1 year after my first loop... advice please :)

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Hey,
I ventured into watercooling last year and completed a full hard tube loop quite easily I thought. Aaaanyway, I drained the system last weekend, made a right mess, got fluid everywhere and one thing that really stood out was the smell. The fluid smelt like burnt oil (EK Cryofluid). Also, my tubing has some like bacteria build-up and has really ruined it in places. I think some pipe cleaners may help here but I am concerned about my Rads.
I always ran the tank (EK Combi) about 3/4 full which obvs left air in the top. I'm guessing I had air in the system, I never really got 100% of the tiny bubbles out. Should the reservoir be full?

I have completely gone back to air for now until I rebuild but I am looking for advice to avoid this happening next time I install it all. I am on the fence whether I should just not watercool again at all but the noise back on air is properly annoying after living with a relatively 'silent' PC for a year!

Any opinions on this?

Cheers
 
Soldato
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before using the blitz kit, just use water until it runs clean then use the blitz kit.

in theory cryofuel makes organic growth of any kind impossible; fwiw, cryofuel has had a fair amount of criticism lately. I've just bought a load of Mayhems and have just filled a rig with it to see how it differs. Seems a little "thinner" than cryofuel but since I only did it on Sunday it's too soon to say if it's any better or worse.
 
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before using the blitz kit, just use water until it runs clean then use the blitz kit.

in theory cryofuel makes organic growth of any kind impossible; fwiw, cryofuel has had a fair amount of criticism lately. I've just bought a load of Mayhems and have just filled a rig with it to see how it differs. Seems a little "thinner" than cryofuel but since I only did it on Sunday it's too soon to say if it's any better or worse.

I originally thought with EK being the biggest player in the market, the coolant would be sound but it really has made me wonder. I’ll try the Mayhems next time :)
 
Soldato
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I've only ever really blitzed mine from brand new. No harm in doing it though if you havent before just takes time. Usually i just empty old coolant. Fill with distilled and flush a few times. Empty as much as possible and install new coolant but leave last pipe off and run new coolant through the system into a bucket. This will then push all old distilled/contaminents out with the new. Usually waste a small amount this way but keeps everything as clean as possible.

I also use clear mayhems eco only now and haven't had any issues over a year or so, looks like new. Can easily be disposed of etc.
 
Soldato
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I feel like a right awld fella here - but just simple deionised water, a few drops of iodine, and a bit of half decent anti-freeze and that will last many years without going off. Add some dye but that will eventually build up residue on the walls of the tubing. I’d never buy these bottled coolants Though - in my experience they’re mostly junk.

these none conducive coolants gave a place I used to work hell at one point due to clogging stuff up. And the added complacencies of thinking it’s okay to spill it. You never want to get water on your components so you need to be really careful and thorough and if you do get water everywhere - none conducive or not then it just needs to be dried off properly as hopefully it was powered off or if filling it the psu disconnected from every component but the pump and shorted to start it or use another external power source for the pump only.

The air will always work it’s way out eventually and when it does and the water. Level drops - top it up and just leave a small gap at the top. The res shouldn’t be producing bubbles so shouldn’t be half empty.

get it back under water where it belongs :)
 
Soldato
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Like you I never used pre-mix coolants but I've had a couple of leaks way after implementation that came out of nowhere and having a fluid that has subsequently proved it doesn't react with components has been worth the relatively small cost of the premix.

Wow really? I’m going to jinx myself here I’m sure but I’ve never had a system spring a leak ever.

you’re lucky that the fluid you used remained none conductive and did it’s job.

The closest I had once was a faulty gpu block that leaked but never had a leak develop where there wasn’t one. I must be lucky as my system has been running for years now. I never turn it off unless I go on holiday and the loop dates back to 2011 with a partial change for a gpu swap about 5 years ago.

I should make a post about it soon as I plan to tear it all out and overhaul it for some upgrades but I could show what such an old loop looks like inside. Even I’d like to see the cpu block inside after all of this time as the fins inside of it are really really fine and just asking to clog.
 
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