View Full Version : What UV dye do you recommend?
Alright, I've been using Swiftech HydrX for a while. The cheapest I can find (after factoring in shipping costs) is here:
http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/hyexduco.html
I was going to buy 2 of them for $8.75 shipped 1st class. I know I only need one, but I'll just stock the other to save on shipping for another yr or so down the line when I may need it again.
I haven't bought it yet because I'm wondering if I should change things up. Do any of you have other recommendations? I came across Fluid XP+ as well, here (http://www.svc.com/fxpagdye.html).
In my years of water cooling, I could NEVER get around the build up on my tubing. I've made threads about this before, but I still haven't found a solution. My tubing always gets foggy and I always end up replacing the tubing. I guess it's not a big deal as I bought like 25ft of tubing for less than $25 (I still can't remember where - someone here @ OCF pointed me to it and I wish I could find where it was) - the tubing was WELL WORTH the $$ (1/2"ID, 3/4" OD)
Anyway, I'd like to know your opinions on UV Dye and if you have comments on why I'm always foggy after several months.
What I've tried:
-cleaning with vinegar
-using anti-freeze
-using anti-algae drops
-using water wetter
-ALWAYS use distilled water
-all copper blocks, never anything else
hokiealumnus
10-01-09, 01:21 PM
Tubing:
From Petra's, we have Masterkleer 1/2" ID / 3/4" OD for $0.85/ft (http://www.petrastechshop.com/1id3odmagepu.html).
From Sidewinder's, we have Durelene (the makers of Tygon) PVC 1/2"ID / 3/4" OD for $0.69/ft (http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/dupvctu1idx3.html).
Anyway, I'd like to know your opinions on UV Dye and if you have comments on why I'm always foggy after several months.
Dye - My opinion: don't use it. If you want color, get colored tubing. Why? See #2.
This is the reason your tubing is cloudy. It doesn't matter if you use distilled water or tap water (as far as coloration...tap water is horrible for many other reasons), if you use dye, there is always the potential that it will cloud your tubing. It's an unfortunate fact of water cooling life. The only sure way to avoid it is to use the coolant that we recommend day-in and day-out: Distilled + Biocide (either silver kill coil or PT Nuke PHN).
There are ways of making your rig nice and colorful without dye. Pick your poison, I chose Primchill PrimoFlex Pro LRT (http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=292&zenid=8d2f0523cfd6cbf404ec7cdd49ff7e44) green. If you're concerned about color in your reservoir...light it up:
http://myalbumbank.com/albums/userpics/10080/thumb_p55fullsys.jpg (http://myalbumbank.com/displayimage.php?pos=-3054)
:santa:
ricflairw000
10-01-09, 01:25 PM
+1
none
i should find the pic of the dye clumping up in the water and not suspended anymore
I was afraid you guys were going to tell me not to use dye, as I read at many places about them breaking down around 6-8 months in from the heat.
Either I'll leave my system the way it is now without dye, or I'll just put the dye in and change my tubing twice a yr.
darkcow
10-01-09, 01:42 PM
When your tubing gets cloudy, try and clean it up with pipe cleaners and hot soapy water. It may not come back a second time.
BeHappy
10-01-09, 01:44 PM
Well, I used the same hydrx formula for over a year and had absolutely NO issues. I just tore my loop apart and I had 0 algae growth and also 0 clumpage. I did just switch to colored tubing, but I would recommend the hydrx as well...
Well, I used the same hydrx formula for over a year and had absolutely NO issues. I just tore my loop apart and I had 0 algae growth and also 0 clumpage. I did just switch to colored tubing, but I would recommend the hydrx as well...
Your tubing wasn't stained?
BeHappy
10-01-09, 02:37 PM
Your tubing wasn't stained?
Not even the slightest bit. The only thing that did stain was a 1/2" -> 1/2" barb installed for when I planned on adding in my gpu. I just took a comparison pic so you can make up your own mind.
The tubing on the top ran with the hydrx/water combo for over a year.
The bottom tubing is left over brand new clear tubing.
http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/3466/dsc00754v.jpg
I can't tell the difference, can you guys?
No... still makes me wonder why my tubing is ALWAYS stained. :(
I don't use the same rad, blocks, or tubing as when I first started, and I always clean with vinegar when putting the WC setup back together. :(
BeHappy
10-01-09, 03:19 PM
Lol dirty water? Maybe it has something to do with which brand of tubing you're using. I used the stuff that came with my swiftech kit. Either way, just get colored tubing.
Lol dirty water? Maybe it has something to do with which brand of tubing you're using. I used the stuff that came with my swiftech kit. Either way, just get colored tubing.
I've tried clearflex, tygon, masterkleer... I've tried many different things... I guess my only true test is all brand new parts and using only distilled with an additive to prevent algae...
BeHappy
10-01-09, 03:35 PM
I'm telling you, the color+performance of this primoflex pro is outstanding. I looked at a comparison the other day and it won in the flexibility category. It bends so easily and doesn't lose it's shape until you make a bend that's completely impractical.
Didn't see it on your list, so you might wanna give it a try.
EDIT: I think you're just looking for an excuse to get all new hardware. Lol, if you have the $$$, go for it!
ricflairw000
10-01-09, 03:53 PM
OH well that is different if you ok with changing stuff out
I'm telling you, the color+performance of this primoflex pro is outstanding. I looked at a comparison the other day and it won in the flexibility category. It bends so easily and doesn't lose it's shape until you make a bend that's completely impractical.
Didn't see it on your list, so you might wanna give it a try.
EDIT: I think you're just looking for an excuse to get all new hardware. Lol, if you have the $$$, go for it!
I already got a bunch of new stuff. I changed the motor on my MCP350 pump to a newer one that I was able to mod with a switch to go from default 10w to 18w. :) Basically, I'm running it as a 355 now.
Then I got a new AM3 motherboard with enough SATA for my needs, my Phenom II 945 isn't even 2 months old, and I finally put my HD4890 back into my computer, only this time with an MCW-4870 that man keeps it really cool!! 30C idle.
I also dusted out my rad, and got a brand new waterblock for my 945... the Enzotech Sapphire. So far the new cooling setup and addition of the GPU into the loop dropped my CPU idle and load temps by about 8C. I'm running 3.82ghz now but that was my first boot up, and it passed OCCT and Linpack auto runs... I still haven't even pushed! :)
hokiealumnus
10-01-09, 04:02 PM
I actually made a ridiculous bend unintentionally with my new loop and Primoflex Pro LRT took it just fine. In the pic I posted above, look at the bend from my GPU to the res intake. That bend is nuts. It's ever so slightly oblong, but definitely not kinked and flowing just fine.
EDIT - Here's a better pic so you can see the bend:
http://myalbumbank.com/albums/userpics/10080/thumb_p55dnfromrt.jpg (http://myalbumbank.com/displayimage.php?pos=-3055)
hokie,
Beautiful setup, bro!! :)
I was going to have a tight bend myself when I put my system back together, but I made the tube longer so it wouldn't be a tight bend... I'm regretting it as it would have looked nicer if I didn't do that.
hokiealumnus
10-01-09, 04:27 PM
Thank you very much! I really need to replace that orange fan now that my orange tubing is gone. Unfortunately that means removing my rad to do so...might be a few days.
Anyway...on topic, it's more expensive, but you won't be disappointed if you buy new tubing and go with the Primochill Pro LRT. To give you a better idea how tight that bend is, the tubing actually touches the video card power cords.
BeHappy
10-01-09, 05:32 PM
I actually made a ridiculous bend unintentionally with my new loop and Primoflex Pro LRT took it just fine. In the pic I posted above, look at the bend from my GPU to the res intake. That bend is nuts. It's ever so slightly oblong, but definitely not kinked and flowing just fine.
EDIT - Here's a better pic so you can see the bend:
http://myalbumbank.com/albums/userpics/10080/thumb_p55dnfromrt.jpg (http://myalbumbank.com/displayimage.php?pos=-3055)
So that's what the green tubing would have looked like. I was deciding between the blue and the green. Looks great hokie:thup:
hokiealumnus
10-02-09, 08:00 AM
Thanks! It actually looks a lot better than the photo. UV light makes it slightly opaque and the flash apparently puts off a good bit of UV light. Just looking at it, the tubing is a gorgeous clear green. Deep coloring and translucent.
Bobnova
10-02-09, 12:03 PM
UV itself will cloud some tubing, though in the computer world it'd probably have to be quite a few UV LEDs to do it. Vinyl is especially prone to it.
UV itself will cloud some tubing, though in the computer world it'd probably have to be quite a few UV LEDs to do it. Vinyl is especially prone to it.
I'm leaving it clear for now, but I might still throw some UV dye into it. When I go through the rest of my clear tubing (still have plenty left, so I'll just keep replacing twice a yr), then I'll just buy the colored tubing and be done with UV dye. I like to show off my computer with the colors and everything b/c I've made sales based on how much people love my setup, especially now that I'm running my own business. :)
hokiealumnus
10-02-09, 01:34 PM
Liking that Sapphire? Did it do better for you over the (IIRC) FV1?
Liking that Sapphire? Did it do better for you over the (IIRC) FV1?
Well it's doing better, but I'm not sure what the ANSWER was. I've made a ton of changes:
took apart the entire watercooling system, cleaned it out and put new tubing
cleaned out all the dust (tons of it) on my triple radiator
replaced the motor in my MCP350 with a newer one, which was modded with a toggle switch to switch between 10 watts and 18 watts, which I have it running 18 watts right now. The old motor could not be modded, so now I have more flow. I still have to test 10 watts to see if it made much of a difference
I threw in my HD4890 into the loop, so now a GPU is also putting a load on the cooling system, contrary to all of the above, this would worsen temps
So... I don't know if the cleaner loop, the cleaner radiator, or the 18w motor made the difference... or if it truly was getting the new block. I'm willing to bet it was a combination of everything, but definitely this block is no junk as my load temp at 1.50 vcore doesn't break 48C load with linpack and 45C load with OCCT... with a GPU in the loop! :)
hokiealumnus
10-02-09, 01:50 PM
Those are superb temps! Wish i7s ran as cool as PIIs. I'm only at 1.317Vcore loaded...and seeing 64C on two cores and 67C on the other two (max spikes, it's usually below that). Honestly, I'd guess your positive effects were in this order, most help to least help:
Dust
Block
Motor
Tubing
Those are superb temps! Wish i7s ran as cool as PIIs. I'm only at 1.317Vcore loaded...and seeing 64C on two cores and 67C on the other two (max spikes, it's usually below that). Honestly, I'd guess your positive effects were in this order, most help to least help:
Dust
Block
Motor
Tubing
Well from what I've heard if the chip hits 55C or more, it'll affect overclocking, and I think 65C is unsafe to keep for long periods of time.
So, even though they run cooler, they're threshold is no where close to i7 chips. There's a benefit to having either or. :)
Look at the specs (I have the 125W):
Phenom II 945 125W Specs - link (http://products.amd.com/en-us/DesktopCPUDetail.aspx?id=534&f1=&f2=&f3=&f4=&f5=&f6=&f7=&f8=&f9=&f10=&f11=&f12=) - 62C max temp (lower than I thought!!), but can go up to 1.50v
Phenom II 945 95W Specs - Link (http://products.amd.com/en-us/DesktopCPUDetail.aspx?id=588&f1=&f2=&f3=&f4=&f5=&f6=&f7=&f8=&f9=&f10=&f11=&f12=) - 71C max temp, but can only go to 1.425v
I wondered at first if I should have gone the 95W version, but I guess it doesn't OC as good since the voltage isn't speced to go as high... who knows.
Bobnova
10-02-09, 03:20 PM
Could take some highlighter pens and draw lines along the tubing, the ink glows nicely under blacklights and glowing pinstripes would look pretty cool IMO.
Just don't slip while drawing :P
Could take some highlighter pens and draw lines along the tubing, the ink glows nicely under blacklights and glowing pinstripes would look pretty cool IMO.
Just don't slip while drawing :P
Don't slip on a curvy object? Good luck to me!! :D
Bobnova
10-02-09, 04:57 PM
Could mask it, stretch the hose (before cutting) between two objects and put some tape on it.
If i ever WC i'm doing this :D
Could mask it, stretch the hose (before cutting) between two objects and put some tape on it.
If i ever WC i'm doing this :D
Well, too late now... I'm definitely not pulling it all apart now. It'll take hours. That's the one and only thing I hate about watercooling -->the amount of time it takes!! I'm not afraid of leaks, as it's never happened to me... it could someday, but I'm willing to take that chance... it's just so much time to maintain!!
muddocktor
10-02-09, 08:35 PM
g0dM@n, I don't see how you say it takes so much time for maintenance. That's one reason I have gone almost exclusively to water; because it is less maintenance intensive than high end air. Unless I am making changes to a loop, I just blow the dust out the rad every 6 months or so and don't worry about it. I change the fluids out around once a year. Of course I'm not running dyes or UV reactive tubing, just black tubing and silver Tygon in all my loops.
g0dM@n, I don't see how you say it takes so much time for maintenance. That's one reason I have gone almost exclusively to water; because it is less maintenance intensive than high end air. Unless I am making changes to a loop, I just blow the dust out the rad every 6 months or so and don't worry about it. I change the fluids out around once a year. Of course I'm not running dyes or UV reactive tubing, just black tubing and silver Tygon in all my loops.
In order to get the dust out of my rads, I have to dismantle everything to pull it out as it's embedded into my case. Even if I didn't have to dust it, to drain the water and flush it out also requires taking it out of the case.
I could DRAIN the water somewhat by shaking my heavy case around, but then it wouldn't be flushed...
Bobnova
10-02-09, 10:45 PM
Find a friendly auto repair shop, just drag the entire box down there and attack it with their air compressor.
I don't think you'd have a hard time finding one that would accept cookies or beer as a trade :D
(Im an auto mechanic, we accept cookies :beer:)
Spawn-Inc
10-02-09, 11:06 PM
Find a friendly auto repair shop, just drag the entire box down there and attack it with their air compressor.
I don't think you'd have a hard time finding one that would accept cookies or beer as a trade :D
(Im an auto mechanic, we accept cookies :beer:)
i've got thousands, but they're hard to eat at first :)
Find a friendly auto repair shop, just drag the entire box down there and attack it with their air compressor.
I don't think you'd have a hard time finding one that would accept cookies or beer as a trade :D
(Im an auto mechanic, we accept cookies :beer:)
My father owns a repair shop, but I moved out of my parents house a while ago and live 20 min away now... I guess it may be easier in the end to do what you said... it's not a bad idea. :)
Bobnova
10-03-09, 11:46 AM
Certainly cheaper then canned air at least. Probably don't even have to bribe your dad, cept with a visit :P
BeHappy
10-03-09, 04:46 PM
Canned air is one of the most overpriced things I can think of. Even at waly world its almost $5 a can...
Canned air is one of the most overpriced things I can think of. Even at waly world its almost $5 a can...
I hate paying for canned air, but it's a must for me b/c when I go to a client and dust buildup causes a machine to overheat, I've no choice but to have canned air on hand.
I've used the air cans that can be pumped, but they are not as strong and die out EXTREMELY fast. You basically have to pump and pump, a lot! Does anyone know of GOOD ones?
Spawn-Inc
10-04-09, 03:38 PM
I hate paying for canned air, but it's a must for me b/c when I go to a client and dust buildup causes a machine to overheat, I've no choice but to have canned air on hand.
I've used the air cans that can be pumped, but they are not as strong and die out EXTREMELY fast. You basically have to pump and pump, a lot! Does anyone know of GOOD ones?
i've drilled a hole in the bottom of one for my cheap airbrush kit, and hooked it up to the air compressor, but it doesn't last very long either. i just leave it hooked to the compressor when i use it.
i also burnt myself with the chemical that was in there when i drilled into... lol (allyl isothiocyanate)
i also made a larger tank for some extra air.
here are the pictures
http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showpost.php?p=92107&postcount=4
muddocktor
10-04-09, 05:39 PM
g0dM@n, go to an AC or auto business and see if they have an old empty r134 or r22 freon bottle that you can get from them. They are probably about 3-5 gallons in size and with just a little ingenuity can be made into a fine volume bottle for compressed air. All you would need is to change from the bottle valve's thread to a standard air fitting quick connect and then connect a hose and blower nozzle onto the tank. Charge the bottle up by connecting it to a compressor and shut the valve on the tank, then when you need to clean something with air you simply connect the hose and blow nozzle to the tank and open the valve and blow it out.
Bobnova
10-04-09, 11:34 PM
That should work great, those tanks should be rated to plenty of pressure for that. You'll have to use air sparingly but it'd beat the hell out of canned air.
You could always get a couple of those empty not-freon tanks, too.
Or just by a cheap POS harbor freight $50 compressor used on craigslist, there's always that option.
You can often find 'em for about fifty bucks, which isn't bad at all.
You could even use one of the tiny 12v car tire filler compressor thingies ($12, usually) and an old (well emptied...) propane tank (free on craigslist, post a wanted ad and you'll have lots of replies).
It'll take forever to fill, but it's cheeeeeep.
Spawn-Inc
10-05-09, 12:16 AM
i don't think they will let you have the old tanks as they get reused and have a $80 or so deposit on them, at least in Canada they do.
i took one from the zero air that drive cleans use for calibration and welded a nut on the top and can use it to hold extra air.
i have a small finisher nailer and i can get about 100 shots from it.
http://inlinethumb59.webshots.com/1274/2732893440100511463S600x600Q85.jpg
http://inlinethumb08.webshots.com/1159/2070901950100511463S600x600Q85.jpg
i know it's not the best welding job, but it did the trick. i also blew a hole in the tank when i looked away and had to patch it, also why it's sloppy.
but again i've put 150psi in there with no issues.
hokiealumnus
01-01-10, 08:24 PM
Searched for "dye" and this thread popped up. Here is yet another reason to avoid it like the plague (http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=242299). No word yet on which dye it was.
Distilled + PT Nuke PHN forever!
EDIT - More data down in the thread: Less than four months run time on the purple UV dye from Petra's.
BobbyBubblehead
01-01-10, 08:47 PM
wow not seen that particular horror fest before looks like it should be chasing steve McQueen #Laughs#
Lacerna Nebulae
01-01-10, 11:26 PM
There are nice air blowers out there branded with the WD-40 name that do a good job. They come with an attachment that focuses the air, but really is awful because it cuts the blowing power down. However, there is also a nice brush attachment that works VERY well at removing dust and getting into crevices. They shouldn't be more than $15-$20 and come with a built-in battery and recharger. They're just as strong as canned air and can pay for themselves pretty quickly.
Searched for "dye" and this thread popped up. Here is yet another reason to avoid it like the plague (http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=242299). No word yet on which dye it was.
Distilled + PT Nuke PHN forever!
EDIT - More data down in the thread: Less than four months run time on the purple UV dye from Petra's.
Just posted there. thank you so much for sharing this info!!
This is the 1st time I'm running my system without a uv dye and so far so good. :) I just put 2 drops of anti-algea stuff, some water wetter ad distilled. :) I have PT nuke stuff but didn't use it yet. I want to see how my system is in a few months... for yrs I've been trying to figure out the best recipe.
Conumdrum
01-02-10, 12:14 AM
Don't need water wetter anymore. But whatever floats your boat!
kInOzAwA
01-03-10, 01:06 PM
i heard so many time that UV dye is not good for the tubing and it cause tubing become cloudy, anyway i'm still using the UV cooling fluid from Feser. I heard some bad story about them but i don't have any issue with it yet :)
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