A little while ago I suspected algae in my loop. However, when I finally got around to taking it all apart, I discovered what looks like rust
It's dark, greenish in color (although under these lighting it doesn't seem like it). It's definitely in the metal and I can't get it off (I did try cleaning it off).
Well, I'm pretty sure this is rust, and I didn't go through all the WBs in the loop (this is the first one I took apart) but the loops is full of white residue which is dark when cleaned off with a Q-tip. The question is: how did it happen? I don't have any aluminum in the loop, the water is distilled with a couple of drops of PT-nuke. The loop consisted of PA120.3, 3xGTX200 Heatkillers, Laing D5 and Swifty Microres + tubing and fittings (the latter where either used in other loops or similar ones are in my other loop which is running just fine). So my question is this: how did this happen? What caused the rust? I'm really at a loss since I've tried so hard to avoid this sort of a problem and still hit me...
It's normal for bare copper to oxidize like that. I believe most people use ketchup to remove it. The white residue is probably solder resin from your 120.3, they're well known for that. All you can do now is clean everything up flush the rad with hotwater to try and get the rest out.
__________________
Gulftown@4305Mhz 1.376v
Gigabyte EX58-UD3R F8D
3x2GB Dominator GT 1640MHz 6-7-6-18 1T
BFG 8800GTX OC 640/1000 EK full-coverage WB
Windows 7 Ultimate x64
HK 3.0-MCP655-Massive car rad!
X-FI XtremeGamer
Silverstone Strider 850w
120GB OCZ Vertex - OS
2.5TB storage
TT Armor VA8003SWA
I did try the ketchup but that stain didn't budge. I think it ate through the metal and it looks like rust - green color... Well, I mean what is rust - it's oxidized metal and it's obviously oxidized. However, I thought it was not supposed to occur INSIDE the waterblock where there's no air unless there's a ion exchange with lower-class metal like aluminum. I mean, it didn't happen to my CPU block which I used for much longer than these VGA blocks (it had crud from coolant additive but nothing like this).
Rust is actually Iron Oxide and so if you don't have steel or iron in your loop it isn't that. Copper oxide is green in colour so it's likely to be that. I would just leave it if it isn't causing any problems as it will probably build up again anyway.
but the question remains: why is it happening? I mean it's frigging rusting, excuse me, oxidizing - but why? It's not in contact air, it's in contact with water... and it never happened to my other blocks INSIDE, only slight film on the outside which would clean right off with a little ketchup and scrubbing... this one is much rougher and much deeper in the metal
Water isn't all H2O. There is a very small amount of OH and H3O in any volume of water. H2O won't oxidize, but you will get a copper oxidation with the other ions. There's nothing you can do about it, basically.
Last edited by DeathWalking; 10-03-2009 at 02:45 AM.
So, if I understand it correctly, HKs are machined in a way that they are oxidizing, while a couple of other waterblocks I used (Swifty GTZ, for example) does no do that? I mean, they are all in the same water, and yet my GTZ is spotless after seeing twice a much use as this HK. AFter all the hype about HKs they turn out to be such a letdown
So, if I understand it correctly, HKs are machined in a way that they are oxidizing, while a couple of other waterblocks I used (Swifty GTZ, for example) does no do that? I mean, they are all in the same water, and yet my GTZ is spotless after seeing twice a much use as this HK. AFter all the hype about HKs they turn out to be such a letdown
Oxidization doesn't really matter...it shouldn't affect anything in your loop, except the "bling" factor, which I know is extremely precious for some.
As for machined differently, I really don't know. Not only is it beyond my knowledge if a certain manufacturing technique can reduce oxidation, I don't know if they're made of the same copper (an alloy, cu(1) or cu(2), etc), if they're coated or treated in some way, etc. But basically, I really wouldn't worry about it. Oxidation is not rust.
Well, my problem is that it's rather deep... Like I said, I'm used to oxidization which is like only tarnishing the surface. This one has a few small spots but they go relatively deep and do not scrub off easily compared to what I'm used to. In addition, it's a rough patch... So my concern if it's gonna get deeper and maybe even eat through the copper to the other side.
Linear Mode
