Algae build up and removal

cavemanoc

cavemanoc

cavemanoc

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23 Mar 2005
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I had to shut down the wall build for a bit and noticed a significant build up of algae in the res, and, to a lesser degree, in the block.

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I used Mayhems Pure and the UV (blue) clear fluid which I assumed had all the required fungicides in it. It was supposed to glow blue under UV light, but unfortunately the fluid never really lived up to expectation. I'll replace it with either a clear, or a light blue fluid.

Couple of questions. What's the best way to clear/clean the algae without dismantling the rig (I really don't want to take it off the wall)? What's the best fluid to prevent this happening again?
 
Unfortunately your images are not showing for me.
You could try running something like Milton sterilising stuff that is used to clean kids water bottles etc.
I used this a while back to get rid of algae from washer fluid tank but never on the W/C kit.
It is however just a diluted bleach, so may not be the best idea as most metal will react to some degree.

Mayhems do (or used to) a cleaning kit, which may be good idea?
 
I've used the Mayhems blitz kit before, and it foams a fair bit. But really that was to chemically neutralise my loop as I'd had discolouration of fluid from a reaction.

I don't think it will be enough to scrub off physical buildup.

I suppose you could just pull a couple of parts off the rig? Honestly though if you're seeing that much algae, I'd want to clean/replace tubing, thoroughly flush radiators etc.

Is it definitely algae?
 
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I don’t think any chemical will clean it 100% without some soft brush, unless is a very strong one and may cause some issues with metal plating and the acrylic.
Sometimes it have nothing to do with the quality of the coolant used, but something present inside one of the components, possibly the radiators.
Even if taking all apart for cleaning doesn’t looks apealing, may be the only way to make sure it won’t happen again in few weeks/months.
As mentioned, the Mayhems Blitz may do the trick, but not sure if it will leave the fun area clean enough without some brushing.
 
Personally, not a fan of Blitz. Well not a fan of running it through a loop at any rate. If you've got low points below a drain port etc there's just no guarantee you've got it all out in my opinion, even with tons of flushing.

Your best bet is to strip it down and give it all a deep clean, redo your runs etc. It's a total pain, but the only way to be sure.
 
I also have no time for Blitz, it's expensive and unless you are using a inline filter to catch any debris it loosens it's pretty pointless as all you end up doing is moving it around the loop. I think you are going to have to do it properly so strip the blocks and pump/res down and clean them with a toothbrush which will thoroughly clean them. The radiator will need flushing, it's a good idea to flush it in the opposite direction to the normal flow as any gunk/debris will be quickly forced back out. If it needs soaking warm up some distilled/de-ionised water (not too hot) and fill it with that and something to remove the algae (I always used distilled vinegar but never had any algae problems) and leave it for 20 minutes or so then flush and repeat. You may need to do this a few times until it's clear then thoroughly flush it to remove all traces of the cleaning solution. Tubing is cheap enough so throw it away and replace it. As for what coolant to use, I always used Mayhems X1 and never had any problems.
 
Distilled white vinegar for the win! Unlike the above though, I create a small loop using a tiny submersible pump running the return tube into a coffee filter. Leave that running for 20 minutes or so, and then reverse the flow. Removes absolutely everything you don't want. Then just flush tge vinegar out with Mayhems pure or similar and you're golden.

Another vote for X1 Clear here! Zero issues with it, ever.... tastes like absolute **** though!
 
Even if you killed everything with a solution without dismantling not sure you'd want it floating in the new solution. Dismantling might be necessary.
 
Vidar said:
Distilled white vinegar for the win! Unlike the above though, I create a small loop using a tiny submersible pump running the return tube into a coffee filter. Leave that running for 20 minutes or so, and then reverse the flow. Removes absolutely everything you don't want. Then just flush tge vinegar out with Mayhems pure or similar and you're golden.

Another vote for X1 Clear here! Zero issues with it, ever.... tastes like absolute **** though!
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Exactly what I was thinking. I’ll use a large bucket and see if a decent run is enough to shift the gunk. At least the coffee filter will tell the story. I’m sure I’ve got some X1 in the loop along with everything else already. I’m thinking I might just add another dose of biocide in to be sure once it’s clean. Anyone still use silver inserts to kill the algae in loops anymore?
 
If I'm understanding you correctly, you've mixed your fluids, which if that's the case, thats likely why you've got algae problems. Honestly X1 Clear premix is all you need.
 
All the fluids were Mayhems, so should all have the required inhibitors. Would be surprised if mixing nullified the effects but I guess it’s a possibility. The UV glow was a core part of the build, hence the use, but given it didn’t work I’ll probably just go with either X1 clear as you suggested, or a light blue fluid.
 
cavemanoc said:
All the fluids were Mayhems, so should all have the required inhibitors. Would be surprised if mixing nullified the effects but I guess it’s a possibility. The UV glow was a core part of the build, hence the use, but given it didn’t work I’ll probably just go with either X1 clear as you suggested, or a light blue fluid.
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I'm not saying it's definitely that, it could be if you've the concentrate and mixed your own your ratio could be off slightly.

All I'm saying is that using Premixed X1 Clear for all the years I have, I've never had algae problems. That said using the UV Dye with premix should work fine.
 
Is it not residue from the dye/UV additive rather than algae? Unfortunately looks like cracking everything open is the only way to deal with it for sure.
 
Hadn’t really considered that as it is all Mayhems stuff, but I guess mixing them could have caused a reaction. Wouldn’t mind so much if the UV had worked and given the effect I was after - oh well - lesson learned. It’s a shame that all the cool effects are such high maintenance, would have really loved to run one of the pearlescent blue fluids, would have been awesome.
 
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