After 6 months with EK Cryofuel - Never again ?

[flinia]

This is exactly 6 months
EK Duraclear Soft Tubing
1 EK x360PE rad, 2x HW Labs rads a GTX140 and GTX280, EK Res 140 D5, EK Full nickel CPU/GPU block
5820k/2080ti

Crofuel Premixed Blood Red Coolant from EK

One thing to mention, i have 3 rads and not flushed them before i have put everything together, but, the residue looks like entirely formed from the coolant itself.

The GPU block gunk is very hard to remove, it is like a hard glue...jesus

Cooland became very, very dark red too

This is extreamly bad to me, what do you think ?

Also i must add that this is probably thie first time you guys see a Phanteks Enthoo Evolv with a extra 140 thick rad installed at the back of the case like this, i must admit it works just fine just this gunk ****** me a little...

 

[WesleyBurns]

Makes one concider AIO more these days?

 

[flinia]

I had H115i and it was OK together with a Noctua NHD15, did this more for fun really, but we're not expecting such a mess after only 6 months...

The question remains, is this pretty normal for 6 months?

 

[WesleyBurns]

I had a custom loop years ago and it was fine for years without changing the fluid.
Not sure why I am seeing more and more of these posts regarding corrosion?
That looks like an expensive end result.

 

[pastymuncher]

That is not normal at all. I wouldn't even expect that after two years let alone six months. The gunk in the cpu block could be plasticiser that has leeched from the tubing. Did you thoroughly flush the radiators out before using them? What I would do is thoroughly clean the blocks with a toothbrush (Cillit Bang Lime and Grime is excellent on the metal parts of blocks, use soapy water for the plastic parts). The radiators are probably gunked up as well so I would buy a Mayhems Blitz kit (full kit with parts 1&2) to clear them out. Follow the instructions to the letter. Bin the tubing and coolant and buy some of Mayhems excellent tubing and some Mayhems X1 in your preferred colour. I used to suffer from leeching and tried many different brands of tubing including Primochill's expensive LRT tubing and they all leeched plasticiser. I switched to Mayhems tubing when it came out and have been problem free for years.

 

[WesleyBurns]

If it was normal after 6 months, no one would do custom loops.

 

[3t3P]

Primo chill best tubing ive ever used. Have used xspc and ek so not that many types.
Not yet tried mayhem's, hear of it kinking at normal bend radii

 

[tyler_jrb]

Possibly high temps? Or just dodgy tube?

One reason I use clear coolant and zmt tube now. Tubing doesn’t leech anything into the loop. Nothing to split or gunk up coolant wise either.

I’ve had coolants split and block up my system before and sure it doesn’t look as nice as coloured fluid. But it’s a whole lot easier to maintain.

 

[flinia]

I do not get how tubing can be dodgy.

We are talking here about EK tubing that is designed to work in this environment, why would they make it so there is some plasticizer inside etc wtf? Ek states that after tubing produced after 2013 is safe to use...

This now costs £40 extra for fluid, cleaning supplies and liquid, plus about 10 hours of dismantling, flushing are reassembly.

If I'd knew this be such a can of worms I would stay with my NHD15 and gaming x trio 2080ti has enough of radiator on it to keep it relatively quiet and cool.... Sheeshh

And no, i have not cleaned the radiators before installing this, assumed it has to be clean out of the box, these are not cheap radiators...they should be clean from new and pre flushed

 

[LePhuronn]

why would they make it so there is some plasticizer inside etc wtf?

Because that's how tubing is made

And no, i have not cleaned the radiators before installing this, assumed it has to be clean out of the box, these are not cheap radiators...they should be clean from new and pre flushed

Then that's your problem right there. Radiators need extensive cleaning before use. Should that be the case? No. But that's just the way it is.

If you're going to invest hundreds of pounds to run water across thousands of pounds worth of electronics, it is naive (at the very least) to just "make assumptions". Did you assume anything else about your build, or did you research first? Why does this logic not apply then to the water cooling?

 

[WesleyBurns]

Any solder flux left in the rad would be acidic with some quick reading around.
https://www.lifewire.com/types-of-solder-flux-818849

 

[NoNameNoNumber]

Makes one concider AIO more these days?

No, it makes one 'concider' quality tubing, de-ionised water and a silver kill coil. 5+years on the same fluid here

 

[flinia]

Yes I must admit I was a little naive, tubing made so it F#&@£% up your loop as well as everything else not working out of the box, well, It did work but not over longer period of time and until I have decided to disassemble as I started to notice coolant started becoming darker and darker in color,plus the temps on the GPU stated rising a little.

First custom loop. Lesson learnt.

I will strip it out, bought the cleaning stuff with may hems clear tubing and just a clear mayhems x1 liquid.

 

[WesleyBurns]

What will you do with the corroded blocks etc They look a bit pitted? Surely those need replacing now they have corroded?

 

[flinia]

Blocks can be cleaned I guess, I have put some ACF50 onto it and let it sit, it will eat any rust if there is any but I think it is just gunk, can be cleaned...

 

[tyler_jrb]

I do not get how tubing can be dodgy.

We are talking here about EK tubing that is designed to work in this environment, why would they make it so there is some plasticizer inside etc wtf? Ek states that after tubing produced after 2013 is safe to use...

This now costs £40 extra for fluid, cleaning supplies and liquid, plus about 10 hours of dismantling, flushing are reassembly.

If I'd knew this be such a can of worms I would stay with my NHD15 and gaming x trio 2080ti has enough of radiator on it to keep it relatively quiet and cool.... Sheeshh

And no, i have not cleaned the radiators before installing this, assumed it has to be clean out of the box, these are not cheap radiators...they should be clean from new and pre flushed

It’s a problem with all clear tubing and it’s mainly down to how they are made and the constant flow of liquid throughout. They leech plasticiser over time. Usually it isn’t a lot though not enough to see what your loop has

No matter what clear tubing I’ve used it always goes slightly cloudy after a short period, hence why I just use the matte black zero maintenance, non leeching stuff.

In theory radiators should be ready to fit as they are but it’s always a good idea to clean them with a mild acid, such as a vinegar solution before installing as well as several flushes with distilled, as more often than not they still contain flux and in most cases small particles from manufacture.

In best case you want to leave the radiators full of the mayhems part 1 acid solution. Then flush them several times with water. Install everything cleaned and as new then run the entire system with the part 2. Then again flush with distilled.

After than check the PH of the water before filling with coolant to ensure everything is neutral and as it should be. I always check mine periodically to ensure it’s still within spec.

Custom loops can require a lot of maintenance. But once setup right they don’t. I haven’t touched mine in nearly 4 months now and it still looks the same as when I put it together.

 

[GilesGuthrie]

I'm interested in what's caused this. As I'm in the process of speccing my first loop, with tubing and coolant, I had made the relatively simplistic assumption that if one focussed on a single vendor as far as possible, the chance of something like this happening would be minimised. To my untrained eye, it looks like OP has fallen victim to a chemical incompatibility, but they have taken the single-vendor approach.

Could it really have been impurities in the radiator that caused this? Looks like I'm going to be boning up on "how to prep a loop" videos...

 

[flinia]

I'm interested in what's caused this. As I'm in the process of speccing my first loop, with tubing and coolant, I had made the relatively simplistic assumption that if one focussed on a single vendor as far as possible, the chance of something like this happening would be minimised. To my untrained eye, it looks like OP has fallen victim to a chemical incompatibility, but they have taken the single-vendor approach.

Could it really have been impurities in the radiator that caused this? Looks like I'm going to be boning up on "how to prep a loop" videos...

I have all EK stuff except of 2 radiators that are Hardware labs, the 280 and the 140GTX

Well see, extra tubes and cooland etc arriving soon, I better do it properly this time as flushing a 3 rqd system in my configuration is not a short task....

 

[pastymuncher]

Always, always, always flush the radiators out. I have had some awful stuff come out of new radiators and my HWLabs Black Ice Nemesis GTX280's were no exception. I must have flushed them with de-ionised water and distilled vinegar 8-10 times each before they ran clear. They then had 18 hours in a basic loop filled with a Mayhems part 2 mix with a filter after the rads which caught a little more debris.

 

[pastymuncher]

I'm interested in what's caused this. As I'm in the process of speccing my first loop, with tubing and coolant, I had made the relatively simplistic assumption that if one focussed on a single vendor as far as possible, the chance of something like this happening would be minimised. To my untrained eye, it looks like OP has fallen victim to a chemical incompatibility, but they have taken the single-vendor approach.

Could it really have been impurities in the radiator that caused this? Looks like I'm going to be boning up on "how to prep a loop" videos...

Yes, but going by the pictures of the fins in the blocks it also looks like leeching from the tubing as well to me, especially as he describes it as tough to remove and like glue because that's exactly what plasticiser is like. Sticking to a single brand won't make any difference.


Preparation is important when setting up a new loop. Thoroughly flush out the radiators, either with a Mayhems kit of go the cheap option and use de-ionised water with distilled vinegar which a lot of us use on here.

Choose your components very carefully. Reading some reviews, especially of radiators, will help a lot. Custom watercooling is very expensive so get it right the first time and it will last you many years.

Check the blocks over and make sure all the screws are tight.

Never, ever mix metals in the loop, especially aluminium as you could end up with galvanic corrosion and you really don't want that. Have a read of this.

Make sure the pump is seated in the pump top or res properly.

Use a recommended brand of tubing, don't go for the most expensive thinking it's the best as that's not the case most of the time. I have used most brands and the only one I have never had plasticiser leeching from is Mayhems tubing which just happens to be just about the cheapest tubing available. I won't use anything else these days.

Take the time to carefully plan your runs of tubing. Ideally you want the shortest runs without kinking or looking untidy.

Do not use screws that are too long when fitting the fans to the radiator as you can easily puncture the tubes if they are directly under the screw.

Choose a good coolant that has all the additives that you need against corrosion and algae growth. Again, for me the best is Mayhems X1 and that's what I will always use. You could use de-ionised water and a silver kill coil but not if you have nickel in the loop as it will react with it and cause serious problems.

Before filling double and triple check everything. Make sure all the fittings are tightened up, no kinks in the tubing, everything is secure.

When filling take your time to avoid spillages. Place heaps of kitchen roll under joints, blocks, rads etc and do a leak test with just the pump running (no power to the pc) for a few hours.

If you are new to this there are plenty of guides on the internet so take the time to watch a few of them.