Water/Liquid cooling cleaning & other questions...

[sehana]

how often should you clean a water/liquid cooling parts?
tubes, reservoir, generator & all that good stuff...

how often should i replace fluid?

what's the best fluid to use?

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[m4gery]

As long as you're not changing to a different coolant, you don't need to clean the res and tubes. You would only need to make sure you're not getting any algae or particulates in your fluid. I clean my radiator every six months to make sure there are no nasty dust balls in there.

There are a lot of opinions about how often you should change the liquid; some people like to do it every 6 months, but others wait for 18 months.

Again, lots of opinions on the "best" coolant. I personally like a mixture of Zerex (at 5%) with distilled water (at 95%). PC Ice is also very good as it's not too conductive and cools well.

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=303&zenid=347b839397bef2d0194101acf61a879c (for PC Ice)


http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=384&products_id=2734 (For Zerex)

[Dia]

I know this sounds like a duck and dive answer, but im gonna say it all depends on your build and what your using.

If you see stuff zipping by in your loop then I would clean out the rads.

If I see that my loop is not looking as clear as it was a few weeks after setting it up and its cloudy, I would replace tubes (also consider buying better tubes if its recent to a new loop) and clean my rads.

Oiling a pump and cleaning for maintenance is once again one of those situational things.

And finally coolant is highly debatable. Some claim deionized water is the best because it is highly thermally conductive, while others swear by the chemically engineered coolant.

Also cleaning a system is more required when using dyes in coolant that can build up, carode etc etc.

I know this isnt much help but this is my opinion on the situation.

[hagatha]

If your using a Zerex & distilled water mix you can go much longer... but if you add any of those UV or COLOR additives, they tend to break down after a few months, and then you should flush your system a couple times a year.

There are some products that are "non-conductive" that do a fair job of cooling, but nothing cools better than distilled water and Zerex or Hydrex

I actually use the antifreeze that I bought for my Jetta (made just for VW). Works great, and doesn't dis-color my tubing. I do about 5/95 mix.

A little secret is to fill the system with the distilled water first.... let it run till the air is well purged and then add your additive... less foaming and it's cool to watch it circulate!


hagatha

[sehana]

thank you all for the great info. will definitely use for reference when it is time to buy and replace! THANKS!

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