Watercooling temps rising-Maintenance?

[InigoMontoya27]

Hello again, I have a question on my watercooling setup. I've noticed within the last few months that my CPU temps have been steadily climbing. I used to run in the mid 30's at idle and now it's closer to the mid 40's. At full load I'm running about 51C. My water level still looks good, but I have noticed a kind of powdery residue at the top of my res. I'm going to try flushing my system and using new coolant, as well as getting all the dust out. I'm in Arizona, so there's a real dust problem. Other than that can anyone think of anything that may be causing my temps to rise. Is there anything else I can try to get my temps back where they should be? Thanks for your help.

Here's the system:
Innovatek Rev. 3 CPU block
Thermaltake Res/Water Level Indicator
Heater core radiator
Can't remember the pump's name
3/8" ID tubing all around with a mixture of 1/2" ID barbs and 3/8" ID compression fittings.
Athlon XP 3200+
Gigabyte 7N-400 Pro 2

[CandyKid]

Rinse the system with distilled white vinegar, then flush it several times with fresh distilled water, then re-fill it with coolant.

Degrading coolant can cause your temps to go down and buildup of various things (apparently including siloxanes... *cough*) can kill performance.

What coolant are you using?

PLUR
CK

[InigoMontoya27]

I'm using Innovaprotect fluid. Thanks for the advice on the vinegar trick, same thing I've seen people do with coffee makers.

[Fibbles]

Make sure the block(s) and parts aren't getting clogged either.

I had that problem with an Aqua Computer Cuplex EVO and then, I realized it was filled with hair and misc crap. Here in New Mexico we've got that dust problem too and I have 4 pets and all but one shed constantly :o

[InigoMontoya27]

Yeah, I pretty much live in the dirt, plus we have 10 chihuahuas, 3 birds, and a chinchilla, so yeah pet hair might be a problem. I think the dust and dirt is more the problem since none of the animals are allowed in the room.

[jaguarking11]

Your rad is cloged up with dirt. I mean the fins. Get some compressed air and blow all the crap out of it. And if you want to avoid some dirt from getting in there. Get a fan grill and wrap a ladies stocking on it. It will filter dust out and make cleaning easier as you can pull it off and wash it. But it dosent mean you dont have to clean the rad every once in a while.

[InigoMontoya27]

Ok, I got some compressed air and cleaned out the whole system. The rad was quite clogged with dust, but it didn't seem to make much difference, maybe 2C or so. I'm going to flush and refill the system as soon as my VGA waterblock arrives.

[InigoMontoya27]

Well, I replaced the tubing and fluid in my system. The old tubing was a pale green color from the oxidation of the CPU block. I flushed the system with vinegar and water and refilled it with distilled water and Zerex since I'm out of Innovaprotect fluid. I thought that stuff was supposed to inhibit corrosion and oxidation of the copper waterblock, but I guess not. After setting up the loop again I'm running around 40C idle and 44C load. Not as good as when I first set up this loop, but better than it was. Also I noticed the plexi on my res is cracked near the bottom. I flipped the rad so the crack is on top for now until I get a replacement. The water level isn't high enough for it to leak I hope. Guess that's what I get for using Thermaltake...

[BigBen2k]

You have a block that is unfortunately known to corrode, because of the copper-aluminium combo.

In this particular design, it's also hard to examine the block, to find that corrosion: it'll be most visible where the copper meets the alu, inside the block, at the bottom.

If you have the nylon barbs, you can take them off gently, and look inside, but if you have the metal fittings, it's not advisable to take them off; you risk creating another spot for corrosion as you scratch the anodizing on the alu, as you unscrew the fittings.

You might consider replacing the block. Otherwise keep an eye out for leaks.

[Fibbles]

^^ It's just a bare copper slug in an anodized Alu housing. These were before Innovatek started nickle plating their copper. They still make non anodized Alu rads. The Graph-O-Matic you got, if it's a Rev3, has nickle plated copper.

The block was used even before I got it, so it might have been well on its way. Like BB2K says, it's hard to examine, although I did see one review or something where the reviewer managed to remove the slug from the housing, although I have no idea how it was done or if I really did see it (I'm sure I did :huh: ).

The best thing might be a new block. Sharka has Alphacool's plexi NexXxos XP lite for $29 (+ $10 for a clamp in your flavor). It will have G1/4" threads, so you would just need to remove your fittings and add them to the new block (the XP has fittings as extras - they don't come with). Any of Danger Den's new G1/4 blocks are also an option as is anything on the market really.

If it is corrosion, the Thermaltake water meter reservoir you're using is also anodized Alu, so that could be contributing to the problem. I personally haven't had corrosion issues with mixed Cu and Alu; my CPU block is that XP lite and it's Cu but my GPU and passive rad are both anodised Alu. My reservoir is plexi.