Life In your Water? A perfect place for life to spawn.

[oRIDDLERo]

Its nice and warm, it can be either light or dark… What am I? You pc water cooling system.

I have read in a few places that after 4-6 months of continues usage algae among other biological nasties may begin to grow in the depths of you rads, and blocks! To counter act this i use this recipe:

25oz distilled water
.5 oz bleach
.5oz water wetter

The only problem with adding bleach to your system is that I discovered it “Bleaches” out the UV reactant dye so that it no longer glows… LOL,(I can see many of you do not care about this) better to have a clean system that works then a dirty one that glows blue!

You could also use chlorine, but I really did not want to get into that.

See my temps in my Sig

[grim]

i think alcohol would work fine and it wont ruin ur blue glow

[oRIDDLERo]

I’m not sure if diluted alcohol has anywhere near the disinfectant abilities or either chlorine or bleach, Where you talking about using 100% alcohol?

[Penguin4x4]

Rubbing Alchol can kill you, so, yeah, germs probably would die too, :D:D:D:D:D

[oRIDDLERo]

I bet you i could take a shot of rubbing alcohal in a 1/50 ratio mixed with water just fine... ;)

[JFettig]

guys, the rubbing alcohol thing isnt working that great... my water isnt as clear as it was before...

[oRIDDLERo]

how long have you all been running your systems with alocohol? And in what ratio?

[JFettig]

well about... week or 2, and i dumped bout 1/4 bottle to about 2gallons of water then just used that to fill up my system, i also added a little dish soap to lube up the water.. and smell like apples;)

[grim]

mmmmmm.........apples

[EgeWorks]

apples huh...well I guess it beats glycol or waterwetter smell:)

[oRIDDLERo]

Originally posted by maskedgeek
added a little dish soap to lube up the water.. and smell like apples;) [/B]

LOL. antibacterial dish soap I hope?

There was a great article that tested every possible practical liquid in a pc cooling system, with tables and all. The article also covered additives to destroy biological growth the only two found to work 100% and in have a lasting effect were chlorine and bleach.

[grim]

well i am interested in a good way to kill bacteria and prevent corrosion that doesnt smell like s**t and wont make me sick if it evaporates into the air in my room because i am going to be making a bong. so watter wetter and bleach are out of the question. any ideas.

[oRIDDLERo]

Here is the link to that site: http://www.amdmb.com/article-display.php?ArticleID=196

A good read.

As for a fumeless version for your bong, Try to build some sort uf UV ray box to destroy all life using intense UV rays (not a black light)

[TheGhengisKhan]

I put some bromide concentrate, and 1/8th of an algaecide tablet into my bong setup at the suggestion of the manager of a local pool supply store. The Bromide kills bacteria, and acts like a water-wetter (reduces surface tention). The Algaecide, of course prevents/kills algae. neither one affect my UV-dye.
*edit* and no noticable smell to either one. :D

[oRIDDLERo]

Originally posted by TheGhengisKhan
I put some bromide concentrate, and 1/8th of an algaecide tablet into my bong setup at the suggestion of the manager of a local pool supply store. The Bromide kills bacteria, and acts like a water-wetter (reduces surface tention). The Algaecide, of course prevents/kills algae. neither one affect my UV-dye.
*edit* and no noticable smell to either one. :D

What about corrosion? Did he say how long those additives last? Or if they might produce and odorless toxins? I sure would hate to take a hit of odorless poison along with my smoke :burn:

[TheGhengisKhan]

that's the great thing, no corrosives (some pools use copper pipping), and no poison gasses (both chemicals are for use in home pools, so little kids will be swimming in it, it has to be safe to sell)

[oRIDDLERo]

Good Point. you should add extra tabs every month or so right?

[TheGhengisKhan]

not a couple tabs, just about 1/8th of one tab, these tabs are normaly meant for a 20ft. diameter pool for one tab. and he said to just add one chunk about every month, so I'm doing it on the 15th of every month (easy for me to remember, it's payday)

[oRIDDLERo]

Originally posted by TheGhengisKhan
not a couple tabs, just about 1/8th of one tab, these tabs are normaly meant for a 20ft. diameter pool for one tab. and he said to just add one chunk about every month, so I'm doing it on the 15th of every month (easy for me to remember, it's payday)

LOL

[simon389]

Will bleach or chlorine weaken my Tygon??

[oRIDDLERo]

Originally posted by simon389
Will bleach or chlorine weaken my Tygon??

I know they do not have an effect on PVC, as for Tygon i dunno, but i doubt it since it is so diluted.

[Iron Hawk]

Most varietys of Tygon are manufactured to have i hight tolerance to chemiacals, so you should be fine.

[JFettig]

i dont know but im sure Urin will;)

[oRIDDLERo]

Originally posted by TheGhengisKhan
that's the great thing, no corrosives (some pools use copper pipping), and no poison gasses (both chemicals are for use in home pools, so little kids will be swimming in it, it has to be safe to sell)

If you have anything other than a single metal present, you should use distilled water with an anti-corrosion additive

[oRIDDLERo]

Originally posted by maskedgeek
i dont know but im sure Urin will;)

haha

Urine is the fluid of choice in my system! Very responsive to UV too!

[JFettig]

lol simon put a drop in!!!

[Iron Hawk]

Cmon, thats gross.

[oRIDDLERo]

the small particles help to verify Flow too! Perfect!!!

[natopotato]

speaking of small particles to verify flow what could be used for this withought clogging any thing?

[eh?]

ive posted this before but what about vodka?

[oRIDDLERo]

thats funny as soon as si wrote this i was started thinking about that. lol

How cool would it be if there were some kind of luminescent sand like material that responded to UV and did not impede the ability to cool properly.

[simon389]

cat blood. Here fluffy fluffy fluffy......

[simon389]

eh i'm gonna resurrect an ol' post heh heh :D

[natopotato]

so is bleach safe i put about 2 t spoon in to my system it looks cleaner but i dont want it to corode my pump or any thing

there is this white dusty stuff collecting on the water line after i put in the bleach..

im scared :sniff: help me... :(

[masitti]

Why in the world are you guys putting bleach in your system??? :confused:

[Sniperboy]

In case bong users are interested, UV lamps are used for killing germs in central heating/cooling systems. You just have to enclose them, cause UV ain't good for ya!

[grim]

they sell them for ponds. encased and ready to go. dont know what size hose they take though

[FIZZ3]

My system is germ-free... been using it since July, so it looks to be effective. Using distilled water + Innovaprotect fluid. Closed loop.

[bongo]

A note about UV light killing algea. Thats true , but it doesnt kill string algea.
MY dad's pond uses a UV light filter and we always get the yukky strings of algea building up on the waterfall and rocks.....

I use this mixture for a coolant and never had any quiters living in my system:
(estimates)

-distilled water %60
-wipper fluid (methynol) %35
-water wetter %5

[srwven]

Be careful using bleach. It destroys rubber and many pumps have rubber o-rings and seals.

[oRIDDLERo]

NO problems as of yet... the bleach is quite diluted.

[Caffinehog]

I'VE GOT SEA MONKEYS IN MY RESERVOIR!!!! LOL, JK, but it would be funny.....

[Caffinehog]

It's life, Jim, but not as we know it. :spock:

[Caffinehog]

Originally posted by drdingo21
ive posted this before but what about vodka?
Are you kidding? This would never make it to the reservoir.:beer:

[Crash893]

do you think salt would kill some of the alge

is there such thing as a uv led?

the only other thing i can think of is peroicly running a very low voltage threw the water but i dont know enogh about water cooling to know if it would effect the cpu.

[unreal]

lol, getting the right mixture is always my problem

[mateo88]

you could try puttin listerene in your bong setup. I know it kills stuff for the two weeks i used it, but i wasn't running a bong. Mmmmmm.... minty

[vonkaar]

Unreal, why are you bumping a bunch of year-old posts? That's somewhat... odd?

[Crash893]

are we talking about a bong or a closed loop system

i would think that after a while that no life could stay in the close loop system due to lack of oxygen and nutreients

if its a bong system god knows they will grow stuff out the wazoo

has anyone ever concidered a uv light of some sort it would have to be in seperate resivior that could take the uv light but that would be simple enogh to make out off some pvc or like that

[UberBlue]

Originally posted by bongo
A note about UV light killing algea. Thats true , but it doesnt kill string algea.
MY dad's pond uses a UV light filter and we always get the yukky strings of algea building up on the waterfall and rocks.....


Your UV cold cathodes and UV LED's are the wrong wavelenght to kill anything.

And...

DO NOT USE BLEACH! Sodium hypochlorite (bleach) will destroy anodizing on aluminium and is generaly very corosive. Even in very dilute concentrations.

[unix and linux]

Would a cathod tube right infront of the resvoir and tubing prevent germs?

[UberBlue]

Originally posted by unix and linux
Would a cathod tube right infront of the resvoir and tubing prevent germs?

No. Your UV cold cathodes and UV LED's are the wrong wavelenght to kill anything.

If you want to use UV to kill stuff, you need one of these. (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/NavResults.cfm?N=2004&Np=1&Ntt=uv&Dx=mode+matchallany&Nty=1&D=uv&Ntx=mode+matchallany&Ntk=All)

For more information, look here (http://forums.procooling.com/vbb/showthread.php?threadid=6634)

[Muku]

Ok keep with me on this one.

What about running your evap bong system via a fishtank, with some of them algae eating fish inside? no chemicals obviously.
I wonder what kind of safety issues(on the fishes behaf) might rise.
A "like" metal system would have to be made to prevent reactions.
what about temps?
anyone know which algae eating waterlife live at which temps?


Yes, I realize you are all thinking I must be nuts....
this thought spawned out of humour, but thoughts of seriousness are indeed present :D

[UberBlue]

Originally posted by Muku
Ok keep with me on this one.

What about running your evap bong system via a fishtank, with some of them algae eating fish inside? no chemicals obviously.
I wonder what kind of safety issues(on the fishes behaf) might rise.
A "like" metal system would have to be made to prevent reactions.
what about temps?
anyone know which algae eating waterlife live at which temps?


Yes, I realize you are all thinking I must be nuts....
this thought spawned out of humour, but thoughts of seriousness are indeed present :D

Unless you plan on having some very tiny/tough fish, nothing would be done about the gunk in the tubing.


Best solution for algae I've seen yet (http://forums.procooling.com/vbb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6485)

[Crash893]

what about ozone i hear that kills everything and is relativly safe

[Crash893]

never mind the cheapest i have been able to find is 249+

how about idone

or more spesifcly idone tablits

we used to use them all the time in scouts ( taste like @#$@# but the keep you from @#$@# your pants )


just drop in a tablit and that should be it for a closed system mabey once a week or every other week for a bong

http://akamai.backcountrystore.com.edgesuite.net/images/items/medium/ADV0012.jpg

[UberBlue]

Originally posted by Crash893
what about ozone i hear that kills everything and is relativly safe

The problem with ozone is that by nature it is a very unstable molecule. Ozone is O3 and indiscriminately gives up that extra oxygen atom as fast as it can. Adding an atom of oxygen to a molecule is oxidation (why its so effective at killing stuff). Oxidation is bad and is also called corrosion.

It's not really safe either. The EPA and OSHA have regulation regaurding ozone in the work place. It's nasty stuff.

[Crash893]

what about that hydrogen peroxide solution you can buy at the store thats like 3% hydrogen peroxide the rest is water

[Muku]

hey I'm gonna add to that ozone thought. Yes ozone is not very safe. It has been used in hot tubs for this reason as well.
Thing is with ozone is that it does dissipate, but only after about 30 seconds or so. If you had a wide and long tube where it would take a while for water to pass through, it would give it time to dissipate. A friend just got a hot tub with a tube circling under the rim which does this.
I don't know what materials and conditions this is under, but it's a thought none the less

[unix and linux]

Would putting salt in my tubes corrode anything?

[UberBlue]

Originally posted by Crash893
what about that hydrogen peroxide solution you can buy at the store thats like 3% hydrogen peroxide the rest is water

Kinda the same situation as ozone. H2O2's an oxidizer. Got that extra Oxygen atom on there.

Originally posted by unix and linux
Would putting salt in my tubes corrode anything?

Yes. Think about it.

[Crash893]

Originally posted by UberBlue


Kinda the same situation as ozone. H2O2's an oxidizer. Got that extra Oxygen atom on there.





yes but it would be more stable than ozone and cheaper

i think short of a bio solution ( some sort of alge killing bactera) were going to cuase some colotrial damage to the system


what we have to think about is

1) were not working on the life support system for the space station things might have to be a little less than perfect
2) i would say the average life span of the watercooling parts is like 4 years and could the oxygen generated by the h202 be enogh to signifigantly hassen its failure
3) would the corrosponding corrosion impeed the heat transfer more or less than the alge

[TheNewGuy143]

Ive still dont have my watercooling system mut my cascade SS is ordered and I asked cathar what water mix he tought was good and here is my he answered:
I recommend a 10% mix of radiator corrosion inhibitor (glycol-based) to prevent algae and bacterial growth and in general keep the system clean.
TheNewGuy

[UberBlue]

Originally posted by Crash893



2) i would say the average life span of the watercooling parts is like 4 years and could the oxygen generated by the h202 be enogh to signifigantly hassen its failure


The H202 would eventualy decompose into water/various oxides. When that happens (week?) you'd have to add more H2O2 to keep nasties from growing. I'm not saying it would be an instant, catastrophic failure, but I *think* adding H2O2 regularly would dramaticly shorten life span.

I think TheNewGuy has it right. Keep it simple.

[Crash893]

well i guess it depends on the open or closed system

open would have to be treated in theory once

[UberBlue]

In theory yes, but is it worth the risk? If a single nasty can hole up somewhere untill the coast is clear, you're right back where you started.

It's nice to have a civilized debate. :)

[Crash893]

i dont think of it so much as a debate as a brain storming session

you still havent shot down* my idoine tablets idea any comments?

(*i dont concider it as much shooting down my ideas as much as my ignorance of chemistry)

[UberBlue]

Iodine tablets? I totaly missed that.

I dunno. Iodine's in the same collum (group 7) ont the periodic table along with Flourine, Clorine, and Bromine. All of those are pretty nasty.

Obviously they're not elemental Iodine (2 grams will kill you). I'm betting those tabs are an Iodine salt (Iodide).

I just noticed that Iodide is relativly non-toxic to plants.

Who cares if you drink some algae. It's not gonna kill ya.

[pelikan]

I think using a very small amount of bleach is fine.

[Crash893]

yes but would a very small amount of bleach do anything to kill alage

another thing you could do if you were really worried about it would be to not any light into the system

i dont know if you could us a uv light ( not to kill the alge but to deprive it of usable light)

[pelikan]

You only need 1ml bleach per liter of water to kill everything and keep it dead for a long time. 1ml = .2 teaspoon.

[UberBlue]

Originally posted by UberBlue
DO NOT USE BLEACH! Sodium hypochlorite (bleach) will destroy anodizing on aluminium and is generaly very corosive. Even in very dilute concentrations.

[UberBlue]

Originally posted by Crash893
i dont know if you could us a uv light ( not to kill the alge but to deprive it of usable light)

If you can see the light, it's usable.

Originally posted by Crash893
another thing you could do if you were really worried about it would be to not any light into the system

That would deffinately work, but we seem to have a fetish for clear tubing and trully opaque tubing seems hard to come by.



So... Has anybody else noticed this thread is over a year old?

[pelikan]

UberBlue- I don't claim to be an expert or anything, but going by the article at AMBMB linked to earlier in this thread and by a guide by Cathar at MadOnion it sounds like bleach in small amounts is good.

[UberBlue]

Originally posted by walkerIV
Even though aluminium is thermodynamically very reactive, it is in fact very stable in aqueous solutions, with pH values between 5 and 8. It is a known fact that aluminium’s primary corrosion product Al2O3, has the exact same crystal structure as pure aluminium. This means that newly formed Al2O3 will cover the pure aluminium and shield it form further corrosion. This protective layer is extremely thin, but it is sufficient to make aluminium fairly corrosion resistant. Chloride (Cl-) will destroy the protective layer, therefore it not recommended to use tap water in water-cooling. In some parts of the world they even add chlorine to the tap water to kill bacteria. It is quite common for people to use coolants that promote galvanic corrosion. Some have even added bleach to their water as a biocide.



Whole thread here. (http://www.oc-forums.com/showthread.php?threadid=154570&perpage=30&pagenumber=2)

[pelikan]

Thanks for the link. I'm glad I don't have aluminum in my system.