Hi,

i just joined this community. Ive been reading up on water cooling because im planning on making a system. ill post up the parts that im going to get once they're finalized. But the questions i have are about the liquid/coolant used in a wc setup.

1. Is it better to use automotive radiator coolant or automotive antifreeze, if there's a difference, and which is better to use? Due to where i live (outside the US) i cant buy any of the coolants made specifically for wc'ing.
2. Suppose i got radiator coolant which was red in color, then i went on to dilute it with distilled water. After that, i decide to put in a blue UV dye, would the liquid actually look blue, or would it be some other color due to the red coolant?

sorry if that last question is confusing. i asked that because i want to make the liquid UV blue, but i dont think blue coolant is available where i am (do they even make blue automotive coolant? lol)


thanks in advance!

First where do you live? 2nd Your not going to use hardly that much antifreeze as your thinking! Your going to mix it like 95% DH20 And 5% Antifreeze, You can use car antifreeze if you want! To tell you the truth I Only use 100% DH20 With a few drops of die! Never had a problem! Temps are GREAT! And Never have to clean blocks out! Alot of people just use the anti freeze for corrosion protection! For your copper cores of rads and water blocks!



If i do you anything besides DH20 I use this automotive mix called water wetter! Its a coolant additive!




And thats what i feel EVERYONE is going to tell you! Ive been water cooling for MANY years! Ive Done it all! = haha


Matt

thanks for the reply, and i live in pakistan....lol and i understand that im not going to use that much antifreeze but it will still change the color of the DH20, right? thats why i asked that if i put blue uv dye, whether it would look blue or not, due to the change in color of the DH20 (even though the color change might be miniscule)

And i would like to add an antifreeze or coolant jus to be on the safe side. Im pretty sure the only coolant/antifreeze ill be able to find here will be made by caltex, havoline, or shell. any suggestions on which one to use?

also do you use anything to prevent algae buildup?

If you can get hold of Feser One you'll save yourself a lot of trouble. It includes UV dye, anti-freeze, algaecide and is non-conductive. Personally I don't know why anyone uses anything else.

I know its a UK store, but have a look:

Components ? Water Cooling ? Fluids - Overclockers UK

Quote: Originally Posted by rahz thanks for the reply, and i live in pakistan....lol and i understand that im not going to use that much antifreeze but it will still change the color of the DH20, right? thats why i asked that if i put blue uv dye, whether it would look blue or not, due to the change in color of the DH20 (even though the color change might be miniscule) And i would like to add an antifreeze or coolant jus to be on the safe side. Im pretty sure the only coolant/antifreeze ill be able to find here will be made by caltex, havoline, or shell. any suggestions on which one to use? also do you use anything to prevent algae buildup?

Antifreeze/radiator coolant is a very good idea if you have mixed metals in your loop (copper and aluminium are the two more common types) as it has anti-corrosive properties - which will help keep everything running smooth and free from "gunk" buildup. don't worry too much about brand, most of them are made from very similar glycol-based products (usually ethylene or propylene glycol)

An important thing to note though is that it will stain acrylic a little bit - may not be an issue for you, but it should be noted (it isn't for me, and I use acrylic top blocks as well as a clear res)

If you want to dye your coolant - have a look around for a dye that has anti-corrosion agents in it (I think alphacool do something like it) that way you can skip the antifreeze altogether!

Personally I use a performance radiator coolant, it's green and coincidentally, the green colour is UV reactive (it's used in car radiators as a leak-checker)

I mix it ~97% demineralized water (the stuff you buy for car batteries)
~3% radiator coolant
a few drops/small squirt of good algaecide bought from a pet store (the algaecide is critical!)

If you don't use algaecide, you'll end up with all sorts of filmy residue or worse, lumps, in your loop after a while - especially at higher ambient air temps.

If you want to go one step further and do a little preventative maintennance before you get started - rinse your components (or whole assembled loop) out with listerine or any brand of mouthwash - it will kill anything that's lurking and prevent you having algae/bacteria problems for much longer

Hope that this helps

thanks for the advice.

this is the kit i was planning on buying from Petra's:

well, apparently i cant post links to other sites yet because i dont have enough posts

but the product name is: Petra'sTech CoolKit Lite - Rev.2

i was planning on changing the water block to the Fuzion w/ pro mount, and also adding a swiftech MCRES-MICRO reservoir. i know the kit is out of stock, but i contacted customer support and they offered to piece together a kit in a similar price range. Any suggestions? (i dont want mixed metals in the loop)

MasterP I'd really like to see some pics of your system if possible. For that matter, i'd like to see pics of anyone's setup.

Reflux, ive seen those dyes on numerous websites, but again the dilemma i have is that i wont be able to get my hands on some. So i guess ill have use MasterP's and MaTtsPc's advice on using radiator coolant, DH20, algeacide, and some UV dye, because those things are available here.

Quote: Originally Posted by rahz thanks for the advice. this is the kit i was planning on buying from Petra's: well, apparently i cant post links to other sites yet because i dont have enough posts but the product name is: Petra'sTech CoolKit Lite - Rev.2 i was planning on changing the water block to the Fuzion w/ pro mount, and also adding a swiftech MCRES-MICRO reservoir. i know the kit is out of stock, but i contacted customer support and they offered to piece together a kit in a similar price range. Any suggestions? (i dont want mixed metals in the loop) MasterP I'd really like to see some pics of your system if possible. For that matter, i'd like to see pics of anyone's setup. Reflux, ive seen those dyes on numerous websites, but again the dilemma i have is that i wont be able to get my hands on some. So i guess ill have use MasterP's and MaTtsPc's advice on using radiator coolant, DH20, algeacide, and some UV dye, because those things are available here.

The Pentosin additive that comes with that kit will be fine - you won't need to use antifreeze
It's a pretty decent kit as it stands - all I'd recommend is that you get some PT_Nuke Biocide and you're good to go!

My kit at the moment looks like this


There's other stuff in my gallery

thanks for the pic, i also checked out your gallery. very nice system and set up.

how many UV lights are you using? cold cathode or LED?

Quote: Originally Posted by rahz thanks for the pic, i also checked out your gallery. very nice system and set up. how many UV lights are you using? cold cathode or LED?

Thanks dude
I think I had 2x 12" CCFL's and a bunch of LED's drilled into the pump top, waterblocks and a few mounted under the res

Quote: Originally Posted by MasterP Thanks dude I think I had 2x 12" CCFL's and a bunch of LED's drilled into the pump top, waterblocks and a few mounted under the res

awesome....those LEDs were UV right? I'd really like to know how you drilled those into the pump, etc., without damaging them, if its not too much trouble.

also, how often do you change out your coolant? and how are you liking the swiftech micro reservoir?

Quote: Originally Posted by rahz awesome....those LEDs were UV right? I'd really like to know how you drilled those into the pump, etc., without damaging them, if its not too much trouble. also, how often do you change out your coolant? and how are you liking the swiftech micro reservoir?

This is how I set up the original loop (2 years ago):
http://www.forumapex.com/extreme_coo...d_wc_loop.html

It's been through a few changes since then of course (ditching the aluminium-capped res due to mixed metal problems, refining the layout and adding in some Stealth GT radiators as well as a full coverage GPU block)

I change my coolant every 4-6 months (normally 6 months if I sterilize everything before filling it) I give the tubing a bit of a squeeze every once in a while to see if there's any thin film forming inside - once I start to see it, I clean my loop out

The Swiftech res is really good - compact, easy to mount (or hide if need be) and looks good when lit underneath

Quote: Originally Posted by MasterP This is how I set up the original loop (2 years ago): It's been through a few changes since then of course (ditching the aluminium-capped res due to mixed metal problems, refining the layout and adding in some Stealth GT radiators as well as a full coverage GPU block) I change my coolant every 4-6 months (normally 6 months if I sterilize everything before filling it) I give the tubing a bit of a squeeze every once in a while to see if there's any thin film forming inside - once I start to see it, I clean my loop out The Swiftech res is really good - compact, easy to mount (or hide if need be) and looks good when lit underneath

awesome, looks like im gonna have to buy a dremel tool if i want to put in those LEDs too, but ill see about that once i get the WC kit. Im sorry that i keep asking you questions, hope im not annoying you, but how much dye do you use to achieve that green color?

A coupe of things:

First, welcome to the PCApex community. As you can see, there are numerous peoples here that not only have experience to share with newer members, and we're happy to do so...

I want to echo what MasterP said about "regular" antifreeze working well with a mixed-metals loop. My boss is always talking about "you go to war with the Army that you have, not the one you are sitting around waiting for..." Same applies to antifreeze/coolants. I actually could go online and order coolant material specifically designed for computer cooling kits/loops, but I chose not to.

When I tried my hand at watercooling a while back, I got my hands on some antifreeze that was made for racing motorcycles. Not that I was out looking for "motorcycle" or "racing motorcycle" antifreeze, I was looking for blue/blueish AF. I happened upon it in a motorcycle and ATV store near my house. It worked just fine for the time that I kept it running, and I didn't have to mix in any dyes or additives aside from the distilled water.

If you can't find the particular shade you want for your system, you might try some experimentation to see what sort of mix will get you the closest. Keeping in mind that you generally get antifreeze in a reddish or greenish tint (just because I hadn't seen blue AF before doesn't mean it's not out there), apply some basic knowledge of primary colors and their secondaries, etc, and I'll wager you can Frankenstein together a concoction that meets your performance needs as well as your aesthetic ones.

Good luck, and keep us posted on the progress (maybe open a worklog?)

Quote: Originally Posted by GrandpaNoob72 A coupe of things: First, welcome to the PCApex community. As you can see, there are numerous peoples here that not only have experience to share with newer members, and we're happy to do so... I want to echo what MasterP said about "regular" antifreeze working well with a mixed-metals loop. My boss is always talking about "you go to war with the Army that you have, not the one you are sitting around waiting for..." Same applies to antifreeze/coolants. I actually could go online and order coolant material specifically designed for computer cooling kits/loops, but I chose not to. When I tried my hand at watercooling a while back, I got my hands on some antifreeze that was made for racing motorcycles. Not that I was out looking for "motorcycle" or "racing motorcycle" antifreeze, I was looking for blue/blueish AF. I happened upon it in a motorcycle and ATV store near my house. It worked just fine for the time that I kept it running, and I didn't have to mix in any dyes or additives aside from the distilled water. If you can't find the particular shade you want for your system, you might try some experimentation to see what sort of mix will get you the closest. Keeping in mind that you generally get antifreeze in a reddish or greenish tint (just because I hadn't seen blue AF before doesn't mean it's not out there), apply some basic knowledge of primary colors and their secondaries, etc, and I'll wager you can Frankenstein together a concoction that meets your performance needs as well as your aesthetic ones. Good luck, and keep us posted on the progress (maybe open a worklog?)

thanks for the advice, ill definitely keep that in mind when preparing the coolant. Ill also definitely try to post a worklog, but the project's been delayed for a while (1 1/2 months) due to some unforeseen circumstances.

I also had one more question about distilled water....plain distilled water is non-conductive right?

Quote: Originally Posted by rahz I also had one more question about distilled water....plain distilled water is non-conductive right?

Distilled water will still conduct electricity - but if you do a proper leak test, you won't get leaks anyway
The only non-conductive water is pure deionized water (distilled and goes through a multi-step process including being passed through an ion-exchange resin) - it has nothing in it which will conduct electricity....

That is until it's exposed to air - CO2 dissolves in it, making it conductive over time

So in short... don't worry about it too much