How to drain? how often?

[Activate: AMD]

Whats the best way to drain a system and how often should a watercooling system be drained/ refilled?

[One_Hertz]

Can you flip your case upsidedown? You can find many references to how often you shouod drain and it really depends on your components.

[n00b 0f l337]

Do you have a resevoir or a t-line? I drain once every 6 - 9 months and replace tubes and clean the blocks. But thats cuase I run tap water.

[Activate: AMD]

i have a t-line

[MaxxxRacer]

this has been over quite a bit and i will add it to my guide, but if u run zerex, and distilled water in a clean loop u can go for atleast a year i would think.

I havnt tested it myself, but it should last that long.

if u run junk in ur loop then it would be wise to clean it out every few months though.

[skycrane]

Maxxx, what would you say would be the best to clean your loop with??? just run tap water through it for a while?

or use some type of a cleaner ?

[Activate: AMD]

i'm running distilled+ Hydrx

i dont plan on filling too soon as its a new loop, it'd just be helpful to know. im still not entirely sure as to whats the best way to actually drain it though. i could open the t-line and put it at a low point and let it pump out, but the line is already at the higest spot, so that wouldnt be too effective just becuase there'd be alot of places where water wouldnt make it to the T and i'd risk damaging the pump if it goes dry

[fareastgq]

this has been over quite a bit and i will add it to my guide, but if u run zerex, and distilled water in a clean loop u can go for atleast a year i would think.

I havnt tested it myself, but it should last that long.

if u run junk in ur loop then it would be wise to clean it out every few months though.

I've tested it :) a yr is ok, the water will be fine, your tubes will prob get filmy though. I usually change my loop every year, give or take a month or 2. Keep in mind, I run just distilled water and zerex.

[MaxxxRacer]

skycrane, a plastic stafe, waterbased solvent would be excelent.

[Holst]

Hehe.

Ive run just plain water with no additives for almost 6 months.
Water around here seems pretty good on its own. I used to add a little glycol to kill bugs, but this time I just boiled the water, let it cool and put it into the system. Stopped using Glycol as it seemed to not desolve 100% and film appeared on the tubes/blocks. This does not happen with just plain tap water.

Water is still clear and nothing is growing in it so it seems to work ok.

With correct additives you could probably go years without having to replace the water, especially if you have a truly sealed system.

[Holst]

How to drain a system is awquard.

I suphon what I can out of the resevoire, which empties the blocks, half the rad and msot of the tubing. But I still end up with water in half the rad, the pump and the lower tubes.

Luckily my rad has the fittings on top. So I can remove the pump inlet tube at the rad (as its empty after syponing) and put it into a bucket below the PC to drain out almost all the other water.

Exact method depends on the system, but be very very carefull about doing this if your watercooling is near your comonents. Might be easyer to spend an hour removing your PC parts than it is to work a week to buy a component broken by a water spill.
Plus things are easyer to clean if you take them appart.