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Water Coolant needs to be changed

O

onlyonetango

n00b
Joined
Nov 22, 2010
Messages
3
Hi All,

Pretty much a "noob" in the water cooling department. Have had my Aqaugate Max now for just over two years. It is time for me to replace my coolant in the system and I was hoping that I would be able to get some pointers from the Pros :D

From what I have picked up here on this forum is the following - please feel free to add to the list as I go if I have left something out....

1. Remove system (radiator, tank and water block) from my PC.
2. Remove the old coolant from the system
3. Rinse and clean all components of the system with distilled water/vinegar. (Do I need to open the water block to clean inside??)
4. Put the system back into the PC
5. Add the new coolant to the system and check for bubbles. Refill with coolant till the system is running normally without any bubbles.

Sounds all too simple. Anyone want to add to the list of what I need to do??

I have noticed a slight discoloration of the liquid/coolant. It is now a more darker green than what it was in the beginning. Is this normal?? :( Should I be adding anything else to the liquid to stop this from happening again?? I am also not able to get any Cooler Master coolant here in Johannesburg (South Africa) - only the Thermaltake Coolant is available. I suppose it wouldn't matter if I use that?? :confused:

Looking forward to your advice chaps - and thanks in advance. ;)
 
Yes, you should open up your block clean inside. To clean your loop is already a lot of work, don't mind clean it more.

Sounds like algae growing inside your loop if the coolant color grew darker green, I suggest you get PT Nuke or Silver Coil as a protection on algae. However, for coolant you should use distill water not any color dye.
 
i would drain the coolant before dismantling everything, though if you are careful your way should work. and theres no reason to use any special coolant. distilled water is better, and much cheaper and easier to find. some coolants are not color-stable and can change color over time and UV exposure. either that happened, or you got some algea growing in there. distilled water is not necessary for cleaning, only to refill the loop. the better you clean everything now, the less chance of growing something in the loop later.
 
The brand of coolant doens't really matter because they are all really the same thing. water plus their "proprietary mix." so your pretty much paying a premium price for water with glycol additives. which is really just diluted anti-freeze.

Darker colored liquids are bad because they can mask the growing of algae. if you think there is algae in your system just make sure you clean it out really well.
 
Thanks for the replies so far.....

I originally used the Cooler Master coolant that came with my Aquagate Max system. Unfortunately that was green to start off with. There has definitely been a change in color of the "green" liquid though.
Should I be changing the coolant more often?? If I remember from the manual they said every two years. Maybe this is the problem of the algae growth??
Would a pure glycol mix work better than a diluted mix (with distilled water)??

Working in the transmitter environment I am able to get my hands on some "coolant" that we use in our R&S water cooled High Power transmitters. As far as I know that coolant is not diluted and used as is in the pump frames.
 
Most "coolants" are just plain old diluted automotive antifreeze....ethylene glycol.....if you insist on using a coolant buy a gallon at your automotive store and use it.

I'd recommend plain old distilled water and silver coil. Works just fine.

Yup. Take the loop apart and dismantle the blocks and give them a good soak in boiling water and vinegar or dilute chlorine bleach....scrub residue with a toothbrush.

Rinse everything out with very hot water.

Change out the tubing for new.
 
On the Aquagate systems i'd go with a premix fluid over distilled, as If I remember right there is aluminum in those systems. You will need to find something like the original Coolermaster fluid that has something to prevent corosion in it. If you cant get your hands on the original fluid try Koolance as they have had pretty good sucess with Mixed metal syetems, otherwise the thermaltake stuff should be ok as well.
 
MrGoat said:
On the Aquagate systems i'd go with a premix fluid over distilled, as If I remember right there is aluminum in those systems. You will need to find something like the original Coolermaster fluid that has something to prevent corosion in it. If you cant get your hands on the original fluid try Koolance as they have had pretty good sucess with Mixed metal syetems, otherwise the thermaltake stuff should be ok as well.
Click to expand...

I was not able to get an Coolermaster coolant here in South Africa - I was able to get some Zalman coolant (Zalman ZM-G200 Anti-Corrosion Coolant) - This was a little cheaper than the Thermaltake equivalent. I believe it has anti corrosive products in it. Will report on my findings....... :)
 
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