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Safe Waters

C

cwilhelm

Weaksauce
Joined
Mar 15, 2007
Messages
89
What store bought waters will be safe to put in my system? I remember reading something was... distilled? Diluted? ...Smart Water? There's something out there... my blocks are copper if that makes a differece. Don't think it does.
 
use distilled water from any grocery store. its $1.19/gallon at the safeway near my house, so it isnt gonna break the bank. especially since your loop will probably only use about 1/6 of that. and you should add something to it as an antibacterial. the distilled water wont corrode anything, but you can get algae growing in there. PT_Nuke is good for straight distilled water, but if youre adding other stuff like dyes and whatnot, use this one. at least i think thats how it works. personally i think silver like these kill coils is better because it does an excellent job, is easier to use (dont have to mix the correctly proportioned solution) and it wont cloud up your tubing over time like PT_Nuke. the silver is a little more expensive though.
 
ooh, that i have no idea. you can ask, but i dont think id trust them to not be corrosive or anything that might be bad for your loop. id say just get either the nuke or the silver from petras now and it should be there in about a week. unfortunately its a holiday weekend or you could have it like 3 days later. in the meantime you can run it with just distilled water. a few days or a week should be just fine. just make sure not to do that for more than about 2 weeks or stuff will start to grow in there.
 
Does it hurt to mix waters? I've already got some Fluid XP in there. If I add something different, will it make a difference? Found some Thermaltake coolant at a shop nearby that I can pick up.
 
i have no idea. i would suggest not mixing stuff. you never know how theyre going to react to each other. whats the tt coolant? its probably junk.
 
What makes you say that? Thermaltake is a respectable brand in my opinion. You disagree apparently?
 
So how about a mix, 95/5% distilled water and antifreeze, the anti-bacterial you recommended and dye. Safe? Suggestions?
 
If you want color in the water, what is the best/cheap option? food coloring?
 
you should really have read the faq before posting anything in this forum. except:

Q: What is the best fluid to use ?

A: The best fluid we can use in a loop is pure distilled water with nothing else added. Pure distilled/deionized water have the best thermal properties of any fluid while not having anything which can cause issues (precipitates, dye staining, chemical reaction or acidity/alkalinity). For those who wanted to keep distilled water for more than 1 month should consider adding 1 or 2 drops of a biocide (copper sulfate like PT Nuke) to stop the growth of algae. If you need to add color, use a dye sparingly or use colored tubing to avoid using a dye.

There is pre-mixed fluids available in the market so it's tempting to buy them for the "cool" or no hassle factor. They often have the "non-conductive" marking on the bottle but don't get duped by this because no fluid is non-conductive, even plain distilled water (even if a fluid or distilled water is deemed non-conductive, it will become conductive over time due to the migration of metal ions in the water). It's also expensive and sometime poisonous.

About the anticorrosion additives like Pentosin G11, if you setup the loop correctly with the right parts, there is no corrosion risk (as outlined in the next Q/A about corrosion) so you don't need to add them. The only reason is mostly for color and less risk of biological growth if you keep it over a few months without flushing. In case you insist to use some aluminium parts, it's required to add them to mitigate the corrosion effects or you can risk voiding the warranty.

you should head over there and read the rest now. heres the link. same for bacon. if you still have any questions after that feel free to ask.

bacon, for dye you can add some food coloring. just a drop, let it disperse. if its not colored enough, add another drop, let it disperse. keep going until you get the color you want with the minimum amount of dye possible. dyes will leave a nasty residue on your blocks so if you use them open up and clean out your blocks when you change the fluid in your system.
 
ok then im not sure. i think its a small enough that it shouldnt be very noticeable since its not a very strong color.

im gonna go ahead and suggest that if you guys want the tubes colored, buy colored tubing. ive seen the inside of blocks where the user was using dye, and the gunk it leaves is horrible.
 
So it's no more beneficial to use an antifreeze/distilled water mix compared to pure distilled water?
 
its a good idea to use some antifreeze if you have aluminum in your loop. most blocks now are made of copper as the only metal, and acetal or some other plastic for the top. for these blocks antifreeze is not needed. if you have aluminum in your loop, get rid of it and get a quality copper block.
 
again no idea. i assume algae will not like it too much, but it is not meant for the purpose. PT_Nuke costs like 5 bucks shipped, silver coils about $10. neither one changes the color of the loop or has any other drawbacks. just get one. :) also antifreeze makes the fluid this nasty fluorescent green. if that fits with your color scheme then great, but typically its pretty bad. id just go with distilled and a silver coil.
 
lollerskater69 said:
can you use anto freeze as biocide?
Click to expand...

Yes, it is what its made for. The best auto make I have found is the VW/Audi G11 or G12... and I would say the G12 is better if you have Aluminum. G11 is blue, G12 is red. Dont mix them together or with others... they can react. Zerex is the 'classic green' stuff... not as good. Avoid that GM stuff (forget what its called but it eats away at some seals and gaskets... so I wouldnt trust the hose and o-rings with it).
 
I have a T-line directly up to the top of my case with a fillport reservoir at the top. Will putting the silver coils in the T-line be effective? Or will I need to drain my loop and place it somewhere in the middle of the loop?
 
ekuest said:
again no idea. i assume algae will not like it too much, but it is not meant for the purpose. PT_Nuke costs like 5 bucks shipped, silver coils about $10. neither one changes the color of the loop or has any other drawbacks. just get one. :) also antifreeze makes the fluid this nasty fluorescent green. if that fits with your color scheme then great, but typically its pretty bad. id just go with distilled and a silver coil.
Click to expand...

I kinda like the blue color Pentosin gives under UV.
 
cwilhelm said:
I have a T-line directly up to the top of my case with a fillport reservoir at the top. Will putting the silver coils in the T-line be effective? Or will I need to drain my loop and place it somewhere in the middle of the loop?
Click to expand...

while its true that all the water up in the t line should eventually circle out of it and through the rest off the loop, its more likely to be pretty stagmant up there so id recommend putting it in the actual loop.

Monkeypillow said:
I kinda like the blue color Pentosin gives under UV.
Click to expand...

hehe. maybe fluorescent blue is better than fluorescent green...
 
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