It wasn't yellow gunk in my WC build

[no_1_dave]

Ok, following on from this thread:
http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18317524

I thought there was yellow gunk inside my water cooling loop.
It turns out it was actually melted plastic.

I have been using a EK Multioption Reservoir. It comes with a couple of tubes that you screw inside the res to direct water flow. Instead of just directing water flow they have melted which is strange because 75c is the max temp any of my components ever see, even after hours of gaming. The water would have to be cooler then that...

Melted plastic is now fixed to the inside of the res meaning I have needed to purchase another one. It's also all inside my pump, CPU block, both graphics card blocks, all my tubing and probably my 2 rads but it's hard to check that. Below are some pictures for you as EK have advised this is impossible...

Oh, original build is here for info:
http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18181688

Molten plastic in res:

Inside pump (Lang D5):

Inside CPU block:

So, how to I go forward from here as I want EK to replace my damaged gear? The res, rads, CPU block and GPU blocks are all EK too.
The fluid I was using was Fluid XP Ultra+ and nothing else.
Sorry for pics quality, my camera battery is dead so used iPhone.

 

[no_1_dave]

EK are saying they have never seen anything like this before.
I can see where this is heading...

 

[no_1_dave]

Are you blocks plexi by any chance?
The fact it's only melted that tube, and not the res, should be proof enough that the tubing thing is defective.

Yea all my blocks are plexi.
According to EK the tubes are the same material as the res, only thinner.

Funny how everything is fine, including my PVC tubing, then only the tubes melt. IMO this points to the tubes being at fault.

 

[no_1_dave]

I've managed to mess up several installs in the past and I've never, ever melted tubing, in fact I can't imaging how hot that would have to get to do that. I used to dip ends of tubing in recently boiled water to soften them up to go over oversized barbs..

I'd suggest thats either some weird issue with the tubing itself or some sort of corrosion.

Either way with pretty much uniformly EK gear I'd be expecting them to offer an explanation.

Its not the loop tubing.
It is the 2 tubes that come with the res, designed to fasten inside the res to direct the water flow.

 

[no_1_dave]

keep us posted in this thread about EK responses.

I will be.
Its weird because it is a normal loop with Fluid XP Ultra+.
Nothing out of the ordinary.

 

[no_1_dave]

Was it your thread that I read somewhere about you buying the coolant from some one else who have used some of it and sold it to you online?

No,
Bought it from here last year.

 

[no_1_dave]

You didn't use paint stripper or neat vodka to flush your loop did you?

Lol no

I've just put the 250 basic res in my PC with Mayhems red UV coolant... I'll keep an eye on mine.

Yes do, mine was the 150 advanced.
Does yours have the plastic pipes inside?

 

[no_1_dave]

I've got one plastic pipe, I had debated removing it.
And EK res's are so stupid. My "holder" things wouldn't tighten, so I have it been held up by tubing effectively and pushed down by my 24 pin.

Mine wouldnt hold properly either so I had it sat on an SLI bridge protector.

 

[no_1_dave]

Unlucky

So what exactly has happened - melted tubing?

Melted pipes inside the res

I wish I'd just gotten the XSPC Bay res when I had the chance, would have resulted in a much easier loop.

I haven't gotten the energy to try bleeding it lol.

That's the one I've gone for as a replacement.

 

[no_1_dave]

Well i have got the older clear clips(wich are terrible as they have no giveandonceyouuse them a while they will snap, the new ones (black)although a pain in the arse to do up the tiny alen key are a lot better, ihave had mine awhilenow easily grip the tube nps.

As for the op

I feel sorry for you, but if imhonest it looksmeltedviaheat as apposed to a chemical thing.

You need some one to look at the effected itmes, andpray you still have the origial bottle you filled up the loop with, becuase if its that, theywill want that to test it.

Also i hope you have not thrown away the waterthat wasin the loop also.

I drained the water into the sink before I realised what had happened.
I still have the res and I still have what is left of the bottle of Fluid XP Ultra+ that I used last year. It's in the loft with the rest of my WC parts that I didn't use. I think the heat is what did it, but why make a res and place tubes inside that can only withstand approx 70c? It doesn't make sense. Whilst trying to wash the molten plastic from my res (trying to rescue the res to re-use) I found that under hot water the molten plastic was very soft and I was able to scrape a lot off. By hot water I mean water that my hands are also ok under, not boiling.

 

[no_1_dave]

With white tubing i assume you had clear fluid? If so what has happened to the cpu block? It looks like it's been heated up somehow to me.

Yes, clear fluid.
As you can see in my build log (linked in my OP), I built the system last sept and have not taken it apart since. Only opened it up to clean out what I thought was yellow gunk. I am not sure why my CPU block isn't nicely copper coloured any more. I would guess that after hundreds of hours with plastic smashing into it the copper had discoloured or come off? Your guess is as good as mine...

EK didn't reply yesterday after they asked what coolant I used.
I am dropping them another email now asking if it's possible they had a bad batch of acrylic. It just seems strange to me that acrylic melts at 160c yet in warm water when trying to clean the inside of my res it went soft. Not the res, only the "acrylic" pipes and the molten plastic.

I am having to replace all my kit.
I can not get all the plastic out of the pump
The GPU blocks are not damaged but they have a nasty green tint now which I can not remove
The CPU block is blocked up
All tubing it coated inside
All Bitspower compression fittings are coated inside
I do not know how much is in the rads.

 

[no_1_dave]

bloody hell fire.

I did read somewhere that EK reservoirs are only supposed to be used with distilled water or coolants that do not contain biocides.

I am guessing that the feser coolant could be the cause but couldnt say for certain

I know you are not supposed to use any kind of alcohol to clean the reservoir but that doesn't seem to be the case here.

no_1_dave, have you contacted EK yet?
if you need assistance, please let me know and I will involve myself.

Is fluid XP the same as feser?
I still can not understand the science of how fluid XP could do this to acrylic.

Thank you for your offer, I'll see how far I get and let you know

 

[no_1_dave]

I didnt flush the rads through with vinegar.
When the rads arrived I flushed them through with boiling kettle water, then with 2 flush's of fluid XP before building my rig.

 

[no_1_dave]

EK being as helpful as I thought:

Hello,

Both tubes are made of same material, but of different thickness.
A bad batch could cause cracking of plastic, not melting it.
It is not made of sugar.
I can have you sent new int. Tube.

You can send me melted oen back and I will try to arrange a lab test.

 

[no_1_dave]

The only thing in my loop was fluid XP Ultra +.
CPU temps never went above 75c and yes, I left my PC on overnight now & again (although not often).
There is a blockage in my CPU block, it wasnt stopping flow or anything, just hindering it. That blockage was molten plastic from my res.
I dont think fluid XP Ultra + has any chemical in that will react with copper like that? Even if it did, that wouldn't explain the molten pipes in the res...

 

[no_1_dave]

Looks chemical to me, it looks almost like residue. If it melted surely it would just re-solidify as it cooled and be in hard plastic suspense, not some gel like that?

Hard to tell from the pics really.

It isn't jelly, it is hard and had cooled in plastic suspense but that came apart when I opened it. I then still didn't realise it was plastic, I hadn't even considered it until I took the pipes out & broke big chunks of molten plastic off the lumps you see in the pics.

 

[no_1_dave]

EK are a brilliant company and have been around for a long time.
it is companies like them that have encouraged today's watercooling to grow to such a high standard
their customer support is superb considering how small the company actually is.

lets give them some time to assess this situation before we overreact.

I think it is good they have encouraged todays water cooling to grow to such a high standard but unfortunately have to disagree on their customer service. The replies I have received from them for example "the pipes are not made of sugar" just show how terrible their customer service actually is. Maybe I am emailing the wrong person but so far all I have received is a cheap attempt at patronisation. He has even said he will take a pipe home with him and place it in hot water to see if the same thing happens, if that is their product testing and attitude I doubt I'll ever buy anything from EK again.

 

[no_1_dave]

ooh dear, this is worrying

Tempted to post all the emails just to show people what their customer service is really like...

 

[no_1_dave]

It's impossible for it to be temperature related, you know this yourself.

I wish I did know this.
I can't think what else could have done it. See my build log (link in op) and tell me what is in the loop that could do this (and explain how)? Also, why does this molten acrylic(?) go soft when placed in hot water? I have managed to scrape a good amount of it off the inside of my res simply by soaking it in a sink of hot water, not boiling or anything as I had my hands in it...

 

[no_1_dave]

My pipe doesn't melt under kettle water, I gave it a check.#
Also, as EK have told you, Res and pipe = Same material, yet haven't behaved the same, ergo, something's up.

You are right.
Something must be up because the res didn't react the same. But then it is also thicker.
I will send 1 of the pipes to EK tomorrow, i'll keep hold of the other one because I don't trust them at all.