Best way to check for blockages and/or self clean the system

Hello,

After a barrage of issues over the 3 years I've had a liquid cooling system in my pc, some of which were very much my fault, it culminated recently in a spontaneous leak.

I bought some new fluid, filled the reservoir up and saw that the pipe into the radiator was filling up, the pipe out of the radiator was half full and the pipe out of the cpu block was just displaying a trickle.

I thought this was due to a knackered pump as it's over 3 years old, so I bought a new one and frustratingly, nothing has changed.

Upon closer inspection, it looks like there is a fair amount of sediment flowing in the tubes and in the drained fluid. I don't understand how this can happen! Surely it's a closed loop and the only access point is in the reservoir (which remains closed 99.99% of the time) ?!


My questions therefore are:

1) Is there a simple way cleaning a system, flushing it out with something like drain unblocker? Failing that -

2) What is the best way of cleaning out a clogged system, part by part?

I try and avoid disassembling the system as it avoids a full leak-test upon reassembly, hence the first question.

What's the deal with the sediment? Is this expected behavior? Ideas please people!

Cheers

I believe it is generally done to take apart the block and scrub it out and put it back together. Someone else may have some better advice though.

@rudeboy57

Just checking.

Is this a custom loop or an all-in-one kit?
Have you been regularly cleaning and flushing the system out every six months or is this a full 3 years of buildup?

cozumel said:

@rudeboy57

Just checking.

Is this a custom loop or an all-in-one kit?
Have you been regularly cleaning and flushing the system out every six months or is this a full 3 years of buildup?

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It's a custom loop and I confess to not knowing that a regular clean-out was required, so it's the full 3 years of buildup

Sorry rudeboy but its time you read the stickies in our threads. We could easily tell you on what to do but that defeats the purpose and you should have had this knowledge prior to putting a loop together as we always recommend before we get into things. Once you have done so we can move on to the next step. Sorry to hear what happen but that does happen when not maintained properly.

Yep, every bit needs torn apart and cleaned. Part of the watercooling hobby. You should probably replace the tubing too.

Conumdrum said:

Yep, every bit needs torn apart and cleaned. Part of the watercooling hobby. You should probably replace the tubing too.

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Sigh. I guess I'll start with the radiator then and try and remain a water cooling advocate hah. Cheers guys.

rudeboy57 said:

Sigh. I guess I'll start with the radiator then and try and remain a water cooling advocate hah. Cheers guys.

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Please, please and please once more:

BEFORE you do your maintenance do the research. You need to understand all the hows and the whys. There is so much valuable information available on this forum and across all other tech sites. Use these resources as you will massively benefit. Then ask the questions as necessary. It'll not only increase the longevity of all your expensive components but will also improve the overall performance of your rig. Everything will probably run smoother, faster and with greater stability. Yes, it can be a steep learning curve, but it can be so very rewarding when it all comes together.

Good luck!