Time to clean the dust and waterblock

[BitMaster]

Ohhhh, 40°C, my GPU reads 45°C in idle despite I am in my "cool" cellar room.

 

The pump squeeks due to debris in the waterblock fins blocking flow, the case is also full of dust, omg, looks like an evening with re-tubing, rinsing, cleaning the block in ultra-sonic bath, dusting the PC off etc.

 

MAINTENANCE DAY :cry:

[MonnieRock]

Just for you, Bitmaster :pilotfly:

 

 

 

 

Happy Simming,

Monnie

[Demon_]

Here some tips :smartass:

[BitMaster]

Moonie,

 

LoL, I hope no one actually follows that guy.

 

Tho it may work, it's the last method you should use.

 

Kontakt-Chemie has the right spray cans, made for the task.

 

"Tab water"...OMG

[cthulhu68]

Weren't you just scolding me about dust buidup on all my fans a while back?

[BitMaster]

Weren't you just scolding me about dust buidup on all my fans a while back?

 

I sure was :)

 

I do this cleaning 2-4 x a year, depending on dust in the case and debris in the flow.

Also I do not primarily rely on airflow, my critical components are all watercooled, just when the pump starts to make a silent, tick tick tick...I know there is some debris again blocking the fins.

That's when I get active the latest.

 

There is dust and dust ;)

 

It's still running great, I try to act before it acts funny :D

Edited July 25, 2019 by BitMaster

[BitMaster]

So, tonight I finally had the time to clean the CPU-waterblock's inlet fins from greenspan and dust off the internals.

 

Result is 8°C lower GPU and about 5°C lower CPU temps...and SILENCE, no more tick-tick-tick every second due to a tortured pump.

 

I have to admit, this is a PITA. I have to do it like every 6 months. It got better, aka longer time in between cleanings since I use automotive radiator additive instead of citric acid.

 

Following the rule to keep radiator ( or heating ) water as long as possible I didnt flush the system bt only added what was lost between the 2 Quick Disconnectors coupling the CPU to the GPU & Radiator, maybe 100ml. I added pure automotive fluid only. This way I dont introduce new oxygen into the system and I hope to stretch the interval even further.

 

I admit, a Noctua cooler has it benefits and is very quiet too.

 

maybe on my next one I switch back to air on the CPU. What I like about my GPU waterblock is that it has no microfins, nothing ever blocks it and it has 0 rpm on the fans and never goes above 60°C under the heaviest load on the hottest day. DCS runs with 48-50°C almost any day. I wouldnt want to miss that quietness.

 

How often do you guys change fluids and what do you use ? and do your waterblock(s) have microfins ?

[etherbattx]

does a couple of blasts of compressed air work?

 

that’s all i’ve ever done.

[Goa]

dude

 

 

there is no need for all that uncessary watercooling system...

My 8700k @5.0ghz is running @30°C on air cooling with a noctua NH-D15 :lol::lol::lol:

 

 

My GPU underload with DCS @99% utilization reaches 60°c

 

 

I perform inner case cleaning just once per year;)

[BitMaster]

does a couple of blasts of compressed air work?

 

that’s all i’ve ever done.

 

Unfortunately that wouldnt work. The inlet is top-side down in the middle of the fins. It would actually make it worse I guess. I thought about a filter which could be placed right in front of the blocks intake coupler. Need to check if those are available.

 

Noctua seems to be the answer for ease of operation. I use them on most builds I still do occasionally. They are the easiest to mount and the most silent ones I have personally ever worked with.

 

I like the DIY loop a lot but hate to take the block off every 6 months etc.. only a matter of time until a mishap ruins the board or CPU. That's my fear

 

Oh well... it runs smooth again. Talk to you in 6 months:cry:

[Pilotasso]

I just use an AIO. Best of both worlds.

[Thick8]

I just use distilled water with a silver dollar in the reservoir. I never have to clean out my cooling system. The only time it gets cleaned is when I upgrade something. I just put a new CPU in last week and the water was crystal clear and no debris. Automotive coolant is designed for a 200F engine environment, not a computer. The BEST coolant is water.

I Put the motherboard (less the battery), memory, and video card in the dishwasher (heated drying cycle required) slapped it all together and I was up and running in less than a weekend.

[hansangb]

I only use AIO since I'm too lazy. But I would think boiled distilled water and some alcohol would be best. I guess not?

 

And @Thick8, you're talking about the heatsink going into the washer, I'm guessing.

[sam187]

BitMaster inspired me to perform my first system cleanup since I've built it last year around April. I'm running custom water loop PCs since over 10 years now, mainly because I wanted to have more or less silent while still very performant systems. In the past I've been using automotive radiator additives in my loops as well (e.g. Glysantin G20, G48 ) together with destilled water and clear tubes.

 

Last year when building the new system I decided different, using black EPDM tubes combined with premixed "Aqua Computer Double Protect Ultra" (clear version, they also have colored versions which didn't make sense combined with black tubes).

 

While in the past I also had green rust or milky tubes over time, I can't see any of that after a year in the new build. Hard to catch the clean blocks without reflections on pictures, but I didn't see any need to open and clean them. Also temperatures are still the same like when the system was new, so I'm pretty happy so far...

 

P.S. please spare me the mustard & ketchup comments, couldn't bring it over my heart to not reuse my existing power supply, as it's still more than sufficient to run this system (~350W under load). Next time when I update the graphics card, maybe ;)

Edited August 1, 2019 by sam187

[BitMaster]

BitMaster inspired me to perform my first system cleanup since I've built it last year around April. I'm running custom water loop PCs since over 10 years now, mainly because I wanted to have more or less silent while still very performant systems. In the past I've been using automotive radiator additives in my loops as well (e.g. Glysantin G20, G48) together with destilled water and clear tubes.

 

Last year when building the new system I decided different, using black EPDM tubes combined with premixed "Aqua Computer Double Protect Ultra" (clear version, they also have colored versions which didn't make sense combined with black tubes).

 

While in the past I also had green rust or milky tubes in my former systems (over time), I can't see any of that after a year in the new build. Hard to catch the clean blocks without reflections on pictures, but I didn't see any need to open and clean them. Also temperatures are still the same like when the system was new, so I'm pretty happy so far...

 

P.S. please spare me the mustard & kethcup comments, couldn't bring it over my heart to not reuse my existing power supply, as it's still more than sufficient to run this system (~350W under load). Next time when I update the graphics card, maybe ;)

 

 

I see you are also Heatkiller user :thumbup:

 

1st. My next block will have acryl top as well, just to visually inspect the fin gate.

2nd. I guess, I should also switch to EDPM tubing and, as you say, a pre-mixed fluid of best quality.

 

When my setup was new I used destilled water and a knifetip of citric acid and that held the water crystal clear for one year. The trouble came when I changed the board and CPU and oxygen found its way in, since then I need this cleaning, tho with Glysantin it got better.

 

Nothing has been tested more thoroughly than Glysantin by BASF.

 

 

NICE RIG btw :thumbup: very clean looking

 

:joystick:

Edited August 1, 2019 by BitMaster

[sam187]

I see you are also Heatkiller user :thumbup:

 

Watercool customer since years, wouldn't buy anything else as long as they have something available for the components I'm using.

 

1st. My next block will have acryl top as well, just to visually inspect the fin gate.

2nd. I guess, I should also switch to EDPM tubing and, as you say, a pre-mixed fluid of best quality.

 

That was my intention using the acryl versions, don't want to open the loop unless it's really needed. Regarding the EPDM tubes, well you can't see if they change their color :lol: But also in the reservoir I can't see any sediments, colour of the fluid also hasn't changed and is still absolulety clear. So far I can absolutely recommend this combination :thumbup:

[BitMaster]

My colour hasnt changed either since I use Glysantin and the debris likely comes from the "old" fluid.

 

I will see how long this mixture holds, my pal, a Car meister said, keep it as long as you can as it binds oxygen and is made for Alu and Copper and treats it well. He listens to my PC advices, me to his mechanical advices. So far he's been right, better than before.

 

Time will tell. If it goes sour I might skip the 3m tubing i have in my drawer and buy EDPM and a some liters from Aqua Computers, no matter what colour.

 

Yes, the HKIV CPU block and GPU block always came out top in any test I have ever seen. maybe the best one money can buy.

 

The best is Mo-Ra3, that is mass vs. noise :)

[toutenglisse]

By far the best performance tweak I made since a long time for my air-cooled system ! …

 

 

The gpu was full of "dust" (I call'em sheeps) , rad and components between plates, same for cpu rad…

 

All temps went down by 10°c at least and OC frequencies back again to max and stable under full load.

[BitMaster]

:thumbup:

 

Mind the sheep :D