Water cooling fluid ... what exactly do you guys use?

halik

Lifer
Oct 10, 2000
25,696
1
0
Im fixing a quad g5 poweremac to use as media server/dev box/ * and need to refill the water cooling system. What do you guys recommend?
 

OVerLoRDI

Diamond Member
Jan 22, 2006
5,490
4
81
Distilled water with a silver kill coil.

It is hard to beat regular water, and since on a g5 you aren't going to see the tubing, dyes and all the other reasons to use something else is moot.
 

Infrnl

Golden Member
Jan 22, 2007
1,175
0
0
+2 I am slowly getting ready to do my first build, but I have heard that distilled+silver coil is the best route to go and is what I plan to do.

will either go clear or colored tubing
 

bmaverick

Member
Feb 20, 2010
79
0
0
If this cooling loop is the original G5 liquid cooling unit, then stop all considerations for fluid recommendations. The original unit has mixed metals of steel, nickle, copper and aluminum.

With that said, the original coolant used is a saline solution with an unbalanced pH. One would need to fully flush the loop several times while avoiding any contact with the MOBO, daughter CPU cards and anything else inside the case and the case itself. the saline coolant solution when exposed to air is very corrosive similar to the likes of battery acid.

The unit will then need to be filled with 33% Sierra Propylene Glycol and 66% Distilled Water. Only the Sierra coolant has the proper corrosion inhibitor package that would work in the unit. The system would need to be flushed each year and refilled accordingly.

Now, if you are putting in a DIY WCing unit on your own accord, then the above will not apply. :)
 

halik

Lifer
Oct 10, 2000
25,696
1
0
If this cooling loop is the original G5 liquid cooling unit, then stop all considerations for fluid recommendations. The original unit has mixed metals of steel, nickle, copper and aluminum.

With that said, the original coolant used is a saline solution with an unbalanced pH. One would need to fully flush the loop several times while avoiding any contact with the MOBO, daughter CPU cards and anything else inside the case and the case itself. the saline coolant solution when exposed to air is very corrosive similar to the likes of battery acid.

The unit will then need to be filled with 33% Sierra Propylene Glycol and 66% Distilled Water. Only the Sierra coolant has the proper corrosion inhibitor package that would work in the unit. The system would need to be flushed each year and refilled accordingly.

Now, if you are putting in a DIY WCing unit on your own accord, then the above will not apply. :)

Holy crap, is it really that complicated? It is the G5 cooling unit, why wouldn't distilled water do it?

You are dead on about the OEM stuff being corrosive as hell.
 

bmaverick

Member
Feb 20, 2010
79
0
0
Holy crap, is it really that complicated? It is the G5 cooling unit, why wouldn't distilled water do it?

You are dead on about the OEM stuff being corrosive as hell.

The Delphi LCS uses copper/brass and aluminum in that G5 OEM loop.

Distilled water will allow the loop to go full blown galvanic corrosion with those mixed metals. The kill-coil will enhance the reaction. The Sierra PG coolant mixture to the distilled water is safest bet to run the loop.
 

halik

Lifer
Oct 10, 2000
25,696
1
0
The Delphi LCS uses copper/brass and aluminum in that G5 OEM loop.

Distilled water will allow the loop to go full blown galvanic corrosion with those mixed metals. The kill-coil will enhance the reaction. The Sierra PG coolant mixture to the distilled water is safest bet to run the loop.

Ah how about filling it with dexcool? It's designed for aluminum radiators.
 

bmaverick

Member
Feb 20, 2010
79
0
0
Ah how about filling it with dexcool? It's designed for aluminum radiators.

Because the Dexcool is a long life/extended life coolant that has the fewest corrosion inhibitors. Also, DexCool is pH corrosive in air just like the original coolant there was in the G5 to begin with. Look up on google, Dexcool and class action and see some shocking info. Dexcool is not cooling loop friendly nor will it ever work in a mixed metal environment for copper/brass and aluminum.

Below are some G5 performance RAD cores with the microchannel tubes. These cores are designed to connect to two CPU WCing lines and to hold the pressure in the loop for higher thermal transfer.


g5rad8256372a.jpg
 
Last edited:

OVerLoRDI

Diamond Member
Jan 22, 2006
5,490
4
81
If this cooling loop is the original G5 liquid cooling unit, then stop all considerations for fluid recommendations. The original unit has mixed metals of steel, nickle, copper and aluminum.

With that said, the original coolant used is a saline solution with an unbalanced pH. One would need to fully flush the loop several times while avoiding any contact with the MOBO, daughter CPU cards and anything else inside the case and the case itself. the saline coolant solution when exposed to air is very corrosive similar to the likes of battery acid.

The unit will then need to be filled with 33% Sierra Propylene Glycol and 66% Distilled Water. Only the Sierra coolant has the proper corrosion inhibitor package that would work in the unit. The system would need to be flushed each year and refilled accordingly.

Now, if you are putting in a DIY WCing unit on your own accord, then the above will not apply. :)

Well shit, minus however many + agreement points I got with my original suggestion.
 

aigomorla

CPU, Cases&Cooling Mod PC Gaming Mod Elite Member
Super Moderator
Sep 28, 2005
21,029
3,510
126
If this cooling loop is the original G5 liquid cooling unit, then stop all considerations for fluid recommendations. The original unit has mixed metals of steel, nickle, copper and aluminum.

With that said, the original coolant used is a saline solution with an unbalanced pH. One would need to fully flush the loop several times while avoiding any contact with the MOBO, daughter CPU cards and anything else inside the case and the case itself. the saline coolant solution when exposed to air is very corrosive similar to the likes of battery acid.

The unit will then need to be filled with 33% Sierra Propylene Glycol and 66% Distilled Water. Only the Sierra coolant has the proper corrosion inhibitor package that would work in the unit. The system would need to be flushed each year and refilled accordingly.

Now, if you are putting in a DIY WCing unit on your own accord, then the above will not apply. :)


+(infinity)
mix metals loops = u need to goto conventional methods, because they are stuck in an old practice.

u can use a koolance premix.. u can use a Feser premix.. EC6 is also doable.
In short use a premix... id go with koolance, because they have a history of mixing metals, and if stuff started melting, im sure they would of fixed the forumla.