coolant options

[monohouse]

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[BumbleBee]

I recommend

1) distilled water and pt nuke -phn
2) distilled water, pt nuke and g11 pentosin

thats about all you need. the more additives you use ie water wetter, zerex or uv dyes the more it alters the water's ph I believe which reduces the temperature but we are talking about a fraction of a degree.

I think a biocide agent is more important than a anti-corrosive and anti-freeze agent because corrosion can be remedy. "gunk" can hurt performance.

there is a coolant called Nano Fluid by Feser that is interesting.

Simply the Nano-Technology stops ions from attaching themselves to the coolant, creating a molecular barrier around the coolant. Unlike other coolants which contain harmful substances like ethylene glycol, which have salts that corrode and become conductive

here is a review

not the scientific answers you were looking for but I hope it helps.

 

[cdawall]

distilled water and pt nuke is what i run and you only get a corrosion issue mixing metals stick to all copper and you wont have problems

 

[kyle2020]

Try and stay away from UV coolants / dyes, they are a pain if the gel. Just use bog standard Distilled water with Nuke.

Heres an example of gelling due to UV Fluid:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7DmW1UEGTc&feature=channel_page

 

[mrw1986]

distilled water and pt nuke is what i run and you only get a corrosion issue mixing metals stick to all copper and you wont have problems

Agreed.

+1 Distilled water and pt nuke.

 

[BumbleBee]

uv coolant is a company's own solution usually ethylene glycol and a biocide binded with a ultraviolet pigment. pt nuke is a biocide you only need 2-3 drops per application you can get it here. there are other biocides for example many brands for fish tanks. we just use pt nuke because it's inexpensive and conveniently located in online stores where we purchase our water cooling components.

I would take your loop apart and clean it, stick to distilled water and purchase a bottle of pt nuke -phn. you can use isopropyl and distilled water to clean the tubing.

 

[WarEagleAU]

pt nuke is a biocide, growth inhibitor. It stops mold, bacteria, fungi, etc from sprouting up in the distilled water. Think of it like Commercial (Germicidal) Clorox Bleach. Distilled water is just water minus minerals (potable or DI (Deionized water). That is the cheapest and best way to do things. I actually use Distilled Water with PT Nuke (Petrastechshop.com) and I have added a little bit of Koolances own coolant (to aid with anticorrosion though I know it isnt necessary).

 

[BumbleBee]

tap water contains metals and organisms, bottle water contains chemicals and minerals.

distilled water is all you need. isn't the light alluring?

 

[BumbleBee]

I wouldn't recommend it. I couldn't tell you the long term effects. if you really want to improve temperatures get rid of the Thermaltake Big Water.

 

[cyriene]

Distill water is the best option. Alcohol doesn't perform as well as water either. Distill water with a piece of silver in the res, or a drop of pt nuke and you're good to go.
If you run all all copper block loop, which you should, then you don't need anti-corrosives. If you mix Al and Cu, then you will. Just don't mix metals, all Cu FTW.

 

[BumbleBee]

like this or this silver has anti-microbacterial properties to it, it's an alternative to pt nuke or other biocide.

 

[aspire]

1. Alcohol holds less heat per unit than water and therefore will decrease performance.

2. Do not mix multiple models of pumps together. They will just work against each other and wind up reducing their lifespan.

3. The big water kits are essentially just a collection of the cheapest, and therefore poorest design and quality components Thermaltake can get their hands on. I would recommend a new radiator above all else.

 

[aspire]

we've concluded that the radiator is not the problem, if I could just find that post...but from what I remember it's because increasing fan speeds from 5 to 7 and to 12 does not change more than 1C temperature

That just proves the radiator is the problem...

If you don't see a significant change in temps the radiator isn't doing a good job if dissipating heat.

Then again, the block is crud...

And the pump is crud...

So I don't think your going to see a significant drop in temps unless you really overhaul the loop.

 

[N4cot1c]

Swiftech HydrX is good if you want some color in distilled water. Doesn't corrode or gel like any of the other stuff. Bad thing is that it only comes in green.

 

[N4cot1c]

It's a biocide and anti-corrodant also.

 

[infrared]

I used that when I used to have my swiftech loop. Had a small eco-system living in the tubes after about 4 months!

 

[N4cot1c]

Your supposed to clean your loop every three months, no matter what you put in the loop as a biocide mixed with water.

 

[infrared]

That's partly the reason why I'm now back to air cooling. I couldn't be bothered with the maintenance involved, and with a C2D you can't clock much further on water than on air anyway. Although it would be nice to add a peltier!

 

[Ultrique]

Not sure if it will help you much but I use PrimoChill ICE Non-Conductive Coolant which seems to be relatively low maintenance and has provided some decent drops in temperature. Though I agree with most of the other posts an overhaul of the rig will give you the best drop in temp overall.