How to keep my tubing clear?

Silent Buddha · Mar 27, 2004

I'm working on my W/C setup and I want my tubes as clear as can be. I'm getting Clearflex tubing since it's a lot cheaper than Tygon but has the same properties. I want to use water additives but I'm afraid it will turn my tubing cloudy.
I heard water wetter helps performance but I also heard it makes the tubing really cloudy because some stuff precipitates out?
I also want to use some kind of additive to kill off any algae/fungus growth. I heard coolant, alchohols, and iodine work well but would this make my tubing cloudy?
Also, does Tygon get cloudy like ClearFlex? Just curious.
Or should I forgo all of this and just get some Swiftech HydrX? Where else can I get it from besides frozencpu?

Thanks,
Dave

Turbokeu · Mar 27, 2004

I use real distilled (not de-ionized or demineralized) water with Purple Ice additive and some blue dye and I can assure you that my Tygon tubing went cloudy after a couple of weeks...
No algae growth, just a white precipitation on the inside of the Tygon.

CD

infinity9 · Mar 27, 2004

http://www.svcompucycle.com/liquidcooling.html

Pretty cheap, but its out of stock at the moment.

Soja · Mar 27, 2004

Try humidifier bacteriostat. The usual watercooling "coolants" don't do much for bacteria/algae. They are usually used for corrosion prevention. This procooling article might be useful.

Silent Buddha · Mar 27, 2004

Will that keep the tubing clear? I'm thinking of just using 95% distilled water, 3% Swiftech HydrX, and 2% Water Wetter.

johan851 · Mar 27, 2004

I've tried two different types of antifreeze, and this last time I added about 5-10% Methanol to kill algae and bacteria. Whatever I do results in cloudy tubing, and I don't think it's stuff growing this time around. Does it on both Tygon and Clearflex 60 too.

Soja - does bacteriostat keep your tubing clear? What other additives do you use?

VAdept · Mar 27, 2004

Im going to try the biocide used in hot tubs, a friend had some handy.

Junglebizz · Mar 27, 2004

I uased a hottub water additive once that was supposed to be safe for copper and my lines went green with oxidization in one heck of a hurry..

I have deionized water and water wetter in my system, and my lines went cloudy, but it's just a film on the inside. If you pinch the line you can get some of the crap to fall off and you can see that the lines are still clear. And this is with cheap vinyl tubing.

Seven · Mar 27, 2004

Well, Tygon laboratory tubing looks like it should be at least resistant to some of this stuff...although I have seen the distilled water/Zerex combination come out with perfectly clear tubes.

Joe Camel · Mar 27, 2004

distilled water 90% + Zerex racing super coolant 10% (pink) + cheap vinyl tubing = cloudy (white) tube with PINK water...

if you shine one of thoes blue LED lights on them, they look blue.

VAdept · Mar 28, 2004

Thanx for the advice, guess I will stick with the original iodine plan.

Dukemurmur · Mar 28, 2004

What about using backing soda to keep it clear??? as it makes water not so cloudy so i take it it won't allow the tubes to do so either. Or what of distiled water an 8% ethanol and then 2% water wetter. Just some thoughts and ideas 4 yeah

How to keep my tubing clear?

Silent Buddha

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Turbokeu

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infinity9

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Soja

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Silent Buddha

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johan851

Insatiably Malcontent, Senior Member

VAdept

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Junglebizz

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Seven

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Joe Camel

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VAdept

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Dukemurmur

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