Modular Power Supply Corrosion

[finalsight416]

So my gaming machine unexpected shut off with a bang and a strong burnt smell. I took the entire thing apart, and have yet to find whatever blew up. In my search, I discovered a fair amount of corrosion inside the 24 pin connector on my silverstone power supply. Apparently some of the liquid from my setup was sitting in there for the last few months? I did have a custom reservoir that leaked when I first filled the system up, but I fixed the issue and assumed I cleaned everything up. Oh well.

Anyway, I was wondering if my power supply is safe to use like this, and if not, how can I clean that stuff out? I soaked the end of the 24pin cable in vinegar for 2 hours, which seemed to remove most of the blue/green fuzz. But I'm not about to pour vinegar into my power supply. 24 pin sockets are quite small, so q-tips aren't helping, and I'm afraid that if I put anything in the socket to get the corrosion out, I wont be able to clean that stuff out before I use the power supply again.

Silverstone's warranty has been voided since it blatantly states that it does not cover accidental spills, so should I try to open the power supply up? I've read this can be dangerous, and I'm no electrician.

Here are some pics to show what I'm talking about. ~ 10 pins are green and fuzzy.

http://imgur.com/ZF8O1.jpg
http://imgur.com/6UeCc.jpg
http://imgur.com/YOuUF.jpg

Thanks for any suggestions

 

[Crispy002]

Your power supply shorted and fried components inside of it in the process, hence the burnt smell. Most likely it's dead and beyond repair unless you have substantial soldering and electronics knowledge. Cleaning the connectors won't do anything to help that. However, you can try a psu tester or the paperclip test to find out if anything works at all just to be sure. The paperclip test is taking a paperclip bent into a U shape, putting one end in the green wire on the 24pin and the other end in any black wire. Flip the switch on the psu and the fan should spin up, if it doesn't, you're toast. Do be careful, doing things wrong would most certainly ruin the psu if it was somehow still operable.

Edit: That fluid would have had to still be liquid to short anything out, are you sure you didn't have a slow leak somewhere?

 

[finalsight416]

I'll check if the power supply powers up later today. The liquid I was using was a combination of PC Ice and antifreeze. It never dries. It's just kind of a greasy liquid that sits where it falls forever.

The PC Ice is supposed to be non-conductive, but I imagine that the antifreeze does conduct electricity. I would be kind of relieved if it turns out to be the power supply, at least then I would know what happened.

 

[Crispy002]

I'll check if the power supply powers up later today. The liquid I was using was a combination of PC Ice and antifreeze. It never dries. It's just kind of a greasy liquid that sits where it falls forever.

The PC Ice is supposed to be non-conductive, but I imagine that the antifreeze does conduct electricity. I would be kind of relieved if it turns out to be the power supply, at least then I would know what happened.

I'm fairly confident that ethylene glycol (anti-freeze) is non-conductive as well. However, the solution can gain moisture and contaminants over time that would make it conductive. Based on the pictures I think it's safe to say this is what happened.

As a side note, there's no benefit to using anti-freeze in your loop unless you're running a sub-zero loop. If you're running a normal watercooling setup, you're probably just shortening pump-life by throwing antifreeze into the mix.

 

[PanzeR-]

I'm fairly confident that ethylene glycol (anti-freeze) is non-conductive as well. However, the solution can gain moisture and contaminants over time that would make it conductive. Based on the pictures I think it's safe to say this is what happened.

As a side note, there's no benefit to using anti-freeze in your loop unless you're running a sub-zero loop. If you're running a normal watercooling setup, you're probably just shortening pump-life by throwing antifreeze into the mix.

Anti-freeze usually contain water...

 

[dandragonrage]

Water itself is non-conductive, but it usually contains minerals that are semiconductive.

You may just have a burnt socket or you may have parts inside burnt... Since you do not seem like you know much about electronics, I would probably suggest to not risk it. You can try it with an old system that you don't mind losing first if you have one of those.

 

[Woofer00]

Anti-freeze usually contain water...

Not pure anti-freeze. But anti-freeze + water is more efficient than anti-freeze or water alone. Without water, anti-freeze will freeze and will burn. That's why lots of places sell it 50/50 pre-mixed w/water.

 

[dandragonrage]

Water is more efficient than water+anti-freeze. Anti-freeze only exists to help prevent freezing, boiling, microorganism growth, etc. You need to go for refrigerant to be more efficient than water... in some cases.

 

[Crispy002]

Anti-freeze usually contain water...

Anti-freeze alone does not contain water unless bought premixed. However, it absorbs moisture from the air quite well.

And dandragonrage is correct, water transfers heat more efficiently than anti-freeze. Anti-freeze serves to raise the boiling point, lower the freezing point, and prevent things from growing in the solution. For a computer, a couple drops of biocide are more effective and better for the pump. The common chemicals inside are copper sulfate, benzalkonium chloride, or silver.