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Algae?

Etherton

Etherton

Will Bang for Poof
Joined
Aug 7, 2006
Messages
6,996
Getting ready to leave out on vacation and will be gone a little over a week. I read somewhere that if a system is left off that long algae could start growing. Is that true or did I misunderstand? Current loop contains nothing but distilled water and 2 silver plugs in the res. This is my first water build.

p607827385-4.jpg
 
It depends on how well you kept your starting materials clean.

Algae doesn't come from nowhere. But if it is present it will multiply.
 
I can tell you how to prevent that :2-3 drops of bleach.
+4-6 drops of white distilled vinegar to counteract the basicness of the bleach :)
I run an open loop that has no algae in it :D
 
I run distilled with a few drops of (Forget the name) computer (EK?) antifreeze. Decently clean parts and supermarket distilled = no algae. If you don't have sunlight hitting the water you will never grow plants. ;)
 
I use a drop of dishwashing liquid to prevent algae.
Never had any in the 4 years I've had this loop running.
It also acts as a water wetter to give a better metal/water contact.

Algae cannot grow without light, so while you are away, cover the bare tubes.
 
You don't need to do anything.
Your silver ions will protect the system.
Just run it a bit before you leave for vacation.

One of my systems sits idle for weeks at a time, distilled and silver......never had a problem.:D
 
Nenu said:
I use a drop of dishwashing liquid to prevent algae.
Never had any in the 4 years I've had this loop running.
It also acts as a water wetter to give a better metal/water contact.

Algae cannot grow without light, so while you are away, cover the bare tubes.
Click to expand...

Dishwashing liquid is a horrible thing to add to a loop. Not only is it not really a biocide, it also is detrimental to the cooling performance. You are lucky you added such a small amount.
 
Erasmus354 said:
Dishwashing liquid is a horrible thing to add to a loop. Not only is it not really a biocide, it also is detrimental to the cooling performance. You are lucky you added such a small amount.
Click to expand...
It works great.
Care to explain?
 
It only foams at the water/air surface if there is enough water turbulence, and only if you use too much.
Perhaps its a concern for you because you have air in your block? Its not the way I run my setup lol.

It isnt 'luck' that I use one or 2 drops per year :p
There is no need for more.
I use clear 1/2" ID tubing and havent had any algae or foaming in over 4 years this loop has been running.

It is a water wetter, promoting better water/metal contact.
 
Nenu said:
It only foams at the water/air surface if there is enough water turbulence, and only if you use too much.
Perhaps its a concern for you because you have air in your block? Its not the way I run my setup lol.

It isnt 'luck' that I use one or 2 drops per year :p
There is no need for more.
I use clear 1/2" ID tubing and havent had any algae or foaming in over 4 years this loop has been running.

It is a water wetter, promoting better water/metal contact.
Click to expand...

Nope, it lowers the performance of the water. Wetting doesn't matter in a closed loop water cooling system because you aren't dealing with laminar flow, you have highly turbulent flow. Also computer systems don't get nearly as hot as automobile systems, so some of the advantages of Redline WaterWetter (what lots of people get their information from) such as reducing vapor bubbles isn't a concern.

I don't run any additives, just straight distilled water in a clean system with no mixed metals. I change the water occasionally and don't have any algae issues.
 
At worst the performance will be the same (or negligible difference), at best it helps a little.
The flow through the block isnt laminar but the flow through the radiator will have an element of this.
That isnt the reason I use it anyway.

Over 4 years ago I put this loop into use for the second time with a new water block (Apogee XT).
Up until a couple of months ago, I hadnt done a single water change in that time, I only topped up with water passed through a reverse osmosis unit and each year added a drop or 2 of dishwashing liquid as a biocide.
I only changed the water because the block eventually needed a clean, it did damn well to last 4 years, especially as it has an extremely fine finned cooling element and I use a relatively slow pump (Eheim 1048)

Prior to this I used the exact same pipes, pump and radiator with an Asetek water block using distilled water for about 2 years.
Every 6 months or a bit less I had to clean the system due to green algae build up.
The differences are the water block, the use of reverse osmosis water (now) vs distilled and the drop of dishwashing liquid.

More nutrients remain in the water with reverse osmosis compared to distilled, so that cant be the reason for the earlier algae
The water block will have no effect on algae.
That leaves one other element which could be responsible for the prevention of algae, the dishwashing liquid.
It was an experiment that worked.

I agree that phosphate build up in the environment from cleaning fluids is a cause of algae, but the amount of phosphate introduced into my loop by a drop or 2 per year is clearly not significant.
 
tap water (or distilled water)+ 2 drops of copper sulfate biocide solution, that is martins liquid lab recipe.
silver coil is OK.
all copper loop is perfect. copper tubing/blocks + brass fittings is OK.

all the rest is unnecessary, degrades thermal performance or is downright risky. sometimes less is better; no practical liquid beats pure water in cooling performance and that remains true for the so called "water additives".
 
Distilled/RO/DI water and either a silver kill coil or copper sulfate.

Nothing else helps or belongs in the loop. Spend all the money you want filling your loops with $20 bottles of magic goo or random household tidbits, it won't make a bit of difference and you'll likely damage or corrode your equipment. A $2 bottle of generic distilled water and 3 drops of copper sulfate solution kept my loop going for 4 years until I took it down for an upgrade. Can't top that value.

On a related note: Most tubings break down over time and can eventually clog your blocks. Several types of Tygon tubing will avoid this problem altogether. It's costly, but it doesn't seem to ablate, degrade, or become brittle like everything else.
 
masterkleer tubing definitely breaks down, I switched to Primochill Advanced LRT and it was as clear as the day i installed it after draining the loop 6 months later

I use rigid acrylic now though, so I don't need to worry about plasticizer but I highly recommend the primochill ALRT
 
Back from vacation and clear as a bell (never understood the meaning of that term...lol). Thanks for all the replies - some really great advice in this thread.

Also I am running PrimoFlex Advanced LRT tubing. Any risk of eventual breakdown? Thanks!
 
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