Blowing out a Loop with A Datavac?

[Zarathustra[H]]

So, It appears I may have cross contaminated my loop resulting in it being cloudy (as discussed in this thread)

I think what happened was when I flushed it with Sysprep, and later drained it, I didn't completely empty the loop. Some fluid was stuck in there somewhere. Then the same thing happened when I flushed it with distilled water to get any sysprep residue out, once draining it there was still fluid inside.

Somewhere in one of my threads in this forum someone recommended blowing out a loop with a DataVac blower.

This seems like it might be pretty damned effective. Those are pretty powerful. But is it safe?

The manual for my EK full cover block - for instance - says not to flush it with tap pressure water as it may cause damage and result in leakage. If tap pressure can be a problem, would blowing with a Datavac also be one?

I would - of course - be blowing in one end, with another end open, so I would just be blowing through, but I'm still concerned when it comes to the temporary pressure buildup in the loop.

Appreciate any thoughts!

--Matt

 

[Nimisys]

keep in mind air is compressable, water is not.

that being said blowing air through won't be super effective at removing all the liquid. It'll get the stuff in the larger passages, but not so well in the small passages. If you really really want to get all the liquid out, you need to boil it out, which means applying and holding a vacuum to the system. Not sure how well some.of the components would hold up to that

 

[Bandalo]

I agree, you're not going to get all the fluid out by blowing air with a DataVac. You'll get some, but still have residue.

If you're not willing to disassemble the loop, your best bet is just multiple flushes with DI water. It's a PITA, but just fill it up with DI, run it for 5-10 minutes, then drain and repeat. 3-4 flushes should get rid of anything significant.

 

[Arcygenical]

You're being so careful. It's cute!

Seriously. I've done everything possible to ignore manufacturer advice, and using logic, trust and working knowledge of liquids - nothing has ever gone wrong in my loops.

Tap water in most jurisdictions is around 60psi. 60psi, hydraulically, is a fucking lot of work potential. Air, due to density, is a fraction of the total power in a similar system. I don't believe blowing your lines will cause any issues.

But realistically, I don't think sysprep, or any other factor is causing your clouding. It's plastic leech. Hook your damn loop up to the tap. Run the water for around 20m, rinse with distilled, and re-fill.

Or, circulate white vinegar for about a day. Take the res, or any other clear plastic part out of the loop, and run straight vinegar for a day. Acetic acid will pit plastic, but metals have no issues within 24 hours. Then, drain, rinse with tap water, then RO water, and re-fill.

And you know how I feel about coolants. Perhaps there's no larger issue, and the coolant is just taking a dive on you.

But we're arguing aesthetics here. Don't worry unless you see a sharp increase in temperatures, which you won't.

 

[Zarathustra[H]]

But we're arguing aesthetics here. Don't worry unless you see a sharp increase in temperatures, which you won't.

Hmm. I was concerned I might be in for gunk buildup over time, which is why I wanted to proactively target it early.

Is something like this really purely cosmetic?s

 

[thesmokingman]

I use my datavac to do this when I empty the rads. It works damn well.

 

[Activate: AMD]

I have a line with a funnel that I use to fill my loop. I can also just blow into it to blow all the water out if I really need too.