Festive water cooling finial questions.

billblog · 25 Dec 2012 at 23:00

Thanks to the wonder that is Christmas I should be getting my first water cooling attempt under way soon. I just wanted to ask a few final questions and get a bit of a sign off.

I plan to run Res/Pump going into CPU block going into a 55mm Rad (Hardware labs ICE SR1) that then goes back into the res, on the way to the res it passes through this fitting which will be plugged using plugs that will be removed for draining.

Using White Tubes held in place with Compression fittings.

I will use 3 corsair 120 fans in PULL.

I would like to know, on top of if this is the right way to do things of course (previous posts before a few changes were made seem to say it was):

1. What should I use in terms of anti corrosion and kill coils?
2. Do i literally just drop the kill coil into the res, will it not jam the fan or get stuck inside?
3. Is the plug the right thing to block the drainage hole.
4. Have I missed anything?!
5. Will the 'Deionized' water my local garage sells work the same as distilled water?
6. Final question, I know it is hard to guess, but does anyone know how much of a difference I will see on a [email protected] when compared to a h100? I was planning to use 6 fans, now I have dropped to 3 I am just worried I might gain almost nothing or even reduce my cooling. (I know this is somewhat irrational but I have never done this before so I really don't know what to expect.

Thanks as always. Merry Christmas

pgi947 · 25 Dec 2012 at 23:22

Tbh for a first time loop, I'd stick with mayhema premix and not worry about additives and coils etc...

Sounds like you have everything, gains on ivy is tricky as the heat issues aren't from poor cooling is down to how the ihs is applied to the core, at a guess you'd see another 200mhz minimum depending how much vcore you need.

billblog · 25 Dec 2012 at 23:30

My main issues with the premix is that it is a lot more costly, and most importantly requites more regular cleaning and a closer eye, whereas with water people seem to think it will last close to 18 months rather than 6 and will not stain parts. I could get Mayhems H2O but I think you still need kill coils and such.

Avathar77 · 26 Dec 2012 at 00:25

Using an EK block with distilled/de-ionized water & silver kill coil(s)? you need to do more research

No matter what metal the EK block is made of - it is a bad idea to go with that combo!
It will be about £5 more for 2L of X1 or EC6 compared to distilled or deionized water + kill coil(s) + anti corro!
Do you really want to go through all that??

Premix does not require regular cleaning and close eye any more than ANY other liquid!
I have used both types and if not for plasticizer leaching, you could have a pre mix running very well for over an year.

As for staining - use clear stuff! both X1 and EC6 has clear variants.

It would be easier to use a ball valve connected to the T fitting(usually at the bottom of your loop) to drain the loop.

billblog · 26 Dec 2012 at 01:53

I thought the kill coil problems with the EK blocks were only related to the nickle versions not the copper variants? Either way I can always just buy 2 bottles of this and add nothing if I am understanding correctly.
I will look into a ball valve.

Avathar77 · 26 Dec 2012 at 02:07

Flaking issues of EK was with nickel blocks yes, but EK will not give warranty for any block if used with Silver and/or distilled/de-ionized water. They have tried many times to off load the blame on end users. But that is another topic.

I have used EC6 for nearly 1 year now(Reused the same coolant when I changed the loop many times) and last time I changed the coolant was due to plasticizer leaching when I changed my tubing(XSPC black).
EC6 clear and X1 clear both have the same base - so either will do.
You don't need any additive for them(neither kill coils nor anti corro).

billblog · 26 Dec 2012 at 02:12

Well, I think I am about there. The T fitting with a ball valve seems simple enough, I was already planning on using a T fitting, correct me if I am wrong but the ball valve is purely to make it easier to empty? Either way for £5 I will throw one on. And I will use the clear EC6, job done

Thanks a lot.

Avathar77 · 26 Dec 2012 at 02:18

Which ball valve are you going to have?
Most of the ball valves have 2 x female ends so you will need a male to male connector of some sort to connect the ball valve to the T fitting.

EDIT:
Yes the ball valve makes it easier, and more controllable when draining, also I connect an extension to the ball valve only when draining and have it over the empty bottle of EC6.

billblog · 26 Dec 2012 at 02:39

Thanks for the info, ill take a look and work out the connections I will need. In terms of specifics not 100% yet looking at my options.

Harveywoo · 26 Dec 2012 at 23:33

billblog said:
My main issues with the premix is that it is a lot more costly, and most importantly requites more regular cleaning and a closer eye, whereas with water people seem to think it will last close to 18 months rather than 6 and will not stain parts. I could get Mayhems H2O but I think you still need kill coils and such.

I just de-rigged my loop for yearly maintenance with premixed mayhems pastel blueberry blue....not a stain in sight....mayhems are the business....i have now switched to mayhems pure h20 and you dont need kill coils or biocide with mayhems h20 and it will not grow algae

Avathar77 · 27 Dec 2012 at 01:17

Harveywoo said:
I just de-rigged my loop for yearly maintenance with premixed mayhems pastel blueberry blue....not a stain in sight....mayhems are the business....i have now switched to mayhems pure h20 and you dont need kill coils or biocide with mayhems h20 and it will not grow algae

Part about mayhams pure h2o not needing additives is not true! You may be mistaken for mayhams X1 clear!
Pure H2O by mayhams is just what it says.
If you don't want algae and don't want the blocks to corrode, you will need additives with pure h2o.

OLDPHART · 27 Dec 2012 at 09:16

Hi, as for coolent if your loop holds a ltr or close they recommened 1 Mayhems Fine Silver Kill Coil per half ltr, so if you buy de-ionized water on top about £6-5ltr's about £14. Yes can use a 5ltr's de-ionized water again to redo your loop and top up. My first loop l used Thermochill EC6 pre-mix[£6-ltr] emailed there support asking how often l should replace the coolent they said upto 2 years, so every 6months l took a sample of the coolent checked for contamination and used it for 2 years and topped the loop up when needed. At the end of 2 years l replaced the tubing and fluid and see no reason l can't just do the same again, as for loop temps they were never effected and blocks, etc, had very little discolouring on them.

Harveywoo · 28 Dec 2012 at 02:26

Avathar77 said:
Part about mayhams pure h2o not needing additives is not true! You may be mistaken for mayhams X1 clear!
Pure H2O by mayhams is just what it says.
If you don't want algae and don't want the blocks to corrode, you will need additives with pure h2o.

I asked the the guys at OCUK and they said so long as your draining down every 6 months you don't need any additives or kill coils :-/ maybe this is a question to pose to mlwood?

Mayhems · 30 Dec 2012 at 09:07

Oky sorry i missed this guys.

Ultra Pure H20 is water with 99.999% of stuff removed from it. So if your system was sterile and you have no window on the side of you rig and No sun light ever hitting any part of the cooling system and its only copper blocks (don't forget copper is a natural sort of biocide) then you would be fine. how ever this is very rare situation and some sort of biocide is needed over long term such as 1 drop of liquid biocide or silver if you wish.

Once air, light and heat hit water it becomes a breeding ground for bacteria and algy.

You can run just ultra pure h20 in you system for maybe a few weeks in normal conditions but its not a good idea to run it for long periods.