EK Discussion and panic

[Charles Wirth]

OMG OMG OMG...

First off settle down and take a deep breath.

Let Eddie get a few blocks back from RMA to see the failures, then it would be best for him to diagnose the problems and then give us answers.

It may be poor plating, it may be corrosion, it may be a few trying to causing as much panic as possible.

There are many threads discussing additive, be aware they are heavily moderated to maintain useful information. Any anti-EK signatures or comments will be removed at the moderators discretion, without notice, and you may be removed from this section.

[Charles Wirth]

Bump, making sure those concerned read this.

[dinos22]

this is the only sensible way to approach an issue. EK has been around for a long time and deserves a bit more respect. Give them time to look into it and figure out what's going on and how to best address this guys!

[Phatboy69]

I couldn't agree more... and gee this new look is freaking me out! ;) Very glad the anti-vendor stuff has been cleaned up too, good job guys! :)

[Church]

BTW, latest news post on EK's site regarding nickel plated blocks issue from Eddy:

Dear EK partner/user,
As EK is looking for lasting solution for nickel plating issue (concerning corrosion because of silver coils and copper sulphate additive) we decided to halt sales of nickel plated products till solution is found and tested. Our resellers were advised to halt sales too.
We cannot put users into position, that we replace products and corrosion starts again on new product. Hopefully we will find an answer and tested solution in short while.
We will update you as soon as we have any news.
However, If customer insists on buying EK nickel block, we offer a customer full 24 month warranty on material, manufacturing and corrosion.
Edvard König
Imho wise enough move. Wish for EK to get soon back on track.

[shazza]

Please contact EK directly if you have specific questions about blocks you already have.

[zalbard]

@churchy:
thanks for posting! And yep, I totally agree, this is a very sensible move. In every way. :)

[gmat]

And good luck to Eddy for sorting out this mess. Watercooling world is very small, there are very few actors, and EK has been one of the major supporting actors for our hobby for a long long time. I hope he has enough financial backbone to withstand this hit, GPU blocks are the most expensive products around...

[theseeker]

Definitely the correct thing to do. Good luck Eddy.

[Computurd]

yeah crazy how everyone has used his stuff for years, and everyone jumps up and down screaming for him to make new waterblocks for every new card or board under the sun, but now everyone is ready to hang him.
and yes, one of my blocks is affected. just chill out people.

[MrToad]

@ FUGGER:

Thanks for being the voice of reason :) (is a voice still a voice when it's written down?)

@churchy:

Thanks for quoting EK's latest official statement. Personally I think it's a very reasonable way to deal with the situation.

[NaeKuh]

There is still no words of im sorry in that post.

Are we ever going to get an apology?

Fugger this is why were mad. Its not just based on why the blocks failed.
Everyone understands, manufactor messups happen.
No vendor is immune to this.

But a good vendor will apologize.

They should of said SORRY from the start. Instead they are saying TESTING.. more TESTING.. and even more TESTING.

This is whats aggravating us.

If Eddy is reading this thread, You need to say "IM SORRY".
This will calm a lot of us down if you do.

Say IM SORRY for the mess this is causing... u dont even need to say the direct reason.
But we are looking for an apology.

[Erklat]

Any anti-EK signatures or comments will be removed at the moderators discretion, without notice, and you may be removed from this section.

I Sir applaud to you and the rest of the staff, very much for this extremely sensible move!
No point in chasing after a windmill all over again when all we should be looking after is the problem solved for any future reference.

[OldChap]

I had heard that Eddy has not been well for a while now so some of you might bear this in mind, if only when expecting a fast reply. If I were he then I would want to have definitive answers before taking this further.

Good thread Fugger!

[brammers]

I had a Nickel FC580 that was showing areas which were cause for concern, after only 4 months of using water and no additive at all.

I had lots of emails back and forth to EK support and to be honest, they were helpful. Sure there's a language and cultural barrier - but that's to be expected when dealing with eastern Europe (I'm in the UK myself) - you get used to it, no biggie.

What I can say, is that if you approach them in a calm and civil manner (like most people would appreciate) then they will do the right thing by you. They did the right thing by me. I'll buy EK products in the future on the basis of how it was handled in my case (YMMV).

Am I happy I had to tear the loop down and return the block, no, not really. Did anyone die? No. Was I badly affected, no - I caught it before anything went badly wrong (fortunately). Do I understand why someone who had just lost a lot of expensive gear to the problem would rant a bit, sure. Do I think there could've been a better communication, yes. Could a little perceived humility have saved a lot of frayed tempers, definitely. Although having dealt with a few different countries from that area, even if they are expressing humility, many western Europeans often can't spot it (me included).

I'm sure lessons have been learnt on all sides.

At the end of the day though, they are sorting the problem - by the looks of it on a case-by-case (well, at least reseller by reseller) basis. Fair enough.

Sure, a "sorry for the inconvenience guys" would be nice. When the dust settles and the RMAs have been taken care of (along with a fix to whatever the problem is/was) hopefully we'll get one (hint, hint Eddy!).

Anyway, that was my one post on the subject.

(flame suit on?) :)

J

[dejanh]

yeah crazy how everyone has used his stuff for years, and everyone jumps up and down screaming for him to make new waterblocks for every new card or board under the sun, but now everyone is ready to hang him.
and yes, one of my blocks is affected. just chill out people.
This, 1000x this. Well said. :)

[stangracin3]

What I can say, is that if you approach them in a calm and civil manner (like most people would appreciate) then they will do the right thing by you. They did the right thing by me. I'll buy EK products in the future on the basis of how it was handled in my case (YMMV).

J

here is the problem. you are in the minority...

[SNiiPE_DoGG]

What I can say, is that if you approach them in a calm and civil manner (like most people would appreciate) then they will do the right thing by you. They did the right thing by me. I'll buy EK products in the future on the basis of how it was handled in my case (YMMV).

This is a very important point, I see so many of these issue threads pop up claiming poor support and ignoring. If your going to contact a company about a problem you MUST do it in a civil and respectful manner. The nicer you are to them the better they will treat you. (works with all companies, not just EK)

[Jokester_wild]

100% agree, EK has been a fantastic company for years. Started using there blocks back in the 1900xt days!

[Vapor]

Thread cleaned. EK threads have deteriorated too quickly and too reliably; people should err on the side of not saying anything at all.

[[XC] Oj101]

There are many threads discussing additive, be aware they are heavily moderated to maintain useful information. Any anti-EK signatures or comments will be removed at the moderators discretion, without notice, and you may be removed from this section.:up:

[Church]

Latest update from EK's side:

RMA is upgraded on two points:
1. We are lifting the RMA limit on corrosion to full 24month from the end-user purchase date without limit.
2. EK will cover all shipping costs of the RMA block to reseller and shipping of the replacement block back to customer.
The procedure of RMA request stays the same; filling the RMA form (http:/http://www.ekwaterblocks.com/shop/EK-IMAGES/EKWB_RMA.doc).
Shipping costs covering is nice bit for those located afar.

[Kenjiwing]

Thats great to hear.. I guess I will go ahead and RMA my blocks now.

[the finisher]

It's great to see EK step up.

[theron]

what is he reacting to? there has been no more news about this afaik?

[shazza]

what is he reacting to? there has been no more news about this afaik?

I believe EK is continuing to do testing, and is also most likely reacting to customer viewpoints about the warranty/RMA process.

[Annirak]

Dear EK partner/user,
As EK is looking for lasting solution for nickel plating issue (concerning corrosion because of silver coils and copper sulphate additive) we decided to halt sales of nickel plated products till solution is found and tested. Our resellers were advised to halt sales too.
We cannot put users into position, that we replace products and corrosion starts again on new product. Hopefully we will find an answer and tested solution in short while.
We will update you as soon as we have any news.
However, If customer insists on buying EK nickel block, we offer a customer full 24 month warranty on material, manufacturing and corrosion.
Edvard König


RMA is upgraded on two points:
1. We are lifting the RMA limit on corrosion to full 24month from the end-user purchase date without limit.
2. EK will cover all shipping costs of the RMA block to reseller and shipping of the replacement block back to customer.
The procedure of RMA request stays the same; filling the RMA form.

I applaud EK for taking this stance. Most importantly, they have listened to their customers. Say what you will about the furore in the forums, it gave EK valuable feedback about customer response to their handling of the problem and EK has implemented the (reasonable) suggestions about how the problem should be handled. I'm very impressed that they have heard the (reasonable) complaints and adjusted their policies to match.

[PiLsY]

That REALLY needed doing. Well done Eddy.

It took quite a bit of pressure but hopefully lessons learned all round and we can move on now.

[Boulard83]

I already started a thead like this one when EK told that PTnuke can break Plexy res.... I still dont know how EK testing ended about this but i still have my 2 Plexy/nickel EKFC580 and 2 MCres under Disti+PTnuke ( not CU ) without any issue at all.

My 2 Nickel plated EK bloc are still looking as new. Mirror like surface after few months under hard working and disti+PTnuke ( not CU ).

Something is wrong somewhere. Its teh CU PTnuke ? i really dont think its the cause ..... Im far from thinking its the PTnuke that cause this....

[zoomee]

I'm not panicing guys (well not yet anyway lol). But something I have noticed about my recently purchased Nickel/Plexi Supreme HF.

The jet plates that came with it are un-used and have been sitting in the original packet, inside the original box, tucked away inside one of my storage boxes in a bedroom.
Two of these plates are showing corrosion around the jet plates - I havn't ever used them! - Are these nickel plated? wierd!

I'll be taking apart my system this weekend so will report back if theres been any issues using Dis + Silver coil as I will be replacing that with what EK recommend i.e. EC6.

[tiborrr]

Jets are made of stainless steel. Stainless steel jet plate may be slightly discolored from laser cuting process and that is what you are seeing as 'corrosion'.

[zoomee]

Jets are made of stainless steel. Stainless steel jet plate may be slightly discolored from laser cuting process and that is what you are seeing as 'corrosion'.

PHEW!!! :) :) :) - Thanks mate

[dejanh]

I am glad that EK is now handing the full replacement process properly, i.e., covering the costs, etc. Most excellent news indeed and great for my EK blocks in case that they crap out on me over time, but I doubt they will. Anyway, at the next complete tear-down I will check the Supreme HF block primarily since that one was purchased in the last 4-6 months. Not happening anytime soon however.

[Panther_Seraphi]

I think its good about what EK is now doing. They can see that their nickel plating is having a problem and that they have stopped selling it while investigations continue. I hope that they get everything sorted and resume selling nickel plated products as they are usually of very high quality. Perhaps they could answer if they have had any of their suppliers or 3rd party manufactures changed or if any aspect of production inhouse has changed.

[Vapor]

Please let's stick to the rules :)

[mel12yan]

I had a Nickel FC580 that was showing areas which were cause for concern, after only 4 months of using water and no additive at all.

I had lots of emails back and forth to EK support and to be honest, they were helpful. Sure there's a language and cultural barrier - but that's to be expected when dealing with eastern Europe (I'm in the UK myself) - you get used to it, no biggie.

What I can say, is that if you approach them in a calm and civil manner (like most people would appreciate) then they will do the right thing by you. They did the right thing by me. I'll buy EK products in the future on the basis of how it was handled in my case (YMMV).

Am I happy I had to tear the loop down and return the block, no, not really. Did anyone die? No. Was I badly affected, no - I caught it before anything went badly wrong (fortunately). Do I understand why someone who had just lost a lot of expensive gear to the problem would rant a bit, sure. Do I think there could've been a better communication, yes. Could a little perceived humility have saved a lot of frayed tempers, definitely. Although having dealt with a few different countries from that area, even if they are expressing humility, many western Europeans often can't spot it (me included).

I'm sure lessons have been learnt on all sides.

At the end of the day though, they are sorting the problem - by the looks of it on a case-by-case (well, at least reseller by reseller) basis. Fair enough.

Sure, a "sorry for the inconvenience guys" would be nice. When the dust settles and the RMAs have been taken care of (along with a fix to whatever the problem is/was) hopefully we'll get one (hint, hint Eddy!).

Anyway, that was my one post on the subject.

(flame suit on?) :)

J

well said..

[Vicey]

Have we determined at what card release this became an issue? I'm seeing a lot of NVIDIA 5 series owners and obviously with those being the latest cards they will be prominent, I've not seen any posts about the GTX480 blocks though. I have two of those in my own loop and they are EK Nickle. I went with the see through acrylic tops so thankfully I can monitor the condition of my blocks without dismantling them and so far they seem clean and great after almost 10 months of use.

I love EK products and I'm confident in their ability to handle this problem, obviously I'm a little worried about my own loop but I'm not going to RMA until I see a problem develop.

[Church]

Vicey: IIRC I've seen it brought up in several threads related to issue with also cpu / motherboard FCs and ram blocks. So imho it's not as much as with which exactly block, but rather since when, and so nvidia 5 series just happened to get caught into that timeframe of dropped plating quality timeframe by chance / it's release time.

[UNTAMED]

"obviously I'm a little worried about my own loop but I'm not going to RMA until I see a problem develop."
-my take on this is [on the net] that there needs to be problems before you can RMA - 3 pic's of damage , no exchange for copper unless there's damage.

-so your lucky you have a clear top , I do not so when I pull my two 580 block,s apart , and if they do not show no problems , I'll have to decide to put them back on and pull them apart in 3 - 6 months , go back to air or buy replacement block,s[not ek ]
-same if only 1 shows a problem. other could go next 3 month tear down . so 2 RMA's lol

-if no recall on said blocks , maybe clear tops + o rings could be sent [ $5? ] I'll pay. and put them on next tear down.
-problem is I won't know what to do until the loop is apart and then won't have any quick way[2-4 weeks ?] of doing anything. no reports of the any RMA turn around times for my area.

[Vicey]

Vicey: IIRC I've seen it brought up in several threads related to issue with also cpu / motherboard FCs and ram blocks. So imho it's not as much as with which exactly block, but rather since when, and so nvidia 5 series just happened to get caught into that timeframe of dropped plating quality timeframe by chance / it's release time.

Great point, do we have any time frame? It may be constructive to both us and EK if we can narrow down a specific time when this began. Maybe a database of some kind is in order.

[Alexandr0s]

From what I've read on other forums, the problem exists even on blocks a year old, for example the GTX 460 block.

[Kayin]

My own block was 14 months old or so when I pulled it apart.

Mine was also one of the ones most heavily affected, as it trashed the loop it was in.

[acutech]

...obviously I'm a little worried about my own loop but I'm not going to RMA until I see a problem develop.

Same here, I'm very concerned over this issue, I am waiting for final parts to arrive (Aquaero 5 & Aqua Computer goodies on the way), been putting up this loop since march, my 1st loop ever, cost me a little fortune, and now I see this and can't help but to be worried ATM... I've got Feser One UV Red liquid, don't know yet if I'm gonna try it or not...

*Crosses finger*

[RollerBall]

Anybody have any idea how EK are getting on with this? I was hoping they'd get their :banana::banana::banana::banana: together sharpish. Reckon they'll do a bit announcement when they've finally fixed everything?

[Odai]

Hello,

EK recently stopped sales of their Nickel products due to the infamous plating issues:

http://www.ekwaterblocks.com/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0&cntnt01articleid=85&cntnt01origid=15&cntnt01returnid=17

However, it seems Nickel products are already available again:

http://www.ekwaterblocks.com/shop/blocks/cpu-blocks/ek-supreme-hf-full-nickel.html

http://www.ekwaterblocks.com/shop/blocks/vga-blocks/fc-geforce/5x0-gtx-series/ek-fc560-gtx-acetal-nickel.html

Does this mean EK have already resolved the issue with their Nickel plating, and released the new revisions of their products, or is it simply old (defective?) stock? If it's the latter, wouldn't this contradict their claim that they have halted sales of Nickel products? :confused:

[theseeker]

It has not been resolved.

[ryan92084]

they have "resolved" it by telling you what type of coolant to use that may or may not stop the corrosion/errosion

[Church]

If it's resolved or not, i'm gonna wait for official statement from some of EK reps like Eddy or Tyborr, so far latest news from them were that they prolong RMA on nickel plated blocks and halt making of them. Stock availability doesn't tell me much in light of those latest news, so guesswork by other users will still be just guesses & speculation.

[UNTAMED]

-waiting here for a resolve on the 580's Ni block's -looking for a rev. 2 with better plating.
-having one of two blocks showing no issues , so I can't RMA that one.
-second block has a nickel issue 1\2" wide by 3\4" with the center screw in the center of this plating problem. -could RMA this one for copper ,but not sure if I want to mismatch the block's at this time.
- I put a smear of water proof silicone over it for now , as the defect is not in the active water flow [in between the block and top.] .
-will check both block's again in two months and decide what to do from what I find then.

[DarthBeavis]

Wonder if Fluid XP + Mayhems Dye will kill my Son's EK 460 block . . .hope not

[mlwood37]

All i can say is that mayhems pre-mixed liquids and dyes have no effect on plating issues, i have been testing this my self and eddy has samples of our range for testing and has seen no issues (or hasn't reported any to me).

[PiLsY]

Im going through the RMA procedure at the moment. Im sending back two FC470 acetal + nickel blocks bought from two different stores (ocuk and scan).

The contact with EK part went smoothly and I was quickly issued back my forms with rma numbers on. I was told to send them back to my retailers who had been advised and were expecting them.

The next day I got an email from overclockers saying RMA approved and giving rma details. Nothing from Scan so I thought Id give than another day.

Nothing the next day either so I emailed EK again at the end of the day asking how I should send it back as I had received no details from Scan. Received a reply that night saying they had been advised and to just go ahead and send it back.

Next day raised an RMA query with scan telling them EK had said to send the blocks back to them and that they were expecting them. Received a reply 20 mins later saying that had no knowledge of anything like that and requesting copies of the emails with EK. Sent them the email history, 5 mins later got an auto reply with RMA details. Packaged everything up and sent both parcels - this was wednesday this week.

Yesterday morning received confirmation of receipt of rma details from scan. Lunchtime got one from ocuk too. An hour later I got an email from OCUK saying that goods are being sent back to the manufacturer for replacement or repair - so off to Slovenia anyway. Sigh. At 4pm receive an email from Scan apologising for the problem with the block and saying they have debited me with a full refund that will be in my account by Monday.

I'll be hitting EK for shipping charges to be refunded to my paypal on Monday, will let you know how that goes. Must say though I'm blown away by Scan, never in a million years did I expect a full refund. I phoned and asked about it and was told its their policy that manufacturing defects in products are always issued with a full refund, especially if the defect is still in place on current stock. They've certainly come on leaps and bounds in the last decade.

OCUK though, cant say I expected anything less. Especially considering they originally refused the RMA for physical damage. Words cannot express my hatred for the cretins that run that store and the way they treat their customers.



Anyway, I suppose I'm saying it can be resolved really quickly or take a while depending on the reseller youre dealing with. My mate shipped his blocks direct to EK as he didnt want to deal with ocuk. He's expecting his new ones back on Monday. I just wanted to cost them time for refusing my rma originally really, but im paying for my own pettiness now with my own time lol.


Anyone hesitant about the rma procedure in the UK, I can say definitely go for it with Scan, very fast and painless, but make sure you contact them after EK approve your RMA. If you bought from OCUK just send it straight to EK, itll save 2-3 days minimum and maybe more depending how fast they send it back to EK.

I've heard from a friend who spoke to Specialtech that they're happy to act as an intermediary for users to send their blocks back from EK, but they no longer stock them so can't replace. They are fast though, 5 day turnaround from postbox to postbox.

Apologise if this is not quite the right thread but didnt want to revive anything or start a new one.

[Panther_Seraphi]

Scan + Ebuyer = UK gods of Computer hardware.

Ebuyer even arrange collection of all RMA good on their behalf!!!!


OCuk ive never had anything but problems. Was sold something that was described differently on the website and was only given a refund grudgingly. If they hadnt then i would have kicked up a royal stink about misselling an item and the sale of good act.

[PatRaceTin]

My dealer in Thailand said transportation cost to RMA is over half of new EK Supreme HF price

so i continue use this HF block

5 month straight

distill water only (no additive / no color / no silver)

component

1. new in box EK Supreme HF Nickel Plexi
2. all new bitspower fitting
3. masterkleer 1/2 tube
4. new in box swiftech 655
5. new in box xspc mod + res.
6. new in box black ice GTX 360

i flush all component well before first use

here is the pic

(corrosion under jet plate)

now i notice some orange dust in my res.

http://img804.imageshack.us/img804/2307/ps000000ekspcorrosion.th.jpg (http://img804.imageshack.us/img804/2307/ps000000ekspcorrosion.jpg)

[knet370]

here is mine..looks really nasty..the block from behind is even worst..

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g4/knet370/EKRust.jpg

[Sadasius]

Hey guys, been awhile since I posted here. Kind of happy I did not get nickel plated parts however that part kind of always made sense to me anyway. Plating of any kind tends to wear quickly enough and in an enclosed water system to me is just a matter of when. Heck we get corrosion no matter what in our systems on something or other. Nothing and nobody is perfect. Also hi Eddy if your reading this! Been awhile and I am sorry, was awfully busy with work.

[cx-ray]

Correctly applied nickle plating doesn't tend to wear off quickly. I have run a nickle HK 3.0, BP RIIE nickle mobo block for over a year without the plating coming off (including BP nickle fittings). Also, never had a corrosion problem with just a full copper loop. In the two afformentioned examples I've only ran distilled + silver coil.

[Kayin]

If you want long-wearing plating, I have a nickel cornet from around 1910-1920 that still has 95+% of its nickel. And nickel is the preferred wearing metal in brass instrument valves. Nickel is NOT as fragile as people are making it out to be.

For that matter, silver isn't either-I have an 1875 Moses Slater cornet with approximately 80% of its silver intact. If you have a problem, it's the plater, not the metal.

[Church]

Latest news piece on EK nickel plating.
EK released blocks with improved plating process, marked them as "EN" ("electroless nickel" plating) (http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?273439-EK-blocks-safe-yet-NOT-AN-ATTEMPT-AT-TROLLING&p=4909157&viewfull=1#post4909157).
In dazmode's post (http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/water-cooling/45014-ek-introducing-new-nickel-plating-technology.html) on first link in tyborr's post one can read more details on what's improved, and what is EK action/stand on old & new nickel plated water blocks. 2nd links to those new additions @EK's store, probably soon those blocks will make it to other shops as well.
I suspect new plating process might rise a bit block prices though "The electroless nickel plating is about 3-5 times more expensive compared to standard nickel Electroplating".

[penguins]

they weren't using electroless before? yet blamed the user of flaking nickel?

( i am not trolling )

This is outrageous as no one uses electroplating, THIS ISN'T A CAR BUMPER!
anything that has to stay nickel plated is electroless. Period. Too Little Too Late man..

and when people said that they were cutting corners spending less on plating.. what did EK say?

now they finally went and did what they should have done in the first place...

[PiLsY]

Still waiting on my second rma. 5 weeks since filling in the rma form and 3 1/2 weeks since ocuk received the block back. This RMA process is a joke, one which im now no longer finding amusing.

I notice there's no mention of being able to swap your destroyed old nickel blocks for new EN ones either. Thinking about it they'd probably try and charge you extra for that anyway.

[zer0kewl]

if not even checked my blocks yet if got a ek supreme full nickel + ek 480 acetal + nickel block......

i seriously hope their fine altough i suspect least 1 block having corosion.

What i wonder is if its full nickel will it probaly have corrosion asswell or only nickel plated blocks ?

edit: will post pics if my blocks turn out fine.

1 block is from 6 juli 2010
and another block from 16 nov nov 2010

[Biffa]

Discovered my SR-2 block has the problem :(

Its only visible in a small area but could be in other areas that are not visible.

Problem is they only make the SR-2 blocks in nickel and they aren't showing any new EN versions on the site.

Will be a royal PITA to remove and what do I replace it with? RMA isn't any use, cant sell the replacement because of the (maybe) bad EK plating rep and relative rareness of the board :shakes:

Shoulda gone with MIPS again like I did on the P6T7 :mad:

[zer0kewl]

Just inspected my oldest block ek supreme HF full nickel and if seen not even small spot corosion.

My gpu block has like 2mm spot with corosion in the midle where water hardly gets.

I'll try take pictures later far to dark and cant hold cam steady for proper shot.

edit: well this sux balls when i removed gpu block 1 mini condesator came lose looks repairable by soldering it back on tough i dont known how to do that my self.

hope i can rma my evga card and get it fixed -,-

Might asswell rma my EK block and get a new one as wont be using my system for a while now either anymore.

http://imageshack.us/g/535/sl380199.jpg/
Gpu block has minor corrosion and seem to have discolored.

cpu block has no corrosion at all still has its original color.

[PiLsY]

I had no problem with my HF Full Nickel either even though it had been in the loop longer than both the GPU blocks. Looks as good as new.

[MikeMK]

Well, i checked my loop last week, and have one 580 block that shows corrosion atm. Since they just announced the new plating i think im gonna wait a bit for them to sell through before i RMA in the hope i get one as a replacement.

[paulbagz]

Well, i checked my loop last week, and have one 580 block that shows corrosion atm. Since they just announced the new plating i think im gonna wait a bit for them to sell through before i RMA in the hope i get one as a replacement.

EK have already stated that you can RMA and exchange for the newer Nickel plated version so go go go :up:

-PB

[Biffa]

Thing is would you want to RMA your block for a non EN block? I'm not sure I am happy going through the pain of removing the mb block and then getting one that was manufactured in the same way.

[MikeMK]

EK have already stated that you can RMA and exchange for the newer Nickel plated version so go go go :up:

-PB

Didn't realise the had said that! If that's the case I'll get it RMA'd ASAP!

[acutech]

My build has been running for 2 weeks and I'm already nervous as to what is happening under the hood. All my blocks (all bought before the EK storm happened) are nickel plated + black acetal so I can't see what is happening down under... If I open them, I'm voiding the warranty...

What can I do to check the status of the plating?

[MikeMK]

The only way u can check is to take the top off. It doesn't void the full warranty, only the cover against leaking.

[acutech]

Ah ok, thanks Mike

[zer0kewl]

got 24 month time to rma right from purchase date ?
since i'm waiting atm with rma due my evga card thats rma'd atm kindy pointless rma'ng my waterblock yet till i known evga has fixed my card.

[warmage]

what nickel items are affected by this ? are their barbs fitting / fittings out off this mess ?

[PiLsY]

Finally got a refund on the second block some 9 weeks after first sending off the rma form and 7 weeks after ocuk received the block. That's both my blocks that got refunded, OCUK said EK failed to provide them with replacements but they're proven liars, so take that with a pinch of salt.

Have emailed EK with scans of the postage receipts and have requested they refund me to paypal. They seemed rather put out that I'd received refunds on the blocks so we'll see where this goes.

[Avathar77]

EK have already stated that you can RMA and exchange for the newer Nickel plated version so go go go :up:

-PB

I would like to know where this has been said please?

I have just stripped my loop and opened my EK full nickel cpu block to find that it has the same issue :(
So going to fill up the RMA form and send it but as it asks whether I would like a copper or nickel block as a replacement I am a bit lost as to what to ask for!
If I ask the Nickel block as a replacement and if it is not an EN plated block will it not have this issue again in some time?

[tiborrr]

Old electroplated waterblocks are no longer being produced. You will receive EN plated block.

[PiLsY]

Forgot to update - received my postage refund from EK.

Overall anything I had to contact EK about went quickly and smoothly, however scan didnt follow the EK procedure and just refunded upon checking the block (preferable anyway) and OverclockersUK say they are unable to get replacements from EK, so after nearly 2 months refunded me. I did forward their response to my complaint to Gregor at EK, so I wonder if that will help anyone else in the same position as i was with ocuk get things resolved more quickly. I found it particularly amusing that OCUK's "Techical Manager" was borderline illiterate - Gregor's english was way better than his :up::lol:.

[Supergroover]

Ok, i've been away for a while. When i see this sticky, first thing i think is ... There must have been something wrong with some EK waterblocks. I read that EK addressed these issues with a extended RMA. What i cannot find is if these issues have been resolved. And if the EK waterblocks can be used safely!

Can someone fill me in please?

[shazza]

There was an issue with some EK nickel-plated blocks showing evidence of corrosion. Only nickel-plated blocks were affected. EK has addressed this with an extended RMA solution, and has also announced a change in their nickel plating which should prevent this issue in the future. For questions related to a specific block you already own, or one you are considering purchasing, you can contact EK directly (http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCUQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ekwaterblocks.com%2F&rct=j&q=ek%20waterblocks&ei=ob90TqGJMKLc0QGS-KjnDQ&usg=AFQjCNEPwnUfWhpv-S_36ZmBOje7QtHkrg&sig2=sqXTkdAWbebSQY0SSV_Q5g&cad=rja). Tiborr, who is an EK representative and visits here regularly, may also be able to help - you can contact him by PM.

[DarthBeavis]

I think the nickle-plating is coming off my EK bay spinner resevoir

[Avathar77]

EK says they are using electroless plating (EN plating), if this prevents the flacking issue is yet to be seen by people who have fitted EN blocks and used the loops for a prolong period of time.

[Supergroover]

Ok thanks!

If i am correct, there has been a change in the production process, which addresses the most likely cause, but there is no conclusive evidence that it is working since the new blocks are not in use for a very long time yet.

[dejanh]

Ok thanks!

If i am correct, there has been a change in the production process, which addresses the most likely cause, but there is no conclusive evidence that it is working since the new blocks are not in use for a very long time yet.
You should not be getting any flaking with electroless plating process. I'm pretty sure that whatever the issue was with their plating before this would have resolved it.

[lowfat]

EK says they are using electroless plating (EN plating), if this prevents the flacking issue is yet to be seen by people who have fitted EN blocks and used the loops for a prolong period of time.

There is a user on OCN who posted pictures today of an EN block that seems to have corroded in areas.

[RCG_Bex]

Yeah, user on Specialtech forums (may be posting else where also) who has a EN nickle block also showing signs of corrosion... thought it might have been bad milling but there's browning at the edges... and I don't mean from his underpants

[VIP3R]

Have been putting off checking my blocks, im still within the rma window.