Algae or Corrosion?

[Fibbles]

Aqua Computer says there's no way to get algae in a closed loop. They do offer the idea that it might have been corroded copper, especially if it's green. There was a question in their forum asking, and since I am having a similar issue... The stuff I had got on my blocks and tubing mostly. My Eheim's impellor had some gunk, but it was stringy and led me to think it was getting deposited/stuck there. Flushing the rad yielded some gunk, but not as much as was in between the pins and channels of my GPX, nor like what built up all over the Cuplex EVO and most of the tubing. The 'stuff' was sort of mixed brown and green, plus it's somewhat furry and slimy. I had approx 2 spoon fulls of AC Fluid and quite a bit more Glowmotion in a base of distilled. I'm stumped on what it was, especially if it shouldn't/couldn't have been algae.

For my first small bore loop, I ran the same everything, save for the double rad in place of the single. The first didn't have the corrosion/algae, and it was run I far longer than the second at almost a year.

I would take some pics, but I've already cleaned everything off, with boiling distilled and distilled flushes. I threw all the tubing away as soon as the loop came apart <_<

What if something unpure got into the second loop? For the first build I was very meticulous and made sure everything was disinfected before it went together/in, but the second time I didn't pay attention so much, and might have overlooked something, possible?

[Darv]

Hmm, sounds like there was some residue in the radiator. I very much doubt there would be any algae in there.

My tubes in my first loop went a distinctly orange/brown colour after running it for a year.

[Fibbles]

Hmm, sounds like there was some residue in the radiator. I very much doubt there would be any algae in there.

My tubes in my first loop went a distinctly orange/brown colour after running it for a year.

Come to think of it, I didn't clean the rad when I got it, just set it up and noticed the slight discoloring in a week or so. I finally got tired of it after 2 - 3 months. Just making sure, my passive loop's going up later on. Every piece has been flushed with distilled and nothing nasty came out. I guess the rule is "always clean yout schtuff before you use it", and really do it!

[Starbuck3733T]

green, brown, slimy, and fuzzy. it's algae. How much sunlight did it get?

[slame]

algae in a closed water circuit is pure bullnuts.

1. not enough light (don´t tell me of cold cathodes UV)
2. where do they freed from ? from anto corrosion fluid ?
3. how do they come inside when there is only aqua dest and ac fluid inside at the start ?

let me tell you one thing. in the production of the radiators they use grease. normally all radiators are cleaned afterwards. sometimes there remains some of the grease ...

normally that´s it.

I hope that after these points no one at wizd is still believing in algues. The admin of the AC forum Dino is a dipl. biologician .. we also have a dipl. chemist called Tobias at AC. Need more info on algues ? Ask Scully and Mulder. :toast:

cheers

slame

[ỒĊBłůē]

Cheers for that Slame.

What do you recommend for flushing rads through with - solvent? (Keeping it well away from any plexi, of course! ^_^ )

[slame]

hot water will do ... but normally you don´t need to

[fillip]

I hope that after these points no one at wizd is still believing in algues. The admin of the AC forum Dino is a dipl. biologician .. we also have a dipl. chemist called Tobias at AC. Need more info on algues ? Ask Scully and Mulder. :toast:


Yeah... you see, I don't think they're qualified enough to make that kind of statement.



:-p

Cheers for the info.

[Starbuck3733T]

okay, this needs to be solved authoritavely.

fibbs: can you send me a sample of the tubing you had that was infected.

The folks at work owe me a few favors, one of which is doing some runs on the X-ray Difraction rig (more bout XRD here (http://epswww.unm.edu/xrd/resources.htm)) - it'll tell you what the heck the stuff is made out of. Since grease is an oil based product, I figure there should be a lot of oxygen and hydrogen and carbon in the results.

[Fibbles]

okay, this needs to be solved authoritavely.

fibbs: can you send me a sample of the tubing you had that was infected.

The folks at work owe me a few favors, one of which is doing some runs on the X-ray Difraction rig (more bout XRD here (http://epswww.unm.edu/xrd/resources.htm)) - it'll tell you what the heck the stuff is made out of. Since grease is an oil based product, I figure there should be a lot of oxygen and hydrogen and carbon in the results.

I threw the bulk of it out, but I might have some left. I'll look around in a bit. What if I was able to scrape some off of something, like the bottom of my Cuplex EVO?

Cool Slame :thumb:

[Starbuck3733T]

that should do it, especially if you've got some small ass glass jars so the stuff doesn't get cross contaminated.

[zer0]

well my thoughts are that if it grease then it wouldent be furry. to me it sounds like some kind of mold.

also wouldnet cleaning your parts with rubbing alchahol help if this gunk is some kind of living thing.

[Starbuck3733T]

rubbing alc can crack plexi - organic material + organic solvent = bad!

[Pug]

My original (old skool ;-)) Cuplex Evo (http://www.wizdforums.co.uk/Pug/origEvo.jpg). :cool:

I tried everything I could think of to get shot of that green/black stuff but couldn't get the Evo apart to scrub it directly. I'm sure that would have helped if I could - it was worse than that before.


My newer one (http://www.wizdforums.co.uk/Pug/newEvo.jpg) seems ok but I haven't ripped it out in so long, it's hard to tell.

[scopEDog]

Hey Pug remember that time i asked you about that old evo that cracked on me? Something did grow on it, and i left it untouched. I'll take a few pics and DRF you can tell me if thats it. If your curious Star i can send the block to ya to take a peek.

[Starbuck3733T]

I can't say how many favors I can call in on the XRD rig, but scrap a bit of crap off into a small glass jar and that's all I'm after.

[ỒĊBłůē]

Where are you gonna say you found it? ^_^

[Fibbles]

Slame posted the EVO opening method somewhere (on WizD). What I remember is to place it in hot enough water to expand the plexi housing, then slide it off the block. To close it, put both pieces back in the water and reverse the first method. I'm gonna try that out in a little while to get Star's sample :thumb:

[fillip]

Slame posted the EVO opening method somewhere (on WizD). What I remember is to place it in hot enough water to expand the plexi housing, then slide it off the block. To close it, put both pieces back in the water and reverse the first method. I'm gonna try that out in a little while to get Star's sample :thumb:

That tut' was for the newer Evo though wasn't it, not the old skool variant.

[Pug]

Slame posted the EVO opening method somewhere (on WizD). What I remember is to place it in hot enough water to expand the plexi housing, then slide it off the block. To close it, put both pieces back in the water and reverse the first method. I'm gonna try that out in a little while to get Star's sample :thumb:

Aha. Ta. I missed that.
Stupidly, I went the other way & bunged mine in the freezer, thinking the copper would contract a little :wallbash:

I'll go try that now. :magic:

Yeah, Ed, I remember. You found some coloured stuff to replace it with but I never saw a pic...
Did you not get any in the end?

[scopEDog]

Yeah, Ed, I remember. You found some coloured stuff to replace it with but I never saw a pic...
Did you not get any in the end?[/QUOTE]

Well i think that green stuff is what cracked the plexi (it cracked right in front of it). Kinda strange me thinks, I'll take some shots tonight.

[slame]

old skool works the same way opening like the new one

i am quite curious what the slime is. although i think to know the answer.

[Pug]

I couldn't do it.
Mebbe I need to drop some cold water inside the block afterwards... :shrug:

[Fibbles]

That tut' was for the newer Evo though wasn't it, not the old skool variant.

:huh: No idea, but since they look the same with the size being the glaring difference, how else would they differ?

[Pug]

I just remembered a trick I used last time that might actually work this time (I did feel a little play in it...), involving a speedclamp and a strap-wrench. :dremel:

Trouble is, my tools are at Ju's, so it'll hafta go on the back-burner (figuratively speaking ;-)) till Wed, at least.

[Pug]

:huh: No idea, but since they look the same with the size being the glaring difference, how else would they differ?

The 1.1 is taller and has the o-rings further apart. This one's harder to get a grip on and seems like it may have a helluva seal, laterally.

[Da_Rude_Baboon]

I was doing soem work on my PC this weekend and i have lots of white dots on the inside of my tubing. I had a good look at the blocks and they appear to be clean but most of the tubing has this white stuff in it.

[Fibbles]

I was doing soem work on my PC this weekend and i have lots of white dots on the inside of my tubing. I had a good look at the blocks and they appear to be clean but most of the tubing has this white stuff in it.

You're not using that MCT-5 or Fluid XP are you? I've heard quite a few complaints from users of those fluids that little white dots are everywhere :huh:

If not, I have no idea... :mellow:


old skool works the same way opening like the new one

i am quite curious what the slime is. although i think to know the answer.

Corroded copper? Hint!!!

[jaguarking11]

If it helps. I have stained my tubes after about 6months of using my machine. It satys on 24/7. I used water wetter made by redline and regular distilled water. I expected staning as the watter wetter isnt the best but I have inspected both my blocks. Maze4 and swiftech mcw5002-p and neither has any buildup.

I am willing to bet that stuff growing in your blocks has something to do with the machining process and the oils used. Also new seals tend to have oily residue used to keep the seals from cracking while in storage and the forming process. Like new tires? New tires usualy have a bit of oily residue so I figure the seal manufacturers do the same.