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Algae in my loop!

I

invalidbuffalo

Limp Gawd
Joined
Apr 19, 2007
Messages
419
About a week ago I noticed some algae in my reservoir above the water line. When I set the loop up I used only distilled water and used three drops of PT nuke (maybe not enough?). In response I added 10 drops of the biocide to the water and things seem to be clearing up but what else do I need to do to get rid of the algae? Fortunately it's not severe...
 
I would drain the loop, get some new water, and clean everything with alcohol, then flush it with boiling water. I wouldn't want dead algae gumming up everything. You shouldn't need that much PT Nuke, unless you have a giant res. You might want to put some UV lights in your case, as they kill algae, but you can live without them.
 
invalidbuffalo said:
Are you sure using alcohol is a good idea?
Click to expand...

DO NOT GET ANY ALCOHOL OR KETONE PRODUCT ON PLASTIC.

If you're using alcohol, dilute it substantially first. I'd recommend bleach.

Thank you :)

And UV lights won't do much... They're just "near fluorescent" lights, not actual germicidal lamps... They'd have to be a deep gray if they were germicidal lamps.
 
HotGore said:
You might want to put some UV lights in your case, as they kill algae, but you can live without them.
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The UV lights you are referring to are long wave UV lights. Long waves look pretty, but don't do a dang thing to living organisms (algae).

If you used DW then your system was already contaminated before you filled it. Did you use regular house water or spit to get the tubes on the barbs?
 
I use some of those algae eating pills or liquid. You can get them at walgreens or any pet store... I just put a few drops into the line. A coolant solution will help a bit as well, but the anti-algae solution is best after it's all cleaned up.
 
I see some particals also in my loop. I use distilled water + 50/50 anti freeze with a ratio os 95:5.

I drained the loop , but did not flushed the radiators, but cleaned the pump + cpu block + reservoir with tap water. But after reinstalling everything i see them again in the loop. I don;t want to take every thing off again. How can i get rid of them ?
 
annaconda said:
I see some particals also in my loop. I use distilled water + 50/50 anti freeze with a ratio os 95:5.

I drained the loop , but did not flushed the radiators, but cleaned the pump + cpu block + reservoir with tap water. But after reinstalling everything i see them again in the loop. I don;t want to take every thing off again. How can i get rid of them ?
Click to expand...
[bold added by me, tap water could quite easily have brought fresh nasties into your loop]

Sounds like you still have something in your loop, and if you have a 95:5 distilled water:50-50 antifreeze mixture, that's only 2.5% antifreeze (not to mention 2.5% non-distilled water, but that should be negligible). I want to say that should still prevent growth from forming, but if that's algae and not crap in your radiators (which would require flushing), you need to add some real biocide or greatly increase your water:50-50 ratio, to the tune of 80:20 at least. I'd recommend some algicide drops (available at most pet stores). My AlgaeFix states 1 teaspoon can kill algae in 50 gallons of water, and 1 teaspoon in 1 liter of distilled water has always worked fine for me.
 
annaconda said:
I see some particals also in my loop. I use distilled water + 50/50 anti freeze with a ratio os 95:5.

I drained the loop , but did not flushed the radiators, but cleaned the pump + cpu block + reservoir with tap water.
Click to expand...


You need to flush the radiators...those things are going to store a ton of crap...take them to a local radiator shop and heve them flushed. Shops around here don't bother charging for it so you could get lucky.

As for all the suggestions on cleaning products...vinegar would probably work a little safer than bleach and for sure better than alcohol (which turns plastic into gooey messes).
 
I went to local petsmart store, they said they don;t have any thing that will kill all the life forms in the water. For the algae they have algae prevent liquid, which will prevent algae to grow, but not to kill if it is in the water.

So what should i get ? about flushing radiators i think i can do it @ home, by running loop with fresh water coming in from one gallon of distilled water and flushed water too another container. Or flush them with HOT tap water, and shake them. What would you guys suggest ?
 
annaconda said:
I went to local petsmart store, they said they don;t have any thing that will kill all the life forms in the water. For the algae they have algae prevent liquid, which will prevent algae to grow, but not to kill if it is in the water.

So what should i get ? about flushing radiators i think i can do it @ home, by running loop with fresh water coming in from one gallon of distilled water and flushed water too another container. Or flush them with HOT tap water, and shake them. What would you guys suggest ?
Click to expand...

I went to petsmart to get mine. And it's called "No More Algae" - it eats away whatever is in there. Remember, its probably a retail store and they don't get a rats ass about their job or rarely do they make effort to find it. Do some digging around in the aquatics area and you should be able to find some.
 
DO NOT GET ANY ALCOHOL OR KETONE PRODUCT ON PLASTIC.
Click to expand...

OMG !!! I will empty that 1/2gal plastic bottle of rum as quickly as I can !!!!


What kind of cheap ass plastic do you people use for hoses jeeez.

hurrrmp and why then is 10% antifreeze recommended in mixed metal situations it IS an alcohol btw. Not that wiki is the last word on anything but I think this is fairly accurate.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethylene_glycol

Bleach is good too for hoses, it will trun copper black as tar in an instant so rinse well.


I use the sweat of Vestal Virgins never had an issue.
 
Arcygenical said:
DO NOT GET ANY ALCOHOL OR KETONE PRODUCT ON PLASTIC.

If you're using alcohol, dilute it substantially first. I'd recommend bleach.

Thank you :)

And UV lights won't do much... They're just "near fluorescent" lights, not actual germicidal lamps... They'd have to be a deep gray if they were germicidal lamps.
Click to expand...

Bleach is a great idea.

There's nothing wrong using alcohol with plastic. It comes in plastic bottles, and Lucite is unaffected by alcohol.

Don't bother with fish tank stuff. That stuff is special because it's compatible with fish life. You want the good stuff that will kill everything in there. A teaspoon or two of Clorox will go a long way.
 
As far as i've seen alcohol wont effect any of the components in a loop, people use it in chilled setups all the time.

Only thing i could say it might is lucite or acrylic blocks, as I've never seen high alcohol concentration used with those.
 
kumquat said:
There's nothing wrong using alcohol with plastic. It comes in plastic bottles, and Lucite is unaffected by alcohol.
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Are you kidding me?

http://www.lucitel.com/docs/Lucite CP CPX L Architectural Glazing Bulletin.pdf

Lucite®acrylic sheet is unaffected by
a wide variety of chemicals and cleaning
agents, including diluted solutions of acids
and alkalies, petroleum oils, aliphatic
hydrocarbons and dilute alcohols.
However, gasoline, chlorinated solvents,
acetone, or denatured alcohol should never
be used to clean panes of Lucite®acrylic
sheet, as these solvents tend to soften the
uncoated surface of acrylic and may
cause crazing.
Click to expand...

Crazing, the development of thousands of minicracks will spell DOOM for a waterblock. I lost a TDX to this.

Iso. alcohol at a 10% concentration only scores a "F" in the chemical tests for lucite. The concentration required in a water-loop to kill algae is around 15-20%. Any polar solvant will haze and crack most plastics.

UHMWPE Polyethelyne is the plastic used to ship chemicals. It's one of the only plastics that's capable of resisting polar solvants and alcohols.
 
kumquat said:
Bleach is a great idea.

There's nothing wrong using alcohol with plastic. It comes in plastic bottles, and Lucite is unaffected by alcohol.
Click to expand...

Reservoirs are made of acryllic and almost every single reputable manufacturer will tell you that cracks are inevitable when using alcohol on them. DON"T DO IT or you will be posting pics of your cracked plastic...
 
waterlogged said:
Reservoirs are made of acryllic and almost every single reputable manufacturer will tell you that cracks are inevitable when using alcohol on them. DON"T DO IT or you will be posting pics of your cracked plastic...
Click to expand...

Like I did of my cracked TDX :p
 
waterlogged said:
Chilled setups don't usually have any plastic in them.
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Which is why I said what I did about lucite and acrylic in blocks.

Pumps are plastic, I've seen plastic barbs used as well.

Cold is what is usually the deterrent for plastic fittings, never heard much about alcohol with anything except lucite & acrylic.
 
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