# My coolant has turned brown - why?



## t_ski (Sep 5, 2011)

I've had my loop up and running for a few months since I changed my loop around.  I added a 120mm rad up front and installed a slightly migger tube for my cylinder res.  I filled the entire loop with distilled water like always, and added some biocide.

I originally had one air-cooled video card in the system and have since added a second, then a third.  I also have changed my monitors, and now I'm running three panels off the main card in Eyefinity.  I mention all this about the video cards because the extra load of three screens on the main card makes it idle at a much higher temp.

Today I just happened to glance over at my case and noticed that the res is filled with brown water.  I can only see into the fluid about a quarter-inch.  Is this a result of the biocide I have in the water?  Is it a chemimcal reaction that comes from my air-cooled video cards being right next to the res, heating up the fluid or something? And since it would be a while before I can change it out, how safe is it to run like this?


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## Binge (Sep 5, 2011)

t_ski said:


> I've had my loop up and running for a few months since I changed my loop around.  I added a 120mm rad up front and installed a slightly migger tube for my cylinder res.  I filled the entire loop with distilled water like always, and added some biocide.
> 
> I originally had one air-cooled video card in the system and have since added a second, then a third.  I also have changed my monitors, and now I'm running three panels off the main card in Eyefinity.  I mention all this about the video cards because the extra load of three screens on the main card makes it idle at a much higher temp.
> 
> Today I just happened to glance over at my case and noticed that the res is filled with brown water.  I can only see into the fluid about a quarter-inch.  Is this a result of the biocide I have in the water?  Is it a chemimcal reaction that comes from my air-cooled video cards being right next to the res, heating up the fluid or something? And since it would be a while before I can change it out, how safe is it to run like this?



I'd assume you're running an all copper loop.  You used distilled water, and now your biocide (I assume also the only coloring in your loop) has turned brown?  I'd think three things.  Biocide is reacting with copper, biocide didn't work and you have something growing, or somehow the coloring has oxidized and changed color.


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## t_ski (Sep 5, 2011)

This is what I used:

http://www.petrastechshop.com/peptpcobi1.html

Should I have used something different?  I was just trying to avoid the mily look I normally seem to get after a few months.


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## CyberDruid (Sep 5, 2011)

I avoid additives and use straight distilled.

Easy fix for you is is drain out about 1/4 of the fluid and add that back but use white vinegar. That's right: douche your loop 

After the douche drain it all out and blow it out with compressed air and start over but use just straight up distilled no additive and see how that works for you.


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## Steevo (Sep 5, 2011)

I have been using high grade car antifreeze at a 25% solution with antibacterial detergent as a surfactant and growth preventative stuff.


Its worked.


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## TheLaughingMan (Sep 5, 2011)

I use air cause I don't want the makings of life to start in my PC cause its creepy.


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## pantherx12 (Sep 5, 2011)

When I had a water set up like CD I just used distilled water.

Would take about 6 months before any build up was noticeable.


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## t_ski (Sep 5, 2011)

I've always used straight water, except when I first started out many, many years agao and everyine said to put about 25% antifreeze in your loop.

I need to make a list of a few things I want to buy from Performance PCs and get it done tonight.  I'm going to add a drain to the loop, since that's one thing I did not add in the first place, but found out after setting up the loop that it was so tight, it would be a pain in the ass to drain any other way.


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## Flibolito (Sep 5, 2011)

I use primochill liquid and its been over 1 year strong.


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## kciaccio (Sep 5, 2011)

TheLaughingMan said:


> I use air cause I don't want the makings of life to start in my PC cause its creepy.







Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Problem solved.


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## Velvet Wafer (Sep 5, 2011)

oxidized copper is blue, i had it in my loop pretty often... but brown doesnt sound right, like there would be iron (or to be exact, rust) somewhere in the loop... it has to be the biocide, or that


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## TheLaughingMan (Sep 5, 2011)

kciaccio said:


> [url]http://img692.imageshack.us/img692/1812/corsairh50sink.jpg[/URL]
> 
> Uploaded with ImageShack.us
> 
> Problem solved.



If I get a self contained loop to review, I may hang on to it.


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## kciaccio (Sep 5, 2011)

TheLaughingMan said:


> If I get a self contained loop to review, I may hang on to it.



I just installed mine a couple months ago and love it. Dropped my temps 10 degrees from stock cooler on an overclocked QuadCore AMD Athlon II X4 630 O.C. from 2.8 to 3.2.


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## Outback Bronze (Sep 6, 2011)

I use car coolant 100% mix. Its anti-freeze/anti-boil and it keeps your copper parts from corroding. Ive been using the stuff 4 about 6-7 years and its great.


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## TheLaughingMan (Sep 6, 2011)

kciaccio said:


> I just installed mine a couple months ago and love it. Dropped my temps 10 degrees from stock cooler on an overclocked QuadCore AMD Athlon II X4 630 O.C. from 2.8 to 3.2.



I have never used a stock cooler in a PC I own. And it would take something to live up to my Mugen 2 Rev. B.


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## Velvet Wafer (Sep 6, 2011)

Outback Bronze said:


> I use car coolant 100% mix. Its anti-freeze/anti-boil and it keeps your copper parts from corroding. Ive been using the stuff 4 about 6-7 years and its great.



Car coolant is not a very efficient coolant for rig loops, in fact pure distilled is better at conducting heat, and i never got any problems with it, besides the effect, that it cleans the loop of eventual copper residues, which you can simply wash out by changing the water and eventually, replacing the tubing every few months... but once its clean, there will be hardly any change to it, never got algae grow or anything else nasty


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## HammerON (Sep 6, 2011)

I use distilled water and a silver kill coil:
http://www.petrastechshop.com/sikibyia.html
There supposably some issue with nickel plating (EK Supreme HF Nickel) and using a silver kill coil, but I have not had this problem as I recently checked the cpu block.


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## micropage7 (Sep 6, 2011)

Velvet Wafer said:


> oxidized copper is blue, i had it in my loop pretty often... but brown doesnt sound right, like there would be iron (or to be exact, rust) somewhere in the loop... it has to be the biocide, or that



brown looks like 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




usually from water or your water block coating


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## Velvet Wafer (Sep 6, 2011)

micropage7 said:


> brown looks like http://irenkdesign.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/cracked2.jpg
> usually from water or your water block coating



i once had pure iron in my loop, for a test run... made the water and tubing brown pretty fast, and rusted like mad


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## de.das.dude (Sep 6, 2011)

the coolant probably expired. i remember seeing a green car coolant that had turned brown.


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## Outback Bronze (Sep 6, 2011)

My water cooling with car coolent has never been an issue! All my mates use it (because of me), looks great and will glow under uv light. I used water in my first sytem with the additive and it went brown after a good 6 months so i thought id see how car coolent goes. What can i say i aint turning back it kicks ass imo!


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## t_ski (Oct 2, 2011)

I had to disassemble the loop to drain it and got this:






I put in the T-line and flushed the loop with some wite vinegar. After it was running for an hour I went to drain it again and found the water had turned a greeenish-blue.






I assume that meant it was working. I rinsed it two more times and drained it again so I could add the video cards and blocks.


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## Ross211 (Oct 2, 2011)

Wow it looks like someone threw up in that waste bin.  Good luck I hope you get it straightened out and figure out what caused your distilled water to turn into vomit muck.


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## Velvet Wafer (Oct 2, 2011)

in my opinion, the water contains rust, or a dissolved, organic substance...the second pic, with the vinegar in the loop, shows copper beeing removed from the loop, and dissolved in the vinegar (copper salts are turquoise-blue)
sounds like the loop is clean now after the rinsing, temps should be better by 1-2c too


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## OneMoar (Oct 3, 2011)

Ewwwww looks like my toilet after double Mexican night looks like oxidation


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