Cleaning New Components

[Zarathustra[H]]

Hey all,

After some research on this subject, I just cleaned the first of my two radiators (an Alphacool Monsta 280).

I did it by boiling distilled water in a kettle, pouring it in to the radiator, letting it sit for a few seconds, then pouring some out, shaking, pouring some more out, shaking some more, and repeating until it was empty.

I poured the water out through a coffee filter, and then reheated the same process 10 times.

Results:

Only one little fragment came out of the radiator, and I don't think it's flux.



I actually don't think it's from the inside of the radiator at all. I think it's a little black paint coming off from the threads in the port.




I also cleaned my Alphacool XT45 420mm, and it too was very clean. In this one we can see some tiny flux fragments, but nothing like some other users have posted from other brands.



No paint chipping from the port threads on the XT45 though.


My conclusion is that the inside of these Alphacool radiators must be very clean from the factory, but I am a little concerned about the paint coming off around the port. I'm guessing the threads weren't supposed to have any paint on them, and some inadvertently got in there, and now it's coming off. Either way, it shouldn't be an issue though, because once my fittings go on there, it should be covered, and none should wind up in the loop. I'm also not concerned about leaks around the ports, because the fittings have rubber seals.

I'd appreciate any input though.

How about the rest of my parts? Do I really need to clean the blocks? They look pretty good. Should I rinse out the inside of the tubing just in case? Appreciate any input.

--Matt

 

[Deleted member 278999]

I thought that alcohol was the way to go?

 

[primetime]

had no idea people spent a lot of time cleaning brand new stuff

 

[Zarathustra[H]]

had no idea people spent a lot of time cleaning brand new stuff

I've done a lot of research, and my understanding is that at least with radiators it's very important to clean them out before use. Brands differ and there are batch-to-batch differences, but Alphacool seems to be pretty clean thus far, but many radiators come from the factory with flux and other gunk still stuck inside. If you don't clean them first it can loosen in your loop and kill your pump.

Blocks seem like much less of a big deal, but it's probably not a bad idea to open them up and wipe them with alcohol before use.

 

[primetime]

wouldnt take much to kill a pump right? i see your point......and down time sucks!

 

[Zarathustra[H]]

Updated OP with the cleaning of my second radiator.

Really does look like Alphacool radiators are quite clean when new, compared to many other testimonials on here where huge chunks of flux have come out.