How often to refresh tubing?

[Odai]

Hello,

I've been running a water loop to cool my system for about 4 months now. However, I'm looking at re-plumbing it so that I can reduce the tube length, and move the radiator to a better position.

Problem is, I'm not sure whether to replace the tubing or not. Is 4 months heavy usage enough to warrant this? Something I've noticed aswell is that the tubing appears to have gone cloudy inside (Tygon R3603 7/16"). I'm using Primochill PURE Clear Non-UV coolant.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

[Movieman]

Hello,

I've been running a water loop to cool my system for about 4 months now. However, I'm looking at re-plumbing it so that I can reduce the tube length, and move the radiator to a better position.

Problem is, I'm not sure whether to replace the tubing or not. Is 4 months heavy usage enough to warrant this? Something I've noticed aswell is that the tubing appears to have gone cloudy inside (Tygon R3603 7/16"). I'm using Primochill PURE Clear Non-UV coolant.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Mine's been in since August 2007 I think..
Added 2-3 ounces of liquid last March and bingo..
Of course I only look at cooling numbers not at "pretty"

[SoulsCollective]

I'm not at all surprised your Tygon tubing is clouding. This is a known problem, it's as a result of plasticizer leaching out of the tube walls and forming a nasty deposit. These days, the tubing of choice is the Primochill Pro-LRT. Great stuff. Just as flexible as 3603, doesn't kink as easily, and doesn't cloud.

In answer to the question of how often you need to refresh tubing, almost never. As pointed out above, the only issue with cloudy tubing is looks - your WC system will still run just fine.

[Odai]

Hello,

Thanks for your replies.

I'm actually quite surprised, I was told the Tygon stuff was some of the best, and I was under the impression it was lab-grade tubing.

What exactly is the cloudiness? Is it a chemical reaction of the plasticizer with something in the coolant? I understand you say it will have no impact on performance, but won't "gunk" start to build up as a result? And will it have some sort of structural impact on the tubing?

[DeathWalking]

Hello,

Thanks for your replies.

I'm actually quite surprised, I was told the Tygon stuff was some of the best, and I was under the impression it was lab-grade tubing.

What exactly is the cloudiness? Is it a chemical reaction of the plasticizer with something in the coolant? I understand you say it will have no impact on performance, but won't "gunk" start to build up as a result? And will it have some sort of structural impact on the tubing?

Tygon is lab-grade (and sometime food-grade) tubing. The cloudiness is a result of plasticizer leeching out of the tubing. It won't gunk, though it will make your water cloudy. I don't know how it chemically affects the tubing, but I have never seen or heard of (even anecdotally) any tubing problems resulting from plasticizer leech.

[Conumdrum]

In time, a year+ the tubing will get stiffer as the placticiser leaches out.

The Tygon is food grade. So the chemicals it uses as 'tubing softeners' etc might not be as effective as, for example, Primochill LRT. It's NOT food grade. Stayed clear for me almost a year. On my rebuild I ran a rag through the hose. You could see a tiny leach of white something on the inside of the barb, micro mm thin and cleaned right up.

One thing different than many other tubing uses in the world, is we want soft pretty tubing and we recycle the water a billion times in a loop. Food grade tubing will pass materials on to another part of the process, we don't pass it on. The biggest reason we use clean clean water, no additives and drain/rebuild on a kinda accepted schedule.

The tubing we buy isn't 'just' for watercooling. But Promochill found a source or has made something much better suited for us. Tygon is great, but it's really made for other purposes.

[Odai]

OK, thanks a lot for your explanations guys.

So is the "strength" of the Primoflex just as good as the Tygon stuff? Not more likely to tear etc? I know it sounds like a stupid question, but just to be on the safe side.

[Wolf132]

Primochill and Feser are the only tubings that I would even consider using on my wc rigs.

[Conumdrum]

OK, thanks a lot for your explanations guys.

So is the "strength" of the Primoflex just as good as the Tygon stuff? Not more likely to tear etc? I know it sounds like a stupid question, but just to be on the safe side.

Tubing doesn't tear. Goodness.

[Odai]

Thought so - I was just worried after seeing how much my BP compression fittings cut into my tubing and how thin the walls became.

It seems however that I won't be able to get hold of any Primoflex tubing after all (I am in the UK, and it will be expensive to order from the US). Could you reccommend any tubing that doesn't have the same clouding issue as the Tygon?

[SoulsCollective]

If you can only get Tygon, look at their "Food and Dairy" range. Not as flexible, but guaranteed plasticizer free. B-44-4X is the product code, I believe.

[gergregg]

Can you get feser tubing n the UK.

[Odai]

I'll take a look at the other Tygon tubing now.

I can get Feser tubing, but from the comparisons I can see, it kinks more easily?

[Wolf132]

Dude, if you have any chance of your tubing kinking, just add in a 45. And feser/primochill is a lot stiffer than the old tygon i have sitting around. And let's not forget, tygon tubing was never made with watercooling in mind. Feser/primochill was.

[Waterlogged]

Thought so - I was just worried after seeing how much my BP compression fittings cut into my tubing and how thin the walls became.

It seems however that I won't be able to get hold of any Primoflex tubing after all (I am in the UK, and it will be expensive to order from the US). Could you reccommend any tubing that doesn't have the same clouding issue as the Tygon?

I know it's a bit OT but I'd like to know what is the O.D. size of the tubing and what size comps are you using?

[Odai]

Hello,

Thanks for your replies.

I'll probably give the Feser stuff a shot, I'm using anti-kink coils anyway. So does this tubing not cloud, like the Primochill?

@Waterlogged, I'm using 7/16" ID 5/8" OD tubing with the corresponding BP comp fittings.

[Waterlogged]

Hello,

Thanks for your replies.

I'll probably give the Feser stuff a shot, I'm using anti-kink coils anyway. So does this tubing not cloud, like the Primochill?

@Waterlogged, I'm using 7/16" ID 5/8" OD tubing with the corresponding BP comp fittings.

Ah OK. I was curious if you had matched the sizes after seeing you mentioned the comps cut into your tubing. Did you crank them all the way down? A lot of ppl do that when it's not really necessary, a good snugness is all that's required.

[mongoled]

They sell it here in the UK

http://www.thewatercoolingshop.co.uk...3-4in.-OD.html

It looks very expensive though!

It costs over $7 per foot!

In the US it retails for around $2 - 3$

it is a remarkable mark up in price

[Odai]

Ah OK. I was curious if you had matched the sizes after seeing you mentioned the comps cut into your tubing. Did you crank them all the way down? A lot of ppl do that when it's not really necessary, a good snugness is all that's required.

Ah. Yeah, I did unfortunately screw them all the way down, so that there was literally no gap between the two pieces. I'm a still a newbie though.

@Mongoled, thanks for that link, but unfortunately they don't do the 7/16" stuff I'm looking for.

It seems incredibly hard to find anything in that size, especially here in the UK. In the US there seems to be much more choice. And I've just found out that there is no Feser 7/16" tubing either.

So the only options I have left are XSPC, Masterkleer, and the Tygon R3603.

[JasonDTM]

The Durelene tubing Sidewinder sells is damn good if you're budget minded. On my second month with it and still clear as the day I received it.