ObscureEmpyre

rjbarker
Cant speak for the others but I have had no issues with EK clear concentrate....been using it since around 2015/16 when I couldnt get Fesser anymore....even after going around 18 months between flushes no issues, took both the CPU n GPU blcoks completely apart and quite clean in the fins.....

My loop was dirty after a year. Had to completely disassemble, clean, and replace mostly everything. Maybe the Mayhems stuff isn't that good after all.

That was with Mayhem or EK concentrate? Could be residue as well from the tubes.....no I was pleasantly surprised when I took the Blocks apart....expecting to see a lot of gunk in my Cold Plate fins after 18 months...once was actually 20 months ...I know right?! I get lazy ...there was some gunk (easily cleaned out with a toothpick) but not bad.....
For rads I use hot water n CLR cleaner....rinse n repeat....final rinse w distilled...
 
One thing when taking the GPU blocks apart...the big O Ring can be a little finicky to get back in the groove...soak in some hot water to get it pliable...then carefully tap into the groove with a cold wet rag all the way around...the cooling will help it to contract and stay in the groove :)

rjbarker
 
That was with Mayhem or EK concentrate? Could be residue as well from the tubes.....no I was pleasantly surprised when I took the Blocks apart....expecting to see a lot of gunk in my Cold Plate fins after 18 months...once was actually 20 months ...I know right?! I get lazy ...there was some gunk (easily cleaned out with a toothpick) but not bad.....
For rads I use hot water n CLR cleaner....rinse n repeat....final rinse w distilled...
 
One thing when taking the GPU blocks apart...the big O Ring can be a little finicky to get back in the groove...soak in some hot water to get it pliable...then carefully tap into the groove with a cold wet rag all the way around...the cooling will help it to contract and stay in the groove :)

Dirty after using the Mayhems X1 pre-mix stuff for a year. I looked in my loop earlier and noticed there's already some gunk building up. Again, it's only been 5 months since I rebuilt my loop with mostly fresh components. The only reused items were my fittings, CPU block, and radiators in which I thoroughly cleaned everything prior to rebuilding the loop. I'm also using Mayhems soft tubing that's supposed to be plasticizer-free. So, who knows? I even used the Mayhems Blitz Kit part 1 before putting my loop together initially, and I used part 2 to flush my radiators. Manually scrubbed the CPU block with a toothbrush and soaked the fittings in distilled water before drying them off. None appeared dirty, so I didn't think anything else needed to be done for them. Otherwise, thanks for the tip when it comes to the GPU block O ring.

I think it's difficult to get every bit of stuff out of the rads and some may break lose during operation too. Blocks make pretty good filters so it naturally collects there. Probably the only way to avoid it completely is to run a filter just before the blocks. Not sure how much of a flow restriction they are.

 
I strongly recommend the EK Leak Tester (link: https://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-leak-tester) - not only is it way easier than covering everything in paper towels and running 24 hours hoping there are no leaks, it also catches any slow/micro leaks that the 'traditional' method may miss (including slow leaks where evaporation hides the leak). Using this method, my last couple of loop fills did not experience any drop in coolant level whatsoever over the space of months.
 
I attach the tester to the GPU block since it's the most convenient - just take out one of the G1/4 stop plugs and screw in the leak tester (prior to adding any coolant of course!). Pump up the pressure to about half way in the green zone on the gauge, then leave it for at least 15 minutes to see if the air pressure has dropped. I then let the pressure off, and pump it up again and let it sit for another 15-30 minutes. If the air pressure has not dropped, it's golden. Never had a leak using this testing method.   
 
You can also use this on new individual components (radiator, GPU block, res/pump etc), or if you've opened a block up for cleaning and want to test it prior to reassembling the loop.
 

 
 

Nereus
I strongly recommend the EK Leak Tester

That’s what I’m thinking of getting. My loop’s already filled though, so I’d have to tap into the top of my res. That means propping up my case’s top radiator mount. Should be fun! 🤣

+1 for the EK Leak Tester.  It works well and as @Nereus said, is great for individual components.
 
In my case, if it passes that test twice, I still run a filled loop test with a separate PSU for a few hours - it is just the way I am.
 
@ObscureEmpyre:  I use Mayhems X1 and never had any problems.  I have hard tubing and flush my systems every six months - again, it is just the way I am.

Another tip when your flushing you're Rads:
- 1/2 fill em with (whatever you cleaner you use), as said I use CLR mixed 1:2 with distilled and shake the crap out of...like your mixing a martini...do this several times then
- rinse n repeat with distilled.
- the last rinse, pour the liquid out of your Rad n thru a regular coffee filter, inspect the filter...this will let you know if you still have crap in there or not.
- I then stand the rads up on end for a few hrs to let any residual liquid works it way out...this with 3 Rads (1 x 480 / 1 x 360 n 1 x 240 XSPC RX series...there thick buggers)
 
Try EK clear concentrate w distilled...simple...effective...cheap.....and will keep your blocks clean for a very long time....for flex tubing I used to use Fesser, but cant get it anymore so have switched to either XSPC or Primochill....these have proven great ...they are stiff though, so soak in the end in some extremely hot water for a minute or so, then you can get the ends over your barbs on your compression fitting easier.
 
I have stayed away from all the "gimmicky water cooling accessories" (there are so many now vs 7 or 8 yrs ago) since I began WC'ing several years ago.....except I did purchase a proper tube cutter for nice clean cuts, hell I havent installed my Water Temp probe yet (keep forgetting to) ... ;)
 
For what its worth over several years I had one serious leak....was my fault being hasty installing an EK Terminal Block on 3 x 1080Ti's .....one of the little O Rings on the terminal block was pinched...was obvious!
Another situation similar to your whereby I was losing a bit of coolant over time..a quick look in the bottom of the case (some dried coolant staining) steered me to a Bits Power fitting....the little O rings on the fittings dont last forever...mine were probably 3 yrs old, so purchased a bag of replacement O Rings.....
....Although I still leak test ...not 24 hrs....maybe 15 hrs...finishing building in the evening..fill and leak test till next AM...if its going to leak...it will right away or in the next 12 hrs or so.....n cycle your pump from Min to Max periodically (its why I swear by my D5 Vario w manual pump control knob)....

Nereus
 
I strongly recommend the EK Leak Tester (link: https://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-leak-tester) - not only is it way easier than covering everything in paper towels and running 24 hours hoping there are no leaks, it also catches any slow/micro leaks that the 'traditional' method may miss (including slow leaks where evaporation hides the leak). Using this method, my last couple of loop fills did not experience any drop in coolant level whatsoever over the space of months.
 
I attach the tester to the GPU block since it's the most convenient - just take out one of the G1/4 stop plugs and screw in the leak tester (prior to adding any coolant of course!). Pump up the pressure to about half way in the green zone on the gauge, then leave it for at least 15 minutes to see if the air pressure has dropped. I then let the pressure off, and pump it up again and let it sit for another 15-30 minutes. If the air pressure has not dropped, it's golden. Never had a leak using this testing method.   
 
You can also use this on new individual components (radiator, GPU block, res/pump etc), or if you've opened a block up for cleaning and want to test it prior to reassembling the loop.
 

 
 

That would defintely be a good idea, particularly after disassembling (to clean) your GPU Block....as said that O Ring is large and can be tricky to properly "seat" when re-assembling....this would be great way to ensure its seated n sealed!! Although I havent had an issues with the GPU Blcok seal...I always wonder if I got it right....

rjbarker
Another tip when your flushing you're Rads...

That's some good advice. I only got into custom water cooling just last year, so I'm still learning. And, I was originally going to go with all EK stuff, but people on overclock.net steered me toward other products. So, I wound up with only an EK GPU block/backplate and a D5 pump/res combo. The rads are Hardware Labs and the fittings are Bits Power. At this point, the O rings on the fittings are the oldest, and they're only about a year and a half old. I should hope they aren't breaking down already, but you never know. 

Hey all,
 
I just got the Vector block and backplate (not active) for my 3080ti ftw3.
Hoping to install it over the new years break. Any tips for easy installation? Ive herd preheating the card makes removing the stock cooler with putty alot easier.