What's causing my loop to go green? (UPDATED)

[thilanliyan]

I'm running distilled water with this:
https://www.dazmode.com/store/product/dazmode_protector/

It's supposed to be a corrosion inhibitor and biocide...not sure why my tubes are going green. This loop is cooling a 4670k and 2x290s. The cards are continuously mining so the water temp is about 40C always (fans are on low speed) according to the inline water temp sensor. Pump is a MCP655 vario, rads are 1x120, 1x280, and 1x240 (thick). Oh and the tubing is some no name stuff from homedepot.

Any ideas?

EDIT: So I bought some Primochill ADVANCED LRT and redid the loop with only distilled and a silver kill coil:

Excuse the ghetto XFire water bridge.
The Primochill tubing has a lot thicker wall diameter than I was expecting but I guess that helps with the bend radius.

Not sure if you can see it but the kill coil is there in the res:

And I DID have that jelly like stuff as a result of the glycol based coolant additive I was using before in my CPU block:

When I flushed the loop there were a couple of chunks of that jelly like stuff that ended up in the bowl. Thanks AIGO for warning me about that!

Oh and another thing, I am using the EK Supremacy CPU block and the nickel plating had definitely been stripped off somehow around where the O-ring goes. So even without any silver in the loop before, the nickel plating was getting eaten away somehow.

 

[Tim]

I saw one review on that link that said "works fine most of the time", and the guy had one case where there was algae build up.

I've got no other knowledge to share here on this, but that seems to be the first thing that sticks out to me right off the bat. Perhaps the product isn't always 100% effective?

 

[thilanliyan]

I saw one review on that link that said "works fine most of the time", and the guy had one case where there was algae build up.

I've got no other knowledge to share here on this, but that seems to be the first thing that sticks out to me right off the bat. Perhaps the product isn't always 100% effective?

Yeah I saw that too...pretty bad luck if that's the problem.

Is it possible to run car antifreeze plus distilled water?

 

[YBS1]

Yeah I saw that too...pretty bad luck if that's the problem.

Is it possible to run car antifreeze plus distilled water?

Yes, you'd be better off though with just pure distilled and a silver kill coil or silver bullet. You mentioned the tubing is no name Home Depot, it's possible the tubing is just discoloring in that manner because of it's composition materials or even the inhibitor itself is causing it. Personally I run pure distilled along with a silver bullet in the reservoir and each radiator and my water is as sparkling clear as it went in. I'm not really opposed to the premixes such as Feser One other than they tend to stain components (particularly acrylic reservoirs).

 

[thilanliyan]

^I had read that running silver in loops can cause corrosion with the copper/nickel in loops? I have a nickel plated CPU block.

 

[YBS1]

Silver, nickel, copper and brass are all right next to each other on the anodic index. Virtually all loops have brass (fittings), copper (radiator), and nickel (blocks) anyway. Bringing aluminum into the mix is where you probably don't want to go. (Some radiators may be aluminum tubing rather than copper or brass tubing though so be selective).

 

[thilanliyan]

I had read that certain companies will void warranty if they detect silver in the loop:
http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/114646-silver-kill-coils-void-the-warranty-on-koolance-ek-wbs/

My CPU and GPU blocks are EK, although only my CPU block is nickel plated. Performance seems okay right now though so I'll leave it like that until the next time I have to rebuild the loop.

 

[YBS1]

You seem to be concerned about the corrosion issue and there is nothing wrong with being cautious. Just go with one of the premixes such as Feser One, or maybe something like Swiftech HydraX additive if it gives you peace of mind. Keep the staining in mind though if it's applicable in your situation.

All solutions seem to have at least a mild downside. For instance with my present build I originally wanted to go with clear tubing and a white Mayhems Aurora type of cooling liquid. I was concerned with possible issues/wear that type fluid may have on the pumps longevity though, then hearing reports of how that stuff doesn't quite look as neat as it ages swayed me to the white tubing with pure distilled route.

 

[A.t]

You're best off flushing that loop, washing up the parts and then putting them all back together, again with distilled but this time with a silver kill coil thrown into the res.

As for corrosion, it was the old EK blocks that did it. But I personally am simply not sold on their hardware anymore. I bought a Raystorm block a while ago and it is alright, however my old Cuplex Kyros HF is a much bigger chunk of copper so I'm inclined to believe it would give me better performance, that is of course not counting in other factors such as flow rate of the block.

 

[PhIlLy ChEeSe]

As for corrosion, it was the old EK blocks that did it. But I personally am simply not sold on their hardware anymore. I bought a Raystorm block a while ago and it is alright, however my old Cuplex Kyros HF is a much bigger chunk of copper so I'm inclined to believe it would give me better performance, that is of course not counting in other factors such as flow rate of the block.

What corrosion?

@Original poster
Flush the system good, use anti freeze.

 

[A.t]

What corrosion?

@Original poster
Flush the system good, use anti freeze.

You seem to be behind times a lot as EK blocks, back in the day, used to corrode big time. However they fixed up the issue and they don't seem to anymore.

Also, what anti freeze? Use distilled. Anything else is junk.

 

[aigomorla]

^I had read that running silver in loops can cause corrosion with the copper/nickel in loops? I have a nickel plated CPU block.

Running cheap silver / made in china silver / silver which doesnt have 99.99999% purity / sterling silver, will corrode....

If its pure silver, 99.99999% mint grade, or basically an Iandh kill coil original, then it will stay pure.

Do not trust vendors, sources, which state its pure silver without listing its purity. Even 1% off will cause it to corrode.

I had read that certain companies will void warranty if they detect silver in the loop:
http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/114646-silver-kill-coils-void-the-warranty-on-koolance-ek-wbs/
My CPU and GPU blocks are EK, although only my CPU block is nickel plated. Performance seems okay right now though so I'll leave it like that until the next time I have to rebuild the loop

Yep... because of the said problems above.
Lots of fake pure silver products flooded the market.
Lots of iron in so called "pure silver" coils, especially from china, ruined it.
No way to quality control the products either, because you would need to melt it, and see if u have any impurities, hence too much time and effort.
Which is why i dont buy anymore kill coils.
I buy from a reputed US vendor by sheets, and just cut them out with avation snips personally, like how iandh did it when i contracted him the first time.

Think of it this way, the problem never occured until people started running a kill coils after iandh had others copy his idea.
Silver Blocks never had this problem when people were running them back during the DangerDen TDX and Cathars silver Storm days.
Pure silver is extremely resistant to corrosion, although it may turn a bit black from tarnish / oxidation.

Lastly, unless ur running a block with a clear top, if the nickle fades and u don't see it, why would it matter?
I mostly get nickle so the outside stays white, and doesnt oxidize like copper does.
To be honest, i wish koolance brought back the gold plating, a but the cost of gold now is far too expensive to plate the blocks with quality.


As to answer your question in regards to the tubing discoloration....
Most likely, its probably the copper 2 sulfate getting deposited on the tubing. Its probably bonding to the plasticize leech on cheap tubing which is causing discoloration.

You seem to be behind times a lot as EK blocks, back in the day, used to corrode big time. However they fixed up the issue and they don't seem to anymore.

Also, what anti freeze? Use distilled. Anything else is junk.

Green on copper Its more oxidation of copper from micro air bubbles compounded to the heat factor on the plate...

this penny chart is a good diagram of what happens to copper...

 

[A.t]

Green on copper Its more oxidation of copper from micro air bubbles compounded to the heat factor on the plate..

I know that, but I don't think that is the case. I just think it is the crappy liquid he used as anti-bacteria that did it.

If it's oxidation, it'll be the blocks that will end being messed up.

As for EK, the blocks corroded, oxidated and ended up looking complete mess. But I don't think that is the case here either as all that happened and ended in 2011 unless the OP did something wrong, such as mixing copper and aluminum...

 

[aigomorla]

I know that, but I don't think that is the case. I just think it is the crappy liquid he used as anti-bacteria that did it.

If it's oxidation, it'll be the blocks that will end being messed up.

As for EK, the blocks corroded, oxidated and ended up looking complete mess. But I don't think that is the case here either as all that happened and ended in 2011 unless the OP did something wrong, such as mixing copper and aluminum...

which is why i said i think its a combination of his antimicrob + cheap tubing.

Its most likely the copper 2 sulfate deposited itself on the tubing as his plasticize leech ate away.

If its a microbe outbreak, which i find not possible due to the amount of copper inside the rad, then the coolant will have a foul smell which can be noticed though the porous tubing.

 

[thilanliyan]

What type of clear tubing should I get? It has become harder and harder to get quality tubing these days which is why I went with the homedepot stuff. I used to run Tygon but it has gotten harder to get here in Canada.

This stuff any good?
https://www.dazmode.com/store/product/advanced-lrt-flexible-tubing-12-id-34-od/

Also, the general consensus is that it's okay to run a pure silver coil with the nickel plated block using distilled? I don't care if the nickel wears away.

This kill coil (Although it's a bit disconcerting to see in the title of that product it says "#1 Useless Product for Watercooling")?
https://www.dazmode.com/store/product/uber_pure_killcoil_99_9991_silver_wire_0_25mm_-_250mm/


And what should I use to clean out the blocks, rads, and pump?

EDIT: The res window looks completely fine without any buildup so it must just be the tubing.

Looks like I'm not the only one with green tubes when using homedepot tubing haha:
http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/578625-post19.html

 

[aigomorla]

yeah which is why i said its probably the plasticizers

 

[A.t]

What type of clear tubing should I get? It has become harder and harder to get quality tubing these days which is why I went with the homedepot stuff. I used to run Tygon but it has gotten harder to get here in Canada.

This stuff any good?
https://www.dazmode.com/store/product/advanced-lrt-flexible-tubing-12-id-34-od/

Also, the general consensus is that it's okay to run a pure silver coil with the nickel plated block using distilled? I don't care if the nickel wears away.

This kill coil (Although it's a bit disconcerting to see in the title of that product it says "#1 Useless Product for Watercooling")?
https://www.dazmode.com/store/product/uber_pure_killcoil_99_9991_silver_wire_0_25mm_-_250mm/

And what should I use to clean out the blocks, rads, and pump?

EDIT: The res window looks completely fine without any buildup so it must just be the tubing.

I use alcohol myself to clean out the blocks. As for your issue, well I'd say if you use crap, expect crap. Really, the site and the things in your link look no good. There are known brands and good sources to buy these things from. Such as PT Nuke, Alphacool and such are just a few that come to my mind. Surely they also cost more but you're splitting hairs for a few $ of difference here really.

Yeah, it is suggested to use silver coil with distilled. You can do with a drop of biocide as well, such as PT Nuke, but silver coil is the more natural option... IMO. The nickel plating should not wear under normal conditions unless the blocks are crap or used too much.

 

[thilanliyan]

Surely they also cost more but you're splitting hairs for a few $ of difference here really.

I didn't buy that tubing to save money...it really is difficult to get Tygon here in Canada. None of the shops I used to buy from have it in stock anymore. Is that Primochill LRT tubing any good?

yeah which is why i said its probably the plasticizers

Is Primochill tubing any good?

EDIT:
Holy crap it seems even this Primochill Advanced LRT stuff can have issues:
http://forums.pureoverclock.com/primochill/19127-new-primoflex-advanced-lrt-tubing-2.html#post202624

I'm gonna give it a shot though...hopefully I don't have this issue.

 

[A.t]

Primochill should be good.

 

[Puffnstuff]

I used PT Nuke with great results and when I used primochill it also worked very well.

 

[PhIlLy ChEeSe]

Primochill should be good.

LOLZ!
Yeah I'm behind the times..............

 

[aigomorla]

i use colored primochill tubing..
that way i dont care if it gets discolored because i wont notice it.

black and red... u wont notice if anything turns blue...

Well i do have a very large res, which i can inspect for color incase my system does foul..

so even if something was deposited on the tubing.. i wouldnt care until my res started to change color.

 

[thilanliyan]

^Yeah I wouldn't mind using coloured tubing but I only have a very small window in my res so I use the tubing to gauge the health of the system in certain respects.

I bought some Primochill Advanced LRT tubing with a kill coil. I'll update this thread once I redo the loop.

 

[lazybedone]

use primochill tubing, it works well and hopefully will resolve the issue. Goodluck

 

[Subyman]

i use colored primochill tubing..
that way i dont care if it gets discolored because i wont notice it.

black and red... u wont notice if anything turns blue...

Well i do have a very large res, which i can inspect for color incase my system does foul..

so even if something was deposited on the tubing.. i wouldnt care until my res started to change color.

I use black tygon. Its great stuff. Res lets me know how the water quality is. I only use biocide with distilled. I squirt a lot more biocide than the packaging says though :thumbsup: