So what causes cloudy tubes?

[vulcZ]

Broke my loop down tonight so I can install my new video card tomorrow, and I noticed that all of my tubing was incredibly cloudy. This is my 2nd loop using this same tubing, and same kind of distilled water/biocide combo. I don't use any sort of dyes or anti-corrisive additives, or kill-coils or anything. Last time I broke my loop apart (after about 2 months of use) the tubing was still perfectly clear. The only different this time around was that I went with a different reservoir (XSPC dual bay/D5 this time, Swiftech MicroRes last time), and this time my loop wasn't 100% bled. I've had it running for almost 2 months before I broke it down tonight, and frequently I heard bubbles due to the difficulty I had bleeding with this reservoir.

Any way, what causes this? Is it possible that all the extra air being moved around in my loop could have caused this? Possible that I used TOO much biocide or maybe not enough? The water looked pretty clean although it smelled funny (not sure how I could describe how it smelled). It doesn't smell dirty or anything, it just smells.. I dont know, fresh, filtered smell. Not a dirty disgusting smell though.

Here's a few pictures:

[Fatfool]

It's your Tygon R3603 leaching plasticiser. I used to use it and it turned out exactly the same. These tubes are actually for say peristaltic pumps, hence the compressibility requirement.

Use Primochill or Tygon B-44-X or Tygon B-44-3. B-44-X seems to have some complaints...B-44-3 none. But that's probably because I'm the only one on these forums using it.

[nvmc]

My R3400 is fine :p

[Fatfool]

My R3400 is fine :p

Yeah, I guess that's fine too. Too stiff for my liking though.

[Conumdrum]

Many of us use Primochill LRT now. Soft, good bend radius and very very little clouding.

[jikdoc]

+1 for primochill 7/16"
using it for almost 6 years and 3 builds

[Utnorris]

I actually have some of the Primochill colored tubing that has darkened and I only use distilled and PT-nuke. The Masterkleer tubing I have used in the past was pretty good about not clouding and is about a third of the cost.

[Vinas]

The clear Primochill LRT can cloud also. My recent loop is already clouding after about one month... Although it is not as bad as the Tygon it replaced (Avatar pic).

[vulcZ]

So do you guys recommend this?

http://www.amazon.com/PrimoFlex-Blac...033333&sr=8-12

Seems like a great price (considering free shipping, no sales tax to CA) for what seems to be very popular tubing. They have other colors too.

I've been wanting to get black tubing (not a fan of the dyes), and I don't mind if it clouds a little as long as there's no ramifications later on down the road because of it.

[Barb]

Can't you scrub the inside of the tubes to make them clear again? I remember wading up a paper towel and pushing it through the tubing to clean them up. The loop had to be dissembled though. Also, It's probably easier to just buy tubing in bulk and replace it periodically.

[vulcZ]

Yeah you could, it's evident in the 2nd picture I posted. I slid a cloth with a screwdriver and softly wiped some of the cloudiness off.

Yeah Amazon sells 10' of Primochill tubing for $16 shipped. At that price I'd rather just buy extra tubing and drain my loop every 6 months or so.

[Gamekiller]

I'm having the exact same issue with the exact same tubing. I had to flush my loop out a ton but the tube is still cloudy.

[Fatfool]

Btw, If you're wondering, My B-44-3 doesn't cloud.... at all. It's as clear after a year's of use as it was when it arrived in a loop.



And I used 'black' feser pre mix.

[vulcZ]

Wow that looks great! It's pretty expensive stuff though. 10' on Amazon is almost $40! I guess it's reasonable, but I'm comparing it to Primochill which is a lot cheaper

[BrokenArrow]

Btw, If you're wondering, My B-44-3 doesn't cloud.... at all. It's as clear after a year's of use as it was when it arrived in a loop.


And I used 'black' feser pre mix.

Good to know. Can you compare the B-44's "stiffness" to say normal Tygon 3603 or Primochill LRT?

P.S. That fluid color looks purple to me.

[Fatfool]

Wow that looks great! It's pretty expensive stuff though. 10' on Amazon is almost $40! I guess it's reasonable, but I'm comparing it to Primochill which is a lot cheaper

It's less expensive to me because I use 1/4" ID 3/8" OD

Mine's a 25 feet roll. Have had it for at least 2 years now. I've still got half the roll left after 2 builds (and a few rebuilds)

But I highly recommend it. Unlike B-44-X, this one's got a hydrophobic inner bore that's why the liquid in the pics have beaded up. You can literally shake the fluid out.

Primochill's much cheaper though so I believe most will go for it.

[Fatfool]

Good to know. Can you compare the B-44's "stiffness" to say normal Tygon 3603 or Primochill LRT?

P.S. That fluid color looks purple to me.

It's definitely stiffer than R3603. No where near the stiffness of Tygon silver though. I'd rather it as very workable. Then again, I use such low ID tubing..... Because of the unconventional size, I've not used Primochill either but from a demonstration a friend once did, the primochill's stiffer than R3603 too.


And yes, precisely. The fluid's actually purple. Feser cheats. They just use a very high concentration of dye.

Here's a picture of the exact same fluid with R3603


Not nice.

[vulcZ]

I got my Primochill today in the mail and it's definitely stiffer than 3603 Tygon, but it seems like it'll fit the bill just fine. This tubing is 100% black and not see-through at all.

How is one to know whether or not there's bubbles in the tubing? lol

[BrokenArrow]

I got my Primochill today in the mail and it's definitely stiffer than 3603 Tygon, but it seems like it'll fit the bill just fine. This tubing is 100% black and not see-through at all.

How is one to know whether or not there's bubbles in the tubing? lol

Check for bubbles in reservoir.

[vulcZ]

Well yeah but I mean, a lot of times bubbles get stuck in the actual tubing and I have to flick that area of the tubing in order to dislodge those bubbles

That was more of a joke than it was a question, haha.

[Quad-Damage]

I bought some tubing at ace hardware and it doesn't cloud it was 1.09 per foot, my 1st loop i bought some expensive 2.99 per foot and it clouded up bad.

[Kenjiwing]

Can anyone link me to some of the tygon b44-3 tubing?

[NKrader]

The Masterkleer tubing I have used in the past was pretty good about not clouding and is about a third of the cost.

you take that back.


ive been using primochil for about 1.5 years now. still looks brandnew. distilled+Kilcoil.

[vulcZ]

Can anyone link me to some of the tygon b44-3 tubing?

http://www.amazon.com/Tygon-B-44-3-B...134500&sr=8-28

[Fatfool]

Well yeah but I mean, a lot of times bubbles get stuck in the actual tubing and I have to flick that area of the tubing in order to dislodge those bubbles

That was more of a joke than it was a question, haha.

no you don't. Just let the loop run. Btw, I found that the thermochill EC6 coolant got rid of bubbles in about 3 hours from fill time (empty loop)