WC Cleaning advice

[rohizzle121]

so i have been looking up all the info i can for the past two days on WC systems, becuase im buying a prebuilt system from a from a guy. and the info i have gotten has been all across the board.

* ThermoChill PA 160 Radiator
* Acrylic Bay Reservoir
* D-tek DB-1 Pump
* D-tek FuZion CPU WaterBlock
* ClearFlex60 1/2" ID tubing
* Primochill PC Ice Steel Blue with UV Dye added


NOTE: Imho, it is time to drain, flush and re-fill the loop. Were it me, I would disassemble the entire loop and thoroughly clean all the components.

ok from what he said im inferring that i have to buy lots of distilled water and PTnuke for after cleaning

for cleaning [i want to make sure this is right]

1. drain the loop
2. pump should use warm vinegar and distilled water to flush it and rinse with distilled water again
3. for the radiator i put in very warm distilled water and shake it around and rinse that with more distilled water

but i have no idea how to clean the reservoir and the cpu block


as a side note, if i wanted to add a GPU block in the future what would i have to upgrade?
also i was wondering, should i lap a WC system?

 

[jerkie]

When I cleaned my loop, I just used warm soapy water, took the block and pump apart, washed all parts, filled rad about 1/2 way shook it to my arms hurt and rinsed with tap water to get most of the soap out and final rinse with some distilled. Put it all back together, leak test, then fired up the rest of the components. As for adding the gpu into the loop, some might suggest another rad and a stronger pump, such as a mcp655 or 355 with a top. As for a block a mcw60 will last you longer than a full cover specific to that card. I am sure more will pop in and help you out.

 

[rohizzle121]

When I cleaned my loop, I just used warm soapy water, took the block and pump apart, washed all parts, filled rad about 1/2 way shook it to my arms hurt and rinsed with tap water to get most of the soap out and final rinse with some distilled. Put it all back together, leak test, then fired up the rest of the components. As for adding the gpu into the loop, some might suggest another rad and a stronger pump, such as a mcp655 or 355 with a top. As for a block a mcw60 will last you longer than a full cover specific to that card. I am sure more will pop in and help you out.

Is the cpu block hard to take apart? Doesn't the tap water leave minerals and calcium, or does the distelled water wash it all away? Ok and when you say another rad, do you mean like two rads or one stronger rad? And as for the gpu block, thanks because I'm always changing gpus. I change it about every six months but if I just cool the gpu, won't thenmemory get toasty?

 

[Stilletto]

Taking the Waterblock apart should be pretty straight forward, most are easy with four screws or the like. The quality of your tap water determines the risk of calcium deposits, but should be minimal if it is washed with distilled water prior to final filling. I would see what your temps are before I change the Rad out and if you change GPU's that often, I would just ensure good airflow in your case and cool the GPU only.

 

[Spawn-Inc]

i would clean them all the same, hot soapy water (tap or distilled) then rinse with tap water then a couple of times with distilled, it will wash out all the minerals.

 

[Conumdrum]

Don't be freaked if you find some discoloration inside the CPU block. It's just tarnish oxidation. It cleans up real nice with kechup and a toothbrush. If you find buildup gunk, then thats a whole different issue, but some discoloration is normal in a copper block.

 

[Stilletto]

Yea I recently cleaned my block and when I opened it I found what looked like a big clump of AS5 inside...course, it wasn't, it was just gunk...cleaned it out, flushed the system, never encountered a leak.