coolant

[Flowroro]

so, i just rebuilt my corsair h70, and filled it only with distilled water that comes from a lab. no additives or anything, did i make a mistake or is it fine? (+ a bit of food coloring for color cuz im cheap) ive research on google and all mixed feedback so im confused

[Jaxzzzzz]

im not big into the liquid cooling area of things but id say that your ok, the food coloring might concern me a bit though 

[PrimeSonic]

23 minutes ago, Flowroro said:

+ a bit of food coloring for color cuz im cheap

And you're going to gunk up a perfectly good loop in no time.

 

Food coloring is basically sugar. So you've just put easy to eat food into your loop.

I can probably guarantee that some microbe got in just from the few seconds the water was exposed to the air.

You are likely to experience growths in there which will block the fins on the blocks over time.

 

If you want to add color to your fluid, either get a proper dye, like Mayhems, or use a colored concentrate, like EK CryoFuel.

But for goodness sake, don't use food coloring.

[Flowroro]

Just now, PrimeSonic said:

And you're going to gunk up a perfectly good loop in no time.

 

Food coloring is basically sugar. So you've just put easy to eat food into your loop.

I can probably guarantee that some microbe got in just from the few seconds the water was exposed to the air.

You are likely to experience growths in there which will block the fins on the blocks over time.

 

If you want to add color to your fluid, either get a proper dye, like Mayhems, or use a colored concentrate, like EK CryoFuel.

But for goodness sake, don't use food coloring.

would just using distilled water be fine? do i need an additive? how long can i expect before the gunk starts majorly affecting performance??

[PrimeSonic]

52 minutes ago, Flowroro said:

corsair h70

So, what you did here is fairly risky and I'll explain why.

 

AiOs typically mixing copper and aluminum to reduce cost.

Normally this is a big no-no, but they can get away with it and make it work because they have absolute control over the fluid inside.

There will be anti-corrosives and biocides in the AiO designed to give it a long life. Long enough that you'll likely run into pump failure before real corrosion damage.

 

I'd personally recommend using something like EK CryoFuel (just add distilled water) if you want to extend the life of your AiO.

Like I said, you can get it in different colors and it's not expensive at all. A single bottle of that will be more than enough.

http://www.performance-pcs.com/watercooling-fluids-additives/shopby/fluid-type--concentrate/

Take a look at these prices. It's not worth cheaping out here.

23 minutes ago, Flowroro said:

would just using distilled water be fine? do i need an additive? how long can i expect before the gunk starts majorly affecting performance??

Using use distilled water alone means that there won't be anti-corrosives to hold back long term damage.

I honestly don't know the time frames. It'll happen slowly and subtly over time so it might be 6 to 12 months before you really notice a problem.

And by then, once you open it up, you'll find yourself with a lot of cleaning to do.

 

So, I'd say, as soon as you have a chance to replace the fluid, get that done.

Better sooner than later because I have my doubts that you'll be able to easily do a full disassembly of the block.