Why you should use biocide pt. 2 **WARNING: graphic!** also, pump disintegration...

[Sparky]

So about 3 months ago I made a thread about why biocide of some sort is necessary, with pics.
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...d.php?t=265263

WELL, I am FINALLY getting around to cleaning it up properly. Uhhh I shouldn't have waited this long. I'll let the pics do the talking
















That impeller on the pump is supposed to be BLUE. That's how gross it is in there...



'nuff said...

[Sparky]

Uh oh it looks like I had a major problem with my pump and I didn't even realize it... the stuff isn't just algae slime, there are PLASTIC SHAVINGS all over the thing and the edges of the impeller are rough

Oh, crap. It never sounded like it was rubbing or hitting anything and I'm not seeing any real signs of impact or abrasion on the pump top! But there is dark plastic powder all over everything through the whole loop. It is like the impeller was disintegrating

[theseeker]

Sparky,
I was just about to say something, until I saw your second post.
Your problem is not H20 related, as you discovered. Personally, I do not put much faith in bio-cides, just use demin or distilled H20 and silver fittings and a kill coil.
Just my 2 cents and good luck cleaning up the mess.

[Sparky]

Well the biocide I mean to use it silver. It's working beautifully in my other rig.

I can't even seem to get the two waterblocks clean, and those I can scrub. How am I going to get the radiator clean?? I might have to replace everything. I can't afford that

Does anyone have any idea what happened to cause the impeller of the pump to be killing itself like this? Up until I took it apart the pump's been running great, flow has been amazing. Temps were getting worse but that's due to the coating all over everything.... Oh man this sucks so bad

[Gamekiller]

Hmm, all I can suggest is to run some water through the rad with a filter in a loop for a few hours or days..

Edit: Though depending on how well it's stuck in there you may have to add something to the water to loosen it up.

I wonder if dawn dish washing detergent would be helpful/harmful.

[Sparky]

I'm soaking the block parts in hot water with dish soap. I'm hoping it will loosen this stuff up. Combination plastic dust + algae = nightmare.

Once I've determined the extent of the damages I'll see what the cost is and hopefully then can afford to order replacement parts.

At least I can still put all the air coolers back on to get the system back online.

[RCG_Bex]

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeew icky!

[Utnorris]

Not sure if bleach is too strong for those parts or not, but I bet it gets rid of the algae.

[Sparky]

What i don't understand is how the impeller color changed. What would cause blue plastic to turn brown/black? It isn't just coated in stuff, it actually is dark

[stangracin3]

soak the blocks in ketchup...

[Sparky]

Trying.

I cut one of the tubes in half. The ground plastic + algae mix is what caused them to get dark. Which means this pump has eaten itself over 3 months ago. Was it still eating itself up to now or had it only done it back then? No clue... Can't say I'd trust using it again however :/

Inside of the tubing

[penguins]

use radiator flush for your rads, don't need new ones.

[Johnny87au]

Learn from your mistakes, everyone has done it

[penguins]

Learn from your mistakes, everyone has done it

That's the damned truth.

[Sparky]

I know. EXCEPT I don't know what my mistake this time around was! I thought it was forgetting biocide, but that wouldn't cause the pump to destroy itself

I'm currently putting air coolers back on everything to at least get operational again.

[paulbagz]

Go for a 1:10 mix of Vinegar to Distilled Water (or stronger) and leave sit in your rads for a while (several hours) but be sure to fully flush as you don't want Vinegar left over when you start your loop again.

Failing that, bleach might be a bit extreme however I've never had to resort to that method.

Let us know how you get on regardless so we know in case this ever happens to us

-PB

[OldChap]

It is a real PITA that I live in UK sometimes (most times). I have a spare d5 or 2 and a pa120.3 that could keep you going for a while, if you can salvage the blocks, but I feel that the postal costs would be prohibitive

[Sparky]

Well the blocks are starting to clean up after soaking for a while but it is very slow going. The issue is getting down in all those crevices. I don't want to put the blocks back in a loop until I'm sure they are clean.

You know what's really sad? my CPU is running slightly cooler on air with an HR-01 plus (good but not the best sink) with dual fans than it was on water
Graphics card is another thing, the stock cooler is keeping it at 75C at idle lol.

[WFO]

I've never used biocide in any of my water-cooled rigs. Just Pentosin from Petra's. http://www.petrastechshop.com/peg11coadb4o.html The tubing gets cloudy after a year. Never any algae or slime.

[Sparky]

OK I scrubbed the impeller and the plastic is still blue. It is just covered in that brown stuff. I am assuming the brown is dead algae? That's the only thing I can think of The impeller is blue so that means the fine brown coating on everything can't be from the impeller grinding itself. And I still don't know what it could have been grinding against, unless delrin is that much harder than the plastic impeller to not show any signs of rubbing whatsoever... The impeller undeniably had coarse plastic grit/shavings stuck to it that I wiped off.

I keep looking at the impeller and thinking maybe it isn't as bad as I originally thought... If I could clean it up it would probably be OK. But, I don't know HOW to clean it up. So far, nothing I've tried aside from scraping with my fingernail is getting this stuff off. That goes for the impeller, the blocks, fittings, and the guts of the radiator. After soaking in hot water and dish soap, the delrin block tops actually were cleaning up fairly well, as did the pump top. So, whatever this stuff is doesn't stick to delrin too well, but it sticks VERY strongly to metal and whatever the heck the pump impeller is. Figures. I'm almost tempted to try something stronger like carb cleaner on the block bases and fittings to cut this stuff.

[Rubycon]

If you can acquire 12% hydrogen peroxide and mix it with warm clean water it makes a very powerful cleaner that's inert to about everything. Just be careful as even 12% H202 is harsh on the skin. (wear gloves and goggles always!)

Soak your parts in this overnight.

The 3% solution found at pharmacies won't work.

[penguins]

I would stray far away from carb cleaner

[PiLsY]

I'd try a wire wool pad to get a skuff on it then leave to soak. Repeat a few times and see if youre getting anywhere. If not put a request up in the FS section for a DDC impeller - there's a few dead ones knocking about so somebody must have one.

Regards cleaning the rads - automotive radiator flush is the way to go. The rest is just vinegar and elbow grease im afraid.

Harsh lesson thoroughy learned!

[[XC] Oj101]

Sub'd for future reference.

[defect9]

wow, it looks like someone shat in your loop