Recommend me an algeacide...

My loop is just beginning to get cloudy. Is it safe to simply put in a tablespoon of bleach or use an algaecide? I'll do a complete flush in a few months.
Currently using distilled water and Primoflex LRT tubing and the included Utopia and no exposure to sunlight, so not sure what's causing the cloudiness.

Silver.

Bleach will definitely kill the algea. It will also probably ruin every other fitting you have. If it is bio - drain, take it apart, clean everything w/ soap+water, flush a million times with distilled water, flush once more for good measure, then put it back together.

Cloudiness isn't always bio-related. That is probably something leeching out of the tubing or from inside one of the components.

Silver kill coil.

Cloudiness can also just be dirt/dust etc. Could just be time for a flush/refill.

Despotes said:

My loop is just beginning to get cloudy. Is it safe to simply put in a tablespoon of bleach or use an algeacide? I'll do a complete flush in a few months.

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Bleach is a bad bad idea. It is not chemically compatible with lots of things in your loop. The best way to deal with this is to drain the loop, discard the existing fluid, flush the hell out of it with distilled water (fill with clean distilled water, run pump for a while, drain, fill with clean distilled water, run for a while, drain, over and over again) Once you are satisfied you've gotten rid of the contaminant, fill with new fluid and use a good antimicrobial.

Brian_B said:

Cloudiness isn't always bio-related. That is probably something leeching out of the tubing or from inside one of the components.

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This is correct. The cloudiness could result from many different things. The two most likely are probably plasticizer leeching from your tubing, and flux from your radiator(s) if they werent fully cleaned before use. (you always have to thoroughly clean new radiators, as there is lots of flux in them from the soldering process)

Once you have completed your cleaning process here is what I would recommend, (and I know this goes counter to what most people suggest, but I have done lots of research on this.

A silver coil is actually a bad idea. If you have any brass in your loop (many fittings are brass based) the silver and brass are dissimilar enough that it can promote galvanic corrosion. Silver can also result in galvanic corrosion on copper and nickel, but it will be very very slow, and possibly negligible, but even so, it's a better to be safe than sorry and go without.

PTNuke (popular copper sulfate based biocide) can also be problematic, so I'd avoid that too.

Per WATERCOOL-Jakob the safest thing you can do is use pure distilled water and a glycol based additive. (He should know, he is the rep for Watercool, the manufacturer of the popular Heatkiller blocks, on these forums)

Glycol is a miraculous additive for water loops as it does three things without side effects. It is an anti-corrosive (to prevent corrosion in your loop) it is a surfactant (removes surface tension of water, to help remove air bubbles) AND a biocide all in one. Do it right and you don't need any other additive.

This is what most of the professional coolants use. If you don't feel comfortable finding and mixing your own Glycol (Propylene Glycol or Ethylene Glycol) I've had good luck with EK's Cryofuel line of coolants. They aren't too expensive, come as either premix or concentrate (just dilute with distilled water) and come in a variety of colors. I'd avoid th eopaque ones though, as opaque fluids tend ot have micro-particles that can gunk up the microchannels in your blocks)

Dow Chemical has a good writeup on the effects of glycol and what concentrations to use:

https://dowac.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/5207

I would second glycol. Primoflex LRT is PVC and compatible with glycol. If your Res is PETG or any other part not specified then glycol is not safe. Automotive antifreeze is pretty commonly used ( Ethylene glycol ) but also, most RV/ Marine antifreeze is polypropylene glycol which is also pet safe and that is also what the watercooling fluids that are glycol based are

matt167 said:

I would second glycol. Primoflex LRT is PVC and compatible with glycol. If your Res is PETG or any other part not specified then glycol is not safe. Automotive antifreeze is pretty commonly used ( Ethylene glycol ) but also, most RV/ Marine antifreeze is polypropylene glycol which is also pet safe and that is also what the watercooling fluids that are glycol based are

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This is a good point I forgot to mention. Thank you. Yes, there are some plastics which don't do well with Glycol.

I thought most water-contact cooling parts these days are either acrylic, acetal or glass though, which is why I forgot to mention it.

Yup, except PETG hard tubing and some reservoirs are PETG. Just something to look out for

My res is an XSPC Photon 170. Glass and Acetal.

I'll buy some Propylene Glycol. Any recommendations for cleaning/flushing?

Despotes said:

I'll buy some Propylene Glycol. Any recommendations for cleaning/flushing?

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I just did a flush of mine as follows:

1.) Drain loop
2.) Fill with distilled water and a couple of drops of dish soap (really, only a couple of very small drops, too much and you'll have a mess) as a surfactant to make sure you get in all the corners and crevices
3.) Leave pump running for a couple of hours
4.) Drain loop
5.) Fill with plain distilled water
6.) Leave pump running for a couple of hours
7.) Repeat steps 5 & 6 3-4 times
8.) Fill with fresh fluid.

This is not some sort of official best practice, but it worked for me.

Petra Nuke PHN doesn't have copper in it, just a poison that kills algae/bacteria or whatever. I have one loop that's going on 4 years with just distilled water and Nuke PHN, hard tube PETG though, and no clouding/algae/funk. Brass radiators, nickel plated fittings/blocks, PETG tubing, whatever EK res is made of (acetal?)

https://www.amazon.com/Petras-Tech-Nuke-Concentrated-Biocide/dp/B008EH4STK#customerReviews

Another rig will be 2 years old in May, same recipe, same result.

I'm using Swiftech's HydrX, which IINM is simply Zerex antifreeze - which inhibits corrosion and is a biocide. I've used it in the past and beyond staining cheap tubing it works fine.

Nenu said:

Silver.

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If you use silver you really need to add the silver while the water is still fresh, preferably before even adding it to your loop. Silver ions wont do much if there's already crap growing in there.

The best solution I've found is copper sulfate. Years ago I bought a bag of CuSO4 crystals (copper sulfate pentahydrate) off ebay for a couple bucks to make my own 'blue PT nuke.' You can get essentially a lifetime supply for your watercooling needs off Amazon for less than $10. It doesn't take much.

Zarathustra[H] said:

PTNuke (popular copper sulfate based biocide) can also be problematic, so I'd avoid that too.

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It shouldn't be an issue as long as you aren't using aluminum radiators in your loop.

I found silver to be ineffective and glycol was a poor algaecide, at least in my experience with commercial mixes from Koolance and some other brand I don't remember (crap would start growing in the blocks). Since I switched to distilled water + CuSO4 I've run loops for 5+ years and had the water come out clean.

What are the differences between Propylene and Polypropylene glycol? Are they equally effective? What's the recommended ratio? >25% glycol to water?

This is 19 months with distilled and Petra Nuke PHN. The fluid is not cloudy, see the reservoir/top tube, it's dust or reflection or something - it's clear in person (and I really need to blow this thing out - haven't had the panel off in ages).

Despotes said:

What are the differences between Propylene and Polypropylene glycol? Are they equally effective? What's the recommended ratio? >25% glycol to water?

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Glycol is just short hand for either Propylene Glycol or Ethylene Glycol. They are both chemically similar and work similarly.

Ethylene Glycol is more effective in smaller concentrations than Propylene Glycol, but is also more harmful to certain plastics, like PETG.

Propylene Glycol is by far more common.

Dow Chemical recommends pretty high concentrations to inhibit growth, but keep in mind they also want to sell you more chemicals

https://dowac.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/5207

i think the biggest factor in keeping a loop clean and free of nasties is to treat your entire loop building process as if you were conducting a kind of clean room surgery! dont introduce dust or dirt in any way shape or form. in my early days of loop building i opened and closed the res multiple times without bothering to clean off dust and dirt from the fill port area. i rerouted tubing incessantly and added or subtracted parts on a whim while rarely if ever doing a full drain and fill. the result and my point being, the more you open your loop to outside goonies the more frequent you will find a dirty loop. today when i build a loop i mix my petras pt nuke phn biocide and distilled water as closely as possible(by the gallon). in the past i just dripped as much phn in as i thought looked right. i would experiment with additives without draining and refilling with the appropriate mix(not smart). now i use rubber gloves to handle my spotlessly cleaned blocks, rads, tubing and fittings until ive closed the loop up for good. i try not to reopen the loop at all, unless of course i have to during the purge process. even then i always clean the filler portion of my res before opening it (canned air ftw). my loops today stay chrystal clear for years (going on 2 1/2 currently) with only a minor fill/refill process once a year. in the past, my loops would cloud up with in a few months. just sayin...keep your shit clean from the git. use proven fluids. mix them properly and you should be a happy wcing fool for years to come (like me, emphasis on the fool) haha.

Been running silver coil and distilled water for 8+ years and water is crystal clear. I clean loop annually. No corrosion issue with my copper, brass, nickel components

I havent wanted to say this because it is contentious but I'd like some ideas why ...

I've been running a loop for close to 14 years, since 2004, with a copper block and aluminium radiator "with no protection" and havent seen any electro migration.
The blocks were an Asetek Waterchill Antarctica from my AMD days and currently an Apogee XT Extreme bought in 2010 when I got an Intel Q9700 CPU -unreleased! (Pump has been the Eheim 1048 throughout and still works great)
The radiator is a 30cm x14cm car heater core from a Ford Sierra, its great.
Those are the only metal parts that have been in the loop.
Pipe is basic 1/2" ID clear tubing from the local hardware store. Filler is a T piece + marble to keep the flow rate up.
I have not seen and still cannot see any metal wear or deposits, the block was cleaned a couple of weeks ago to fix low flow.
This PC has been running 24/7 since around 2010.

Originally I used a spot of liquid dish soap as an algaecide.
When I fitted new tubes in 2014 I decided to see what would happen without an algaecide as there was a coating on the inside of the tubes, which was why I replaced them.
I guessed the liquid soap (I added a drop once per year) was responsible for the build up.
Water used has been either de-ionised from a shop or water passed through my RO filter.
Since then, with no algaecide, the tubes have remained clear. I intended to use a kill coil but no need so far.
My PC is located at the opposite end of the room from the window, the walls are wood and dont reflect much light so this explains no growths, fyi.
The above stated for full disclosure.

So there it is.
I expected electro migration and still think it should happen.
I imagine the lowish flow rate has aided the non destruction.
But surely there should be some when it is running 24/7 for 8+ years and has only seen one water change in that period?

Nenu said:

I havent wanted to say this because it is contentious but I'd like some ideas why ...

I've been running a loop for close to 14 years, since 2004, with a copper block and aluminium radiator "with no protection" and havent seen any electro migration.
The blocks were an Asetek Waterchill Antarctica from my AMD days and currently an Apogee XT Extreme bought in 2010 when I got an Intel Q9700 CPU -unreleased! (Pump has been the Eheim 1048 throughout and still works great)
The radiator is a 30cm x14cm car heater core from a Ford Sierra, its great.
Those are the only metal parts that have been in the loop.
Pipe is basic 1/2" ID clear tubing from the local hardware store. Filler is a T piece + marble to keep the flow rate up.
I have not seen and still cannot see any metal wear or deposits, the block was cleaned a couple of weeks ago to fix low flow.
This PC has been running 24/7 since around 2010.

Originally I used a spot of liquid dish soap as an algaecide.
When I fitted new tubes in 2014 I decided to see what would happen without an algaecide as there was a coating on the inside of the tubes, which was why I replaced them.
I guessed the liquid soap (I added a drop once per year) was responsible for the build up.
Water used has been either de-ionised from a shop or water passed through my RO filter.
Since then, with no algaecide, the tubes have remained clear. I intended to use a kill coil but no need so far.
My PC is located at the opposite end of the room from the window, the walls are wood and dont reflect much light so this explains no growths, fyi.
The above stated for full disclosure.

So there it is.
I expected electro migration and still think it should happen.
I imagine the lowish flow rate has aided the non destruction.
But surely there should be some when it is running 24/7 for 8+ years and has only seen one water change in that period?

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It's a miracle! I can't explain this

Silver Kill coil is the best. More than 7 years of continuously running my water loop (which has an open vent) and no sign algae or seamonkeys

I use a Monsoon Antimicrobial Silver Bullet Plug. Screws right into my reservoir.