Changed the water finally...

[KetoSoi]

My cooling system, as seen in my sig, started making gurgling noises slowly but surely over the last few weeks, so I decided to tear it down and give it the once-over.

The same water had been in there 5 years, no colors, no biocide, nothing but distilled water originally. Good as time as any to see what was going on inside! Water came out clean/clear as a whistle, not a trace of haze, fogginess, or 'color'. Inside the Swiftech, no indication of garbage/growth. Tygon Silver tubing perfectly clean on the inside as I suspected it would be. Took the Raystorm apart, nothing at all, looked new on the inside. I attribute the cleaniness to the Tygon, stuff apparently is quite effective on its own.

Gave it all a quick flush-through with distilled water again, filled it back up, and burped it. Quiet as a mouse again (guess the water was worn out ). Hopefully wont have to do anything with it for another 5 years.

 

[Zerileous]

Tygon acts as a biocide?

Distilled water might as well be free in the US, why wait so long? No doubt its interesting to know how well it worked out, but why chance it?

 

[Nebulous]

Wow 5 years? That's quite the stretch. Figured after several years you have evaporation and that's when the pump will start gurgling. Good thing that pump gave you the signal.

 

[KetoSoi]

Tygon acts as a biocide?

Heh, its 'Tygon Silver Antimicrobial Tubing'.

Wow 5 years? That's quite the stretch. Figured after several years you have evaporation and that's when the pump will start gurgling. Good thing that pump gave you the signal.

Its a closed system. If theres evaporative loss, theres a leak somewhere

 

[Bustos]

So what caused the gurgling?

 

[KetoSoi]

So what caused the gurgling?

I am not entirely sure. There wasnt any evidence of an air bubble in the system, but possible I suppose. I'm not sure if the properties of the water change at all over time in a closed-loop system, it shouldnt in theory, but being in a container of various metals, being heated and cooled many times over... Perhaps an unseen containment? I sure wasnt going to taste it to find out

 

[Zerileous]

Ahh I thought Silver was just the color

Also evaporation still happens through the tubing. This is the major killer of closed loop / AIO coolers which are sealed.

 

[pgdeaner]

Also evaporation still happens through the tubing. This is the major killer of closed loop / AIO coolers which are sealed.

^ This - After 5 years it's good that you changed water but also there was probably air somewhere. If you had burped your system before changing fluid you might have seen it. Any flexible tubing based system will still lose water over time. Not sure about hard tubing but I'd imagine evaporation would still occur from the fittings etc.