid in it can damage the plating. That stuff is designed to clean off thermal paste from CPUs and GPUs, not to clean out watercooling components. It would likely damage the seals as well. 

[Captinjigglesworth]

Just now, CrazyWhiteShow said:

i think i actually have something like that that came with my coolant thanks ill try that out.

good but u will have to rinse it with distilled water after because it doesnt like most coolants, most high end coolants and pumps come with cleaning solutions

[Oshino Shinobu]

1 minute ago, CrazyWhiteShow said:

how do i take off the pump top? i don't really know what that looks like. sweet build btw, don't see a lot of nice flex tube builds 

Kind of depends what pump and top it uses. Generally, there will be a load of bolts holding it together. You take them out and it will just come apart. 

 

I spent ages taking apart all the blocks and pump of my system the other day as I had some serious flow issues after neglecting the loop for over a year and not flushing the radiators first. 

 

This is what my CPU block looked like

 

[CrazyWhiteShow]

1 minute ago, Oshino Shinobu said:

Something like that isn't advised for something like nickel plated blocks. The acid in it can damage the plating. That stuff is designed to clean off thermal paste from CPUs and GPUs, not to clean out watercooling components. It would likely damage the seals as well. 

oh i didn't really check what it was that he linked was specifically, im assuming that pre-fill stuff that you run in the loop for i bit before the coolant would still be fine with nickle blocks?

[CrazyWhiteShow]

1 minute ago, Oshino Shinobu said:

Kind of depends what pump and top it uses. Generally, there will be a load of bolts holding it together. You take them out and it will just come apart. 

 

I spent ages taking apart all the blocks and pump of my system the other day as I had some serious flow issues after neglecting the loop for over a year and not flushing the radiators first. 

 

This is what my CPU block looked like

 

woag thats pretty grodey thanks for the tips 

[Oshino Shinobu]

Just now, CrazyWhiteShow said:

oh i didn't really check what it was that he linked was specifically, im assuming that pre-fill stuff that you run in the loop for i bit before the coolant would still be fine with nickle blocks?

Yes. What he linked to is basically thermal paste cleaner, which is not what you want to use on the blocks or in the loop. You can use it on the surface of the blocks and processor to clean off TIM, but not to flush them. 

 

In general, nickle plated blocks can be washed out with some warm water, then rinsed with distilled water. Non-plated copper blocks can be treated a bit more roughly, with things like citric acid and white vinegar, though you'll want to remove the seals before doing that (and remember to put them back when re-assembling or you'll have a bad time). 

 

This is a fairly good guides for what you should use for cleaning different types of blocks. For the most part, warm water will be fine unless it's clogged up and needs a really good clean. 

 

https://www.ekwb.com/blog/how-to-clean-water-blocks/

[CrazyWhiteShow]

Just now, Oshino Shinobu said:

Yes. What he linked to is basically thermal paste cleaner, which is not what you want to use on the blocks or in the loop. You can use it on the surface of the blocks and processor to clean off TIM, but not to flush them. 

 

In general, nickle plated blocks can be washed out with some warm water, then rinsed with distilled water. Non-plated copper blocks can be treated a bit more roughly, with things like citric acid and white vinegar, though you'll want to remove the seals before doing that (and remember to put them back when re-assembling or you'll have a bad time). 

 

This is a fairly good guides for what you should use for cleaning different types of blocks. For the most part, warm water will be fine unless it's clogged up and needs a really good clean. 

 

https://www.ekwb.com/blog/how-to-clean-water-blocks/

ite ty i think i got this now, i just hope it wont take too long. Also what is a good way too make sure there isn't anything in my rad bc i don't want to risk it messing up my loop again.

[Oshino Shinobu]

6 minutes ago, CrazyWhiteShow said:

ite ty i think i got this now, i just hope it wont take too long. Also what is a good way too make sure there isn't anything in my rad bc i don't want to risk it messing up my loop again.

Good way I found was just to run water through the rad using some tubing and a funnel. Keep running the water through until no more bits of dirt are left in the liquid coming out. You can blow into the tube to get out the remaining bits of water, then flush with distilled water. 

 

When clearing them out, it can be a good idea to use warm water as it will help dislodge any dirt. 

[CrazyWhiteShow]

6 minutes ago, Oshino Shinobu said:

Good way I found was just to run water through the rad using some tubing and a funnel. Keep running the water through until no more bits of dirt are left in the liquid coming out. You can blow into the tube to get out the remaining bits of water, then flush with distilled water. 

 

When clearing them out, it can be a good idea to use warm water as it will help dislodge any dirt. 

ty ty i think im good now