Cleaning inside of Radiator

magda

magda

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I'm cleaning my watercooling loop after 7 years of continuous work.
All my loop is copper (to minimize galvanic corrosion) except for some fittings that are nickel plated,

When I removed all the hoses there is some corrosion, so I reckon the inside of the my radiator (RX480 XSPC radiator) has also crap inside that will act as an insulator.

Have any of you try to clean the inside of a radiator before? Perhaps using car radiator flush liquid, like this: https://www.amazon.com/Prestone-AS107-Super-Radiator-Flush/dp/B000BPSVWI

For car radiators that is pretty straight forward, but not sure about pc watercooling rads.
 
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yeah that automotive stuff is for removing rust (iron oxide) which can end up in the rad from iron engine blocks and water pumps - you don't really use it with all-alu engines and water pumps.

I would suggest getting yourself a bottle of Pepsi or Coke, fill your rad with that & let it set for a day or two. Anyone that has cleaned pennies with coke will know how well that works. After that give it a good flush out with tap water followed by distilled to leave the insides pristine.
 
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Why not try a product designed specifically for cleaning PC watercooling radiators? Mayhem's Blitz Kit has worked wonders for me, and the "pro" kit includes both a strong acid part for your rads and a detergent part for your assembled loop.

I know coke cleans pennies, but man oh man would I be paranoid about growth after putting that much sugar in my loop - I don't think I could rinse it enough to be comfortable with it.
 
+1 for the blitz kits. You will be surprised how much stuff comes out. I started doing it to my loops before I assemble them.
 
clr works wonders for cleaning rads. ive been using it in all of my rads including a rx360 for years. fill your rad with clr. let it stand for 5-10 minutes. drain the clr and resulting gunk out into a clear bowl so you can show off the nasties. flush the rad with tap water several times until the clr is completely cleaned out(no more bubbles). fill with distilled. shake it up a bit. drain and your ready to reinstall into your loop. if you can see inside the ports youll see nice shiny copper again. if your going to shelve the rad make sure to drain all of the water out.
 
Unfortunely I can't get that Blitz Kit where I am located, so I'm just gonna use high purity phosphoric acid. This is gonna be fun!! :woot:
 
celwin said:
Which one exactly? CLR makes different variants. Example, they have a metal cleaner. I need a link to exact CLR product
Click to expand...
CLR is safe on all PVC as well as copper plumbing

CLR_28oz-2.png
 
I will look for CLR then. I will post pics if I get the phosphoric acid (y)
 
Ok, I ended up using phosphoric acid at 10%. I bought one liter of the stuff at 85%, pretty cheap
Then let it sit for 5 hours in the radiator, and rinse.

Before pics

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And after shots

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20190126_135911.jpg


Just like magic.
Now to clean the outside of the rad and to install it
 
how do you guys clean fittings? I have some bits power 90 degree deals but they are both stuck and won't rotate so they are useless. Trying to prepare for my eventual rebuild next month.


I may just end up switching to all new compression fittings but just in case I would like to clean all my barbs (yes I still use barbs) and what not.
 
Bigbacon said:
how do you guys clean fittings? I have some bits power 90 degree deals but they are both stuck and won't rotate so they are useless. Trying to prepare for my eventual rebuild next month.


I may just end up switching to all new compression fittings but just in case I would like to clean all my barbs (yes I still use barbs) and what not.
Click to expand...

I also cleaned my barb fittings as well with the phosphoric acid.
You can do the same with the cleaners listed in this thread, they should work fine.
 
Bigbacon said:
how do you guys clean fittings? I have some bits power 90 degree deals but they are both stuck and won't rotate so they are useless. Trying to prepare for my eventual rebuild next month.


I may just end up switching to all new compression fittings but just in case I would like to clean all my barbs (yes I still use barbs) and what not.
Click to expand...
If those are locked up, I would suggest throwing them away. Very likely that forcing them to turn will tear up the O-ring in there. That said, maybe soaking them in something like CLR might loosen those up. Worth a try.
 
Yeah, locked up rotary fittings mean there’s a build up inside the rotation mechanism. Fixing that may very well result in slow (or even catastrophic) leaks.

Use vinegar for radiators, ketchup (seriously) on the inside of your blocks (let it sit awhile)

And change out swivel fittings. All of mine have eventually failed.

It seems the phosphoric acid has pulled out some copper from the radiator surfaces, all that green crystallized patina... be careful, it may have made the radiator more brittle.
 
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