Woah that was a lot of information. I didnt know that alphacool is that bad but yeah the radiators have been flushed 2 times so that should be taken care of, i hope. Isnt the Mayhems X1 corrosion inhibitor? Or are there some special ones needed? If so, which one do you recommend?
Ive read about issues with Mayhem's products but as far as i know its only related to those fancy ones, the X1 was marketed as anti-algea and anti-corrosion, it was also the cheapest one. When i had the loop opened I didnt notice any "gunk" in radiators or the tubes, thats why i was shocked when i saw what was inside the coldplate.
Is there any way of being able to tell that stuff is going bad before it goes as bad as it went with the alphacool waterblock?
I didn't say they were... Mayhems did
I like Alphacool rads .... screw protectors, 7 connections, great performance. But I do acid treat and flush them before using ... as i would any rad.
You can take the block apart and clean it ... I use a solution of vinegar and hot water, or you could use the Mayhems Blitz Kit. An Aquarium gravel cleaner suction kit makes great flushing device.... close the suction port to use in "fill mode".
https://www.marineandreef.com/Python_Aquarium_Gravel_Vac_python_no_spill_clean_and_fill_s/174.htm
1. Flush rads with tap water in kitchen sink or tub.... 2 minutes hot / 2 minutes cold / 2 minutes hot
2. Fill with vinegar water solution, let sit 2 hours. (or use Blitz Kit as per instructions)
3. Repeat Step 1.
For the water block....
1. Disassemble and wipe clean with towelette to remove grease on O-rings and points of contact.
2. Disassemble and place parts in bowl with vinegar solution for 2 hours.
3. If any remaining crud, dip toothbrush in solution and scrub clean.
4. Repeat Steps 2 and 3 with new solution, till satisfied ... usually won't be needed to repeat and 10 minutes should suffice.
5. Give them a water bath in distilled water....
6. Let dry, lubricate O-Rings with a food grade silicone grease such as Trident LP20 and reassemble.
https://www.ekwb.com/blog/how-to-clean-water-blocks/
If desired you can also flush an entire system using that fish tank thingie before doing any of the above... . Without connecting to faucet as yet, I connect the end to the top radiator and fill the aquarium tool tube to avoid air pockets before connecting to faucet. I then connect a 2nd tube I made from the same tubing with a QD fitting which connects to a QD drain port on the bottom rad. I start the faucet slow flow rate and then the pump with a small 12v power supply w/o stating up puter.
After disassembling and blocks and treating / cleaning rads ....
1. Fill the system with DW and run for an hour using 12v power supply so system remains off
2. Repeat step 1
3. Fill with coolant
4. Bleed system thru reservoir top port leaving small air gap at top (1") to observe any changes in water level.
5. To the tilty thing to shake loose any trapped air bubbles.
6. I use a fill tube attached to the top port on the top rad with a 40mm brass riser which extends rad port to just below top case grille, then 12" acylic tube riser, valve and funnel.
7. With say 6" of water in the 1/4" riser tube, will let it run 24 hours after which level in tube will drop. Fill as necessary to make sure water level can be seen in tube.
8. Once satisfied that no air remains in system, will crack the valve on the resrrvoir top just a hair so that remaining coolant in riser tube gradually drops then close reservoir valve so that fill tube is empty and water level is just below the top of the 400mm brass riser. Shut down and remove the acrylic riser and cap the brass riser. At this point will be visible 15 - 35mm air gap in 250mm reservoir which can be monitored with a glance over time. Air will continue to 'outgas' from th coolant in small amounts over time. This will get trapped in the 40mm riser9s) on top of the rad and the void replaced by the coolant which was occupying that space. You can check it every 6 months or so and 'top off' witha squeeze bottle .
