ALGAE!! Who'da thunk it!

[frodoski]

ALGAE!! :eek:
Who would have thought that algae would grow in a closed loop system with clean ("pure"??) distilled water?

Has anyone experienced this?? I ran my cooling loop for about 6 days, before I got around to checking it. Then...I noticed IT...the heartbreak of ALGAE!!
I can never show my face in public again! What ever shall I do???

Any suggestions for ridding my system of the dreaded algae? I thought about using a bit of chlorine bleach but, then I remembered that chlorine bleach and copper become copper chloride.

Looking for suggestions.

[LimeyGreg]

Ohhhh mannnn, now I gotta go and wash my hands after opening this thread to read it - I knew I should have put my surgical gloves on first.

Unclean, unclean.



Try a little hydrogen peroxide or clorox bleach - just a little now. There are water pruifying tablets available at camping stores, maybe that would also work. I've heard alcohol works too but you sometimes get the slimeys with that.

[EgeWorks]

I think that boron kills algae, it is is engine corrosion prevention stuff. But it also comes with glycol so u may not want it in your system.

[rivercom9]

The best solution to any problem is prevention. So whats the best way to prevent this problem from occuring?

[EgeWorks]

I use Castrol Corrosion Inhibitor for cars. It is specially made for copper and aluminium blocks and rads. It contains ethelene glycol and boron. You only need a bit in your water(5-10% or so). And make sure there is as little air(no air) as possible in your system.

[JudgeDredd]

Add a tsp of bleach.

[rivercom9]

The bleach wont mess with the block or the rad?

[athlonnerd]

add a little copper sulphate, it is what is used o treat algea in lakes. i doubt it will hurt your cooling properties.

[rivercom9]

Im not afraid of it messing with my cooling performance, Im worried about it eating away the metal in my cooling parts!

[TonyMc]

You could also use UV light. It looks cool and helps stop algae growth.;)

[Neco]

Water wetter.. about 7 bucks a bottle if purchased locally.. or bout 15 bucks off the net..


Even if you are using pure/distilled/ water and all that, the moment you open container, you are exposing it to normal air and bacteria and all that.

Some of it is bound to get into the system during filling (if not off the parts themselves) so it's best to use an additive like water wetter, or glycol or bleach - whatever fits your situation.

[rivercom9]

So water wetter can stop algea?

[Neco]

It should stop anything to my knowledge. I ran it in my first system for two months without a problem.

[LimeyGreg]

Potassium Permanganate is an antiseptic, that should kill the bacteria and you'll have nice purple water.

[Rotary-Motion]

man!

just add a sucker fish to the aquarium they love it:D

no seriuos man bad vibes here i go with bleach!

P

[f155mph]

Have you smell that sh*t? That stuff will kill anything!!! :D


Originally posted by rivercom9
So water wetter can stop algea?

[Neco]

I can attest to the smell, in a ventillated room no less oi...

[MajinSSJVegetto]

Unless you're using a bong, use water wetter!
It does so much stuff... sooo much stuff.

[frodoski]

Hmmmm....so many choices.

I guess I wasn't too far off the mark by thinking a mild solution of bleach. I guess my recolection of equipment in the poolhouse of several clients was due to massive concentrations of chlorine and high humidity.

Thanks to you all for your considered opinions and responses!

I'm headed for the bleach bottle now and not the gas pipe, now that I am purified. :) Now I can return to society without the stain of algae. :)

Again thanks.

[frodoski]

**glug**glug** (smacking of the lips) Ahhh! Refreshing! :beer: *buurp* Oops, pardon me!

Nothing like a slug o' bleach to start the day off right. A slug for me and a slug for the cooling system.

Well, all levity aside I'll let that run for a couple o' days and see how it behaves.

Again many thanks.

[the_AEoN]

Easy fix. Use Erythromycin. You can buy it in tablets in most pool stores er sumfin. Check hot-tub selling places. Take 1 capsule, open it up and dump the contents. Whee! No algae or bacteria. A *tiny* (like a few drops) of Chlorine wouldn't hurt yer copper block any anyhow. If your really paranoid of ruining the copper, run some CLR thru yer pump and block every 4 months fer about half an hour and then flush with clean water.

[DodgeViper]

I have been using Water Wetter purchased from Pep Boys from the beginning of my water-cooling system which is about 8 months old. I have not seen any algae EVER. I use distilled water mixed with the Water Wetter.

[tseongsun]

Originally posted by DodgeViper
I have been using Water Wetter purchased from Pep Boys from the beginning of my water-cooling system which is about 8 months old. I have not seen any algae EVER. I use distilled water mixed with the Water Wetter.

How much water wetter do you put in? I put in like 2 1/2 capfulls...

[rivercom9]

Anyone know if Purple Ice can prevent algae?

[SniperXX]

Purple Ice should. I think its just like Water Wetter.

[rivercom9]

A lot less smelly too, based on some user opinions.

[hpotter]

i'd have to agree with everyone else - water wetter is the water cooler's best friend

[rivercom9]

Anyone using purple ice? Does it prevent the formation of algea? Also, does it glow under UV light?

[residentevil2]

actually use some of that OXI CLEAN that stuff works great to clean grimm and crap or crapets metels wood and all kinds of things i used it to clean my maze 3 cuss i couldnt get inside it so i pumped it through for an hour or so works great :)

[rivercom9]

Wow. That stuff actually works? I never knew some stuff from infomercials actually worked.

[dansonang]

the only way to prevent algae from growing is not to allow the right conditions for it to thrive.
anyway algae can also grow in pure water. may sure that water in the reservoir kepps flowing and that the reservoir is out of any light source. algae are green plant, they undergo photosynthesis to make food to keep them alive

[RoadWarrior]

'kay so that takes care of the algae whaddabout the tadpoles and mosquito larvae huh ????


;)

[CharlesHF]

Originally posted by RoadWarrior
'kay so that takes care of the algae whaddabout the tadpoles and mosquito larvae huh ????


;)


I would have to worry about that here in eastern NC if my bong was outside. :rolleyes:

[tbirdkiri]

i think it would be sweet to setup your system with a copper resivour. also use a very heavy duty hose for the water transfer, and a very good pump...

Copper is an algaecide, and with the right amount it helps,
but my idea is to turn off the system every now and then and run a torch or something against the resivour, till the water boils and then some. once the water temp is past 250, turn the torch off, then run the pump to circulate the water thru the system....and once it cools back down fire up you system.....

just an idea..

[ThePunkGeek]

Originally posted by frodoski
ALGAE!! :eek:
Who would have thought that algae would grow in a closed loop system with clean ("pure"??) distilled water?

Has anyone experienced this?? I ran my cooling loop for about 6 days, before I got around to checking it. Then...I noticed IT...the heartbreak of ALGAE!!
I can never show my face in public again! What ever shall I do???

Any suggestions for ridding my system of the dreaded algae? I thought about using a bit of chlorine bleach but, then I remembered that chlorine bleach and copper become copper chloride.

Looking for suggestions.

damn i use my bong like setup outside add around 2 gallons of watter a day and use a pinch of ajax in the water never had algae :]

[dxiw]

Originally posted by FRAGN'STIEN
You could also use UV light. It looks cool and helps stop algae growth.;)

doesn't uv light cause cancer with lots of exposure?

[rivercom9]

Thats an interesting question. I dont know the answer to it, but I hope it doesnt cause I use mine all the time.

[Gandalf]

Originally posted by dxiw


doesn't uv light cause cancer with lots of exposure?

Everything gives you cancer these days! :rolleyes: :D

[Penguin4x4]

UV light destroys the RNA and DNA of microorganisms. Many use them in aquariums.

[AMD-Inside]

is only extreme frequencies of uv light
uv lamps don't produce that kina uv light so don't worry guys!!! ur not gonna have tumors growing outta ur face :p

[rivercom9]

Thanks for reassuring us! Now, is overclocking safe?

[PCphreak]

What's all this talk about bleach and other chemicals to kill algae?? To prevent it period, I'd just supplement the H20 in your system for something cleaner, like dehydrated water. You can buy it here: Dehydrated Water (http://www.buydehydratedwater.com/). It's only like 5 bucks for 20 gal. or so!!! Anyone have any thoughts?

-PC:cool:

[Since87]

Originally posted by PCphreak
What's all this talk about bleach and other chemicals to kill algae?? To prevent it period, I'd just supplement the H20 in your system for something cleaner, like dehydrated water.

-PC:cool:

I'd say the free sample would be enough dehydrated water for anyone's WC system.

Be sure to read the FAQ.

[rivercom9]

Why is it that they call it dehydrated? If its dehydrated, doesnt it mean that its free of liquids? Funny though. :D

[dmitriyaz]

what about Isopryl (a.k.a rubbing alcohol)?
its almost cheaper than water :rolleyes:
quarter gallon for a dollar,
and it has much better thermal differential than glycol,
the question is, does it kill the living creatures in water? i mean, its an alcohol...

[r-ar]

What I've read in my chemistry courses, a hydrate is a mixture between water and some other substance.
Since the watermolecule looks something like this:
#H
#/
O
#\
#H

It is not symmetric. Thus the phenomenon of polarization can take place.

Different kinds of elements incline to attract electrons in different extentions(Anyone remember 'fonclebirch' ^_^), though the watermolecule seen as whole has no positive or negative charge, the different atoms in the molecule has different inclinations to attract electrons, thus the Oxygene-part in water (which has larger inclination to attract elections than Hydrogen) attracts more of the watermolecule's accumulated electrons, circling more around the Oxygene-atom then the Hydrygene.
And thus, the molecule gets polarized. like this:
##########H
##########/
negative side O positive side
######### \
##########H

The molecule behaves then as something like a magnet, turning its positive side towards negative ions and the + of other watermolecules. Vice versa with the - side.

By this phenomenon, the watermolecules forms clusters around the other substances in the water.

[r-ar]

Now, i apologise for that last post. I knew that it was not important at all, but by the time i was finished, i just didn't have the heart to delete it all.

Dehydration is a chemical reaction where water is removed from other substances. Not in a way of my former post though.

One example would be the elimination of water in alcohol. (Must happen in presence of an acid) Where from one molecule of alcohol, one molecule of water and one molecule of an alkene is formed.

This does not by any means mean that the water is disappearing from the mixture, just that it isn't connected with the other substance.

Dehydrated water would mean that the disappearingly small other substances in the water should have undergone dehydration. Then those particles have probably been removed. (Or should have been removed, but nothing of what i can read on their homepage says anything of it. So they _could_ actually dehydrate the water and then leave the other particles in)


Now, I think their homepage is just one big commersial. (Although they don't actually say anything about the product except that it's 'blended in a 27step process' and that its 'excess vapors are released', the page offers quite a humurous faq)
just listen:

................
from the faq on their homepage:
"What makes dehydrated water so much cleaner than regular water?"
Response: All the impurities have been removed.

-Well. **** dude. I'd buy anything you say for that statement. Lemme have a bottle of that.
................
................
from the faq on their homepage:
It's time to stop the insanity and insist on a better quality of life. Stop drinking tap water. Stop drinking well water. Refuse to touch water from desalination plants. And remember that mountain spring water is a disaster waiting to happen. Do you know how many people and animals urinated in your spring water, upstream? Yes, it's disgusting to think about (perhaps even humorous), but it happens. So stop drinking it. Insist on only one natural substance... Dehydrated water.

-Yes, Yes! I believe it! I will never again drink the evil, poisonous tapwater. I've seen the truth! I _will_ buy it! Amen!
................


I mean.. A page that has the name 'buydehydratedwater.com' and has 'testimonials' on it. Come on.

It should be just the same as distilled water. But if anyone gives it a try, let us know how it goes.

[r-ar]

The best way to kill off alagae, would be to use all sort of things, in case just some little species could handle the WaterWetter for example.

I'd use distilled water, some bleach, WaterWetter, a little detergent, and maybe a biocide if you could get one.

I wouldn't use this in a bong. ^_^

[dansonang]

just put a fish in the reservoir and it will solve a ll problems. be sure to change the water in the reservoir now and then.

[JFettig]

Originally posted by dmitriyaz
what about Isopryl (a.k.a rubbing alcohol)?
its almost cheaper than water :rolleyes:
quarter gallon for a dollar,
and it has much better thermal differential than glycol,
the question is, does it kill the living creatures in water? i mean, its an alcohol...

thats what i use, but i add it to the water, it evaporates too fast so you gotta keep the system closed

[rivercom9]

Maskedgeek, how much of a mixture do you have between the alcohol and the water? Do you notice better temps than just using water and water wetter?

[JFettig]

with that i dont think the mixture really matters i just used a few tablespoons or so... then filled the rest with water... i havent recoreded any temps nor have i used water wetter before...

[r-ar]

As i read in one of the watercooling articles here at overclockers.com you could also use Erythromycin to keep the microflora away.