Koolance Plating Flaking?

[D749]

While breaking down part of my loop today I noticed this on my of my Koolance fittings. I'm using distilled water & Mayhems XT-1 Clear Coolant Concentrate. In terms of metals I only use copper, nickel-plated copper and nickel-plated brass.



What exactly am I looking at?

Thanks.

[Buckeye]

What exactly am I looking at?

That's a very good question.

Not sure what you are trying to show here.

[D749]

That's a very good question.

Not sure what you are trying to show here.

The brownish ring - specifically the brownish area located at the 10 o'clock position on the fitting. It appears to be corrosion of the nickel but I don't know why.

[Buckeye]

If you have bare copper in the loop can't that tarnish over time ?

You never know just what type of copper they use for these, possible low grade stuff I don't know.

If it just wipes off nice and clean I wouldn't worry about it much.

[D749]

If you have bare copper in the loop can't that tarnish over time ?

You never know just what type of copper they use for these, possible low grade stuff I don't know.

If it just wipes off nice and clean I wouldn't worry about it much.

It doesn't wipe off. I think it's where the nickel has come off.

[Nickel020]

We need better pictures than that to judge what it could be. Without being able to see it clearly, anything is speculation. Can you get your hands on a DSLR? Preferably on a tripod and maybe even with a macro lens.

How long has the loop been running like this? How long have the QDs been in use and have they seen any other coolant? Do you still remember what ratio you used to mix the coolant? Unfortunately there's no information on the Mayhem's website about what exactly is in the coolant - but from what I have read on the topic, I believe that this could possibly be corrosion due to an insufficient amount of corrosion inhibitors in your coolant mix.
http://www.mayhems.co.uk/front/xt-1.html#.UsG0JvTuLRy

Edit: It could also be mechanical damage to the plating from turning the QDs when closed. Without close-up pictures and the knowledge of what to look for, it's really hard to tell. If you really want to know the cause of this, maybe dig up the old thread about plating problems with EK blocks and PM some of the more knowledgable people who posted there (when you have better pictures). The report EK commissioned on the nickel plating issues was also quite insightful:
http://www.ekwb.com/shop/EK-IMAGES/E...nal_Report.pdf

[D749]

We need better pictures than that to judge what it could be. Without being able to see it clearly, anything is speculation. Can you get your hands on a DSLR? Preferably on a tripod and maybe even with a macro lens.

How long has the loop been running like this? How long have the QDs been in use and have they seen any other coolant? Do you still remember what ratio you used to mix the coolant? Unfortunately there's no information on the Mayhem's website about what exactly is in the coolant - but from what I have read on the topic, I believe that this could possibly be corrosion due to an insufficient amount of corrosion inhibitors in your coolant mix.
http://www.mayhems.co.uk/front/xt-1.html#.UsG0JvTuLRy

Edit: It could also be mechanical damage to the plating from turning the QDs when closed. Without close-up pictures and the knowledge of what to look for, it's really hard to tell. If you really want to know the cause of this, maybe dig up the old thread about plating problems with EK blocks and PM some of the more knowledgable people who posted there (when you have better pictures). The report EK commissioned on the nickel plating issues was also quite insightful:
http://www.ekwb.com/shop/EK-IMAGES/E...nal_Report.pdf

I went with 5% Mayhem - 50 ml, 950 ml distilled. Assume the nickel plating is coming off does this really have any impact on my loop?

[Nickel020]

Thinking about it, I don't see any actual problems. Underneth the nickel plating is brass, and you already have that in your radiator so it shouldn't be a problem. Nickel plating is also really really thin, so it doesn't really affect the dimensions of the QDs. It should also dissolve gradually, so it's not like you should have any nickel flakes in your loop that might damage your pump or get stuck in the CPU block. The nickel dissolved in the loop already may possibly be an issue, but I don't know if the concentration is high enough and what kind of problems could be caused by this. In any case, I would probably flush the loop and add more corrosion inhibitor to the new coolant.

The location of the plating coming off also points toward it being corrosion btw. Corrosion has a tendency to happen where the water is mostly stationary. And on the sides of the QDs water isn't really flowing, it's just a tiny bit of water trapped between the two ends of the QDs - ideal for corrosion. If you look at other pictures of corrosion, you will also see that it mostly occurs on the edges of the flow path.

[D749]

Thinking about it, I don't see any actual problems. Underneth the nickel plating is brass, and you already have that in your radiator so it shouldn't be a problem. Nickel plating is also really really thin, so it doesn't really affect the dimensions of the QDs. It should also dissolve gradually, so it's not like you should have any nickel flakes in your loop that might damage your pump or get stuck in the CPU block. The nickel dissolved in the loop already may possibly be an issue, but I don't know if the concentration is high enough and what kind of problems could be caused by this. In any case, I would probably flush the loop and add more corrosion inhibitor to the new coolant.

The location of the plating coming off also points toward it being corrosion btw. Corrosion has a tendency to happen where the water is mostly stationary. And on the sides of the QDs water isn't really flowing, it's just a tiny bit of water trapped between the two ends of the QDs - ideal for corrosion. If you look at other pictures of corrosion, you will also see that it mostly occurs on the edges of the flow path.

I appreciate the detailed response - very helpful. Glad to know it's nothing to really worry about. I plan to up the Mayhem mixture from 5% to at least 10%. I'll flush the system when I installed the new blocks this/next week.