Tuesday, June 14th 2011

EKWB Halts Nickel-Plated Water Block Production

Jun 14th, 2011 02:41 Discuss (62 Comments)

Water-cooling major EK Waterblocks (EKWB) halted the production of nickel-plated copper water blocks. The company received several complaints from users about the nickel plating to be of substandard quality, and corroding away much faster. Nickel plating itself is supposed to work as a corrosion-resistant coating over copper. Nickel plating gives the surface of the block a chrome-like lustrous shine. EKWB, after conducting its own tests, blamed silver coils and copper sulphate additives, anti-algae agents used in public water supply. A weak defense, considering people use distilled water (battery water) in their loops, or coolants that are formulated to be less corrosive than tap water on metallic parts of the loop.

A RRTech forum member conducted a wide range of tests including microscopic imaging of a water block, revealing what he alleges to be substandard quality of nickel plating, rather than corrosion caused by bad coolant. Meanwhile, EKWB halted production and sales of nickel-plated copper water blocks.

In its latest statement, EKWB says: "As EK is looking for lasting solution for nickel plating issue (concerning corrosion because of silver coils and copper sulphate additive) we decided to halt sales of nickel plated products till solution is found and tested. Our resellers were advised to halt sales too. We cannot put users into position, that we replace products and corrosion starts again on new product. Hopefully we will find an answer and tested solution in short while. We will update you as soon as we have any news. However, If customer insists on buying EK nickel block, we offer a customer full 24 month warranty on material, manufacturing and corrosion."

More gory pictures of failing water blocks at the source.

Sources: RRTech, Bit-Tech

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62 Comments on EKWB Halts Nickel-Plated Water Block Production

#26

1freedude

Not that plating is hard, but its easy to get it wrong. Even bigger companies get crap plating now and again. I know that's not the point, though.

#27

Wrigleyvillain

PTFO or GTFO

Yeah this has been a giant shit storm for weeks. Lot more info at XS too.

#28

Thatguy

that looks like dieletric corrsion from current leakage.

#29

erocker

My CHIV nickel/plexi block has this problem. Clogged the hell out of my CPU block with nickel shavings too. I ended up taking a small wire wheel on a dremel and sanded out the water channel on the block. All is well, though I'm quite dissapointed in this EK block for this reason.

#30

Ross211

And the reporting started at XtremeSystems - EK nickel plate fail, rust\corrosion or? *PICS*

I kept checking that thread every other day to see what EK was going to announce. Very interesting :p

If you read through the thread at XS it sounds like some owners are getting the shaft from EK.

/edit

Didn't see your post Wrigleyvillain, but you're spot on about the shit storm.

#31

DanishDevil

Can't blame ya erocker. I used to love EK waterblocks, especially when I was running two nickel plated ones on 3870x2's, but I don't agree with the way they're handling this. There are also many more companies that are competing with EK. I hope that this fiasco doesn't completely shut them down, but I do hope it's jarring enough to make them get their act together.

#32

ZenZimZaliben

Holy crap. That explains all the freaking shavings I found in my res...and along the main coming off the pump. Damn I need to open up my blocks now.

Well they take them back if they are F'ed up?

I cleaned my loop out thoroughly flushing it several times to get rid of this... I wonder how bad it looks inside the blocks.

#33

Wrigleyvillain

PTFO or GTFO

You had better find out. Now.

#34

ZenZimZaliben

damn it. they weren't cheap blocks either... Like $110 from frozencpu.

#35

Cold Storm

Battosai

ZenZimZalibendamn it. they weren't cheap blocks either... Like $110 from frozencpu.

Well they have given a 24m on their nickel blocks now.. So, see about a RMA if you want when it's opened.. Also get pictures up! EK is really shafting people and it's one hell of a thing..

I haven't used my 480 block.. I was getting antsy about doing it the past month.. then (FIH) Don, told me about what was going on.. Boom... I'm wanting a resolution.. Because, it wasn't cheap, and I don't want to be down $400 if I use it..

#36

Thatguy

this whole problem is being cuased by floating ground current. Best thing to do is chassis ground the water blocks. It should stop the problem.

#37

RejZoR

I really don't see a problem here. Ok, sure there might be problems but apparently not all nickle plated blocks are affected. They do give 24 warranty on material so if anything does go wrong it will go wrong in this time and you can use this warranty for it. If it doesn't, well you have a good block. But yeah, i do agree that Eddy should look into the issue and change the provider for this as i don't think he's doing it himself. I'm sure he's using a 3rd party contractor for this job.

#38

Cold Storm

Battosai

RejZoRI really don't see a problem here. Ok, sure there might be problems but apparently not all nickle plated blocks are affected. They do give 24 warranty on material so if anything does go wrong it will go wrong in this time and you can use this warranty for it. If it doesn't, well you have a good block. But yeah, i do agree that Eddy should look into the issue and change the provider for this as i don't think he's doing it himself. I'm sure he's using a 3rd party contractor for this job.

Eddy blames The user on this matter. He has from the start.. That's the problem. He's been hiding behind language barriers and playing it off as that.. Then, making it the user that using Silver Coil/PTnuke as the ones that did something wrong.. Then after the factor that there was people that just used distilled.. It's now distilled/silver coil/PTnuke... He can't see the fact it's whats going on in the milling (production) of the block instead.. Hand picked blocks from Eddy even show that their is chips in the drill holes of the G-1/4 barb fittings.. Eddy picked that his self..

they only give 12m warranty.. It's just the factor that he finally had to up it to 24m due to the fact it has dated back since the end of 2009 that the problem started.. He's all ways done 12m and if you use Silver Coil/PTnuke, you may as well kiss the warranty good bye..

Pictures of the block

Post about it being hand picked from Eddy

#39

(FIH) The Don

RejZoRI really don't see a problem here. Ok, sure there might be problems but apparently not all nickle plated blocks are affected. They do give 24 warranty on material so if anything does go wrong it will go wrong in this time and you can use this warranty for it. If it doesn't, well you have a good block. But yeah, i do agree that Eddy should look into the issue and change the provider for this as i don't think he's doing it himself. I'm sure he's using a 3rd party contractor for this job.

its more the fact that he wont admit that they have made a mistake and then correct it instantly instead of denying it for so long that its causing so massive damage besides the already bad rep the company has.

#40

Wrigleyvillain

PTFO or GTFO

Yeah the bad PR alone over this has killed EK I'm afraid. Eddy kinda did it to himself too.

#41

Cold Storm

Battosai

WrigleyvillainYeah the bad PR alone over this has killed EK I'm afraid. Eddy kinda did it to himself too.

Yep.. he's done it all to his self.. To the factor that it's not really worth it to buy from them anymore.. If your going to be blamed for something they did.. Sounds like ~~Harry~~ Hank from PPC..

#42

ZenZimZaliben

Well I can't wait to get home and take a part my 2 5870 full coverage blocks. Paid $110 each plus shipping....

I ONLY use distilled water with water wetter (like 2 caps full)...which is supposed to be used for Rust and corrosion protection (Designed for use with all modern aluminum, cast iron, copper, brass and bronze cooling systems), plus adding to heat transfer. IF it is good enough for racing block super heated engines and not oxidize the crap out of them then my blocks should be safe, if not safer.

Man I will be pissed off they look like the images Btarunr posted. :mad:

#43

Cold Storm

Battosai

ZenZimZalibenWell I can't wait to get home and take a part my 2 5870 full coverage blocks. Paid $110 each plus shipping....

I ONLY use distilled water with water wetter (like 2 caps full)...which is supposed to be used for Rust and corrosion protection (Designed for use with all modern aluminum, cast iron, copper, brass and bronze cooling systems), plus adding to heat transfer. IF it is good enough for racing block super heated engines and not oxidize the crap out of them then my blocks should be safe, if not safer.

Man I will be pissed off they look like the images Btarunr posted. :mad:

Yeah... I hope all is good.. post link when you look at it..

Also. on the Warranty

EK RMA upgrade for corrosion - 14/06/2011

RMA is upgraded on two points:

1. We are lifting the RMA limit on corrosion to full 24month from the end-user purchase date without limit.
2. EK will cover all shipping costs of the RMA block to reseller and shipping of the replacement block back to customer.

The procedure of RMA request stays the same; filling the RMA form.

Wonder if they are refunding the money to the people that HAD to pay for rma because Eddy was to t1ght a$$ to say that something was up...

Edit: this reminds me of Gelid Icy Vision block problem...

#44

Wrigleyvillain

PTFO or GTFO

Cold StormSounds like Harry from PPC..

It's Hank. And lol.

#45

(FIH) The Don

[yt]X-Yd8v2Ub9E[/yt]

will prolly buy AC blocks for my GPU's if i do that :)

#46

Cold Storm

Battosai

WrigleyvillainIt's Hank. And lol.

Nah, I don't feel like using the guys name.. not with the service he gives..

#47

Velvet Wafer

(FIH) The Don[yt]X-Yd8v2Ub9E[/yt]

will prolly buy AC blocks for my GPU's if i do that :)

I love that vid! Especially the laser Engraver is my favorite,along the CNCs!
And, they listen to Bob (i think so at least) while working, cant hurt the working atmosphere, and the quality of the blocks! :D

#48

newtekie1

Semi-Retired Folder

(FIH) The Donits more the fact that he wont admit that they have made a mistake and then correct it instantly instead of denying it for so long that its causing so massive damage besides the already bad rep the company has.

In EK's defence, the "massive damage" that most of use are reacting to was caused by soaking the block in a Sodium Cloride solution, not from real world use. The amount of corrosion that amounts to "massive" was artificially caused in 8 hours, but in reality isn't even close to what you would see after a year+ of real use.

I'm not saying there isn't a problem, because there is, I'm just saying that the "massive damage" isn't really that massive and the images that most people are freaking out about aren't anything that really happened to someone that was using the product normally.

#49

ZenZimZaliben

I don't want to give the impression there was like spoon fulls of shavings in my system... but what I at first thought were some bubbles clinging to the res ended up being silver/metallic flakes sitting at the bottom of my res... The only silver components I have in the system are my nickel coated EK blocks, everything else is copper.

#50

(FIH) The Don

newtekie1In EK's defence, the "massive damage" that most of use are reacting to was caused by soaking the block in a Sodium Cloride solution, not from real world use. The amount of corrosion that amounts to "massive" was artificially caused in 8 hours, but in reality isn't even close to what you would see after a year+ of real use.

I'm not saying there isn't a problem, because there is, I'm just saying that the "massive damage" isn't really that massive and the images that most people are freaking out about aren't anything that really happened to someone that was using the product normally.

read what i wrote ;)

it was to EK's reputation, not the blocks i was talking about :)

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EKWB Halts Nickel-Plated Water Block Production

62 Comments on EKWB Halts Nickel-Plated Water Block Production

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