help - water/coolant solution & cleaning

Hey guys I'm new to OC Forums, but I have read many posts here about water-cooling and many other topics related to PCs. I finally found myself in a situation where I think your opinions would help me..

I have a Thermaltake Tai-Chi LCS (Liquid Cooling System) case, which at the time I didn't know much about water cooling.. but the pump had finally given up on me and I think have sprung a leak somewhere, which caused some damage to my video card =(

I've already ordered some parts to replace the water cooling system and I was wondering if you guys could provide some input =)

Tubing: 3/8" (I think it would be 3/8" ID & 1/2" OD tubing.. please correct me if I'm wrong!), but I'm sure it's 3/8" =X
Radiator: Swiftech MCR220
Reservoir: Swiftech MCRES-MICRO
Pump: Swiftech MCP350
Water block: Swiftech APOGEE GT

I was wondering what are your recommendations for (1) a good water/coolant solution (2) and the best way to clean the water cooling system when the time comes..

I originally thought that the Swiftech HydraX is a good coolant, but I read some reviews and it was either good or bad.. Is Swiftech HydraX + 10% distilled water a good coolant solution?

What I observed since the leak was there had some small bits of "residue" stuck in the walls of the tubing which came with my case. I only used the supplied coolant from Thermaltake. I'm not sure how frequent I should have flushed the system..

I also find it a little difficult with the instructions of how to flush the system and replace it with more coolant. My original thought on how to flush the system was to take the "out" tube, which is the water that's flowing out of the radiator to the waterblock, into a bucket, and keep dumping water into the reservoir until the coolant is all out, then start filling it back with coolant. But then thought.. what about the water that'll mix with the coolant. I know that distilled water is the best solution, but it doesn't prevent micro-organisms from growing, etc etc.. and then the tube that's in the bucket.. if coolant was to be poured in the reservoir, then eventually it'll be wasted into the bucket =/

In your eyes, I'm a newbie with water cooling =( On the otherhand I'm still not giving up and I hope to learn more with water cooling.

Clean all the old parts with water and a 'bit' of bleach, open the blocks and scrub them out etc. That means it all comes out and apart bit by bit.

Use distilled water and 4-5 drops of fish store biocide, and if you want 5-10% antifreeze, I hear only Toyota and Volkswagon have the best stuff. If you could bump the hose size up a notch to 5/8" ID you get better flow. Some peeps go a year without tearing it down and flushing, some do it every month. A good flush every 3 months I'd say. Have a fill tube to a res up high in the case, and a drain tube at the lowest part of the loop makes it smoother.

unfortunate said:

I originally thought that the Swiftech HydraX is a good coolant, but I read some reviews and it was either good or bad.. Is Swiftech HydraX + 10% distilled water a good coolant solution?

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Personally I have about 90% distilled water and 10% Hydrx. Hydrx is mainly just antifreeze (says right on the bottle).

If you take a look at the stickies, you'll see that there is little difference between 3/8"ID and 1/2"ID tubing when it comes to results. Most recommend using either 7/16" tubing or 1/2" tubing with all 1/2" barbs on your blocks.

Do clean out all of your parts before putting them into the case. For blocks, a toothbrush and some dishwashing liquid is all you need. Be careful about using any bleach at all for if any is left in your loop, you are going to regret it as bleach is very caustic.

The same goes for the res with the warm soapy water.

For the radiator, hot soapy water shook around in it several times is a good idea. You can also soak it in a vinegar/water solution for a while, and then do more soapy water and rinse. I personally squirt DOW scrubbing bubbles into the rad, let soak for about 10 minutes, and then rinse with hot soapy water and repeat several times before rinsing several times more with hot water. This will get any residue and flux out.

For what solution to use, I recommend about 90% distilled water, 10% pentosin antifreeze (that is what the VW/Audi blue and Toyota red antifreezes are). You can also find it online by the quart. I just went ahead and bought an entire gallon of Toyota red from the dealer for less than $20. I have enough to watercool for a long time. Along with this, add a couple of drops of any fish aquarium algaecide (pet section at Walmart- $3), and about 6-8 drops of alcohol-free povidone iodine (also walmart- $4) to act as a biocide. This will give you enough to drain/refill for a long time, and with this mix, you will not have growth problems.

Alternatively, if you like silver tubing, you can opt to use Tygon silver tubing with just distilled water and a bit of antifreeze. The silver in the tubing naturally kills growth.

HydraX in my opinion is way overpriced and doesn't work well to me. I have seen threads of people using it getting growth.

Spion said:

Personally I have about 90% distilled water and 10% Hydrx. Hydrx is mainly just antifreeze (says right on the bottle).

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Whoops.. you're correct, I made a typo there lol.

Thanks for your opinion guys =) I just got the parts today and I've put most of them together.

I'm wondering though.. does antifreeze from Hydrx, Toyota, Audi/VW already have algaecide or do I have to buy algaecide myself?

If povidone-iodine acts as a biocide, does that mean I don't need to use algaecide? And will only a couple to few (6-8) drops be enough? I just don't want another mess =(

Antifreeze won't kill algea. Biocides can be hit or miss. Algeacide is the only sure fire way. If you want a coolant that you won't need to "change out" except maybe once or twice a year follow, Voigts suggestion above.

I tend to flush out and redo my loop on a monthly basis so I just run plain old Distilled water with only UV dyes for addatives.

Ok~ sounds good. I'll give Voigts' solution a go and see how it goes =D Thanks!

actually I was just thinking~ what would you guys suggest is a good setup to go for my water cooling parts? I have a separate reservoir though, unlike some radiators that have a built-in reservoir. Basically I just have a waterblock, pump, reservoir, and radiator. I don't plan on having water-cooled GPU yet, but maybe on my next computer upgrade =)

Res Pump GPU Rad is the standard way. Mainly having the res before the pump helps for filling and bleeding. Operationally it don't matter, all the temps and pressures will equal out when running. Don't forget to clean the rad properly before you put it together.

I use 90% distilled water and 10% hydrx in my loop which has been going for over a year now, just topping it off every now and then with more distilled water and I have no algae growth in my loop, but thats me. Like a fish tank, if your computer is next to a window or where the sun hitting it directly, chances are you are getting growth.

I use distilled, algaecide, and iodine (Betadine or similar is best). 4-8 drops of iodine/gallon is good. Algaecides vary so follow package directions.

I don't use anti-freeze, water wetter, or any of that stuff anymore. There's no hard evidence to support it (that I've found) and none of that stuff cools as well as water so any you add drops the cooling efficiency of your loop. If you feel you must add some I'd keep it down to 2% or less (assuming you're not mixing Al and Cu) ...