Redoing the loop [Archive] - XtremeSystems Forums

[XC] Angstrom

07-04-2006, 05:15 AM

Hey, well I got rid of the DD fillport and got Petra's Delrin, so now there is no aluminium anywhere near water in my loop.

First time around I put 5% Zerex, and my tubing seems to have fogged slightly (not opaque, but still foggy). I found out i'll have to take off my Storm because it won't fit on the Bad Axe mobo the way I have it set up now, have to mount it another way, so I figured i'll just take the whole damn thing apart and clean it properly.

First of all cleaning. I picked up some Scrubbing bubbles (I figure it's better than vinegar or ketchup), how should I use it, and what is it safe to clean? What's the easiest way to drain the loop?

Filling the loop again, what should I use to ensure a clean loop? I know everyone likes to use 100% distilled, but I want to ensure nothing grows in it. Would a splash of zerex help serve the purpose?

Thanks

[XC] Angstrom

07-04-2006, 11:18 AM

Anyone? I've read about people using Scrubbing Bubbles to clean Radiators, but Rads have brass tubes, and on the back of the can it says "not recommended for use on Acrylic, Brass, or Marble".

I'm new to what's safe and what isn't.

Delirious

07-04-2006, 11:39 AM

I would just stick to what works, vinegar.

If you follow the stickies i think youll find it answers all of your questions.

[XC] Angstrom

07-04-2006, 11:43 AM

There is nothing in the stickies about Scrubbing Bubbles.

From what a few people have said, it works so much better than Vinegar or anything else, especially for cleaning tubing. But i'm skeptical.

Also, there are mixed feelings about what to use as coolant.

Turok

07-04-2006, 12:16 PM

Ive never drained a loop atm, but I would probably do it like this:
Take out a block and put it in a bucket and then unplug the inlet tube on that block and let the water pour into the bucket.
Be careful with the pump. Make sure it doesnt run dry for a long time as it loses water. Take out enough water to remove the radiator/heatcore. I would cap the core before removing it, because water could still be inside.

I also have a Zerex + Distilled loop, and Im planning on cleaning it soon for my next update. I was told pure deionized water is the best solution, which seems logical.
Pure deionized water will not corrode or conduct electricity, because it doesnt have ions which seems to be the cause of it.

I dont know what's the best solution to clean a radiator/heatcore. I would also like to know how to compleately clean my MonsterCore from that white stuff.
I could probably make a vinegar loop running for a few days by filling a bucket about 1/4 with vinegar and using some filters on top of the bucket to carch the white stuff.

A loop like this

Bucket w/ vinegar -> pump -> Radiator/Heatcore -> tube pours water on filters catching white stuff -> vinegar drops back into bucket

I wouldnt reuse the tubes, since they will be a pain to clean and they could contaminate the new loop again.
Im getting some Masterkleer for my next loop, since they are a lot cheaper than Tygon, they are nice tubes, and they are more transparent than Tygon.

[XC] Angstrom

07-04-2006, 12:59 PM

Do you even have to run the pump while draining? Could I disconnect the piece between the pump and t-line (lowest part of the loop) and let it drain by itself (provided the water would move through the pump)?

I figure I should just use pure Distilled water with a cap of zerex. I don't want anything growing.

My rad was cleaned with vinegar before it was installed, so I imagine i'll only need to flush it with distilled water. I won't take the chance with scrubbing bubbles and Brass.

Hmm guess it's time to buy more tubes.

Additionally: I know I should clean the copper in vinegar overnight (or is ketchup better?), should I just use distilled water and a toothbrush for the delrin (didn't say in the stickies)?

Delirious

07-04-2006, 01:33 PM

Vinegar and ketchup will give u pretty much the same results.

Disconnect the loop where ever u want the water to come out, it really doesnt matter where.

Definetly turn the pump off before u drain it.

[XC] Angstrom

07-04-2006, 01:47 PM

Vinegar and ketchup will give u pretty much the same results.

Which is better?

Ketchup has salt, doesn't that clean better in conjunction with vinegar?

Viktor

07-04-2006, 05:05 PM

Pure deionized water will not corrode or conduct electricity, because it doesnt have ions which seems to be the cause of it.

As soon as the deionized water comes in contact with the copper, it becomes ionized.

MikalCarbine

07-06-2006, 10:51 AM

I just used scrubbing bubbles to clean my tubing and it worked flawlessy. After 5 minutes of letting them soak they look good as new. My loop is currently leak testing and everything seems in perfect condition. I also used scrubbing bubbles on the plastic parts of my blocks (be sure to spot test on a non important location first!) and it cleaned them beautifully. I soaked the copper parts of my blocks in vinegar though

[XC] Angstrom

07-06-2006, 11:47 AM

MikalCarbine

07-06-2006, 03:34 PM

What kind of tubing? How did you clean them?

Also what kind of plastic?

Masterkleer 7/16, just like you :)

I cleaned them by spraying the scrubbing bubbles as far into the tubing as possible, then let them soak in a pot of warm water and added more scrubbing bubbles. I let them sit for 5-10 minutes in that and repeated if necessary. After you clean them off you'll notice that they smell strongly like the bubbles (nasty bathroom cleaner smell), to get rid of that just soak them in some warm/distilled water for an hour or so

The kinds of plastic was the plastics on my Storm and MCW60 blocks, and the barbs that swifttech provided with them. I noticed no damaged or extra wear after cleaning them

Hope this helps :D

ReD.SkY

07-06-2006, 03:44 PM

the plastic is delrin

[XC] Angstrom

07-06-2006, 05:09 PM

Yeah, I just don't want anything to get damaged. I doubt it will be necessary to clean the delrin with the bubbles, just the tubing.

MikalCarbine

07-06-2006, 05:10 PM

I had some pretty bad white gunk all over my storm peices from Zerex and teflon :(

[XC] Angstrom

07-06-2006, 05:26 PM

MikalCarbine

07-06-2006, 05:28 PM

Let me know if there's damage in a few days :D

Delrin is pretty resistant, and it's good to know about the masterkleer. Soon as I get my conroe i'm cleaning.

What are you using as coolant now Mikal?

Let's hope there isn't ;)

Distilled water, no additives, but I might get some of that anti algae stuff at a fish store just incase

[XC] Angstrom

07-06-2006, 05:30 PM

Let's hope there isn't ;)

Distilled water, no additives, but I might get some of that anti algae stuff at a fish store just incase

Yeah i'm not taking the chance with pure, didn't someone say a few drops of iodine is enough as a biocide? Cap of zerex (still might cloud)?

MikalCarbine

07-06-2006, 05:39 PM

Yeah i'm not taking the chance with pure, didn't someone say a few drops of iodine is enough as a biocide?

I did a search and it seems so, but where do you get iodine? :p:

Edit:

I wouldn't be too apt to try Zerex again xD

thunderstruck!

07-24-2006, 07:51 AM

I'm curious about this too. Scrubbing bubbles appears to work much better than vinegar. Not only does it do a better job, but it is much less time consuming. I didn't see it answered, but is scrubbing bubbles is safe to use to clean a radiator such as a BIPII/MCR220 (or any rad for that matter:p: )?

creidiki

07-24-2006, 07:54 AM

Would be good to get info from a reliable source here. Some bottles apparently have a warning vs. using it on brass, while some dont. Perhaps someone should shoot off an email to the manufacturer?

[XC] Angstrom

07-24-2006, 08:04 AM

It has a warning against Brass, it's not a good idea. But i'd shoot an email to the manufacturer to find out the exact risks.

xXxDieselxXx

07-24-2006, 09:26 AM

Lol will this help? :D

What I did was to inject some bubbles then a little bit of water from the tap... waited around 5 mins then rinsed with tap water with some pressure to make sure everything was out then put the whole loop together and flushed all with distilled water into a bucket. Scrubbing Bubbles won't hurt anything.. if used with caution just like you will do with your tub/shower... there are brass, plastic and acrylic parts and never get damaged.

http://img356.imageshack.us/img356/4521/flushingrad3ql.jpg

I cleaned all the blocks and rad with SB and it worked great within minutes... besides having issues with my mobo for an isolated issue I have ran the loop for quite few dates and everything still looks like new with no leaks.. for more details here is the loop I built with some pictures using SBubbles product ;)

Linky (http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=106676)