So I just noticed that the impellers on my pumps are now brown, when just a year ago during the last upgrade the were still bright blue. It had had mayhems pastel red then white in it, before using orange for the last year (with some added silver Aurora concentrate, not that you could tell) Before using a new coolant I've cleaned the loops thoroughly with blitz part 2. When emptying the loop of the Orange pastel there did seem to be quite an oily residue left behind in the pipes. They're still running just fine as far as I can tell, I could maybe talent all apart and give them a clean with a toothbrush, but as the pumps and res haven't been taken apart in 5 years i'm reluctant to do so in case they leak once back together. Anyone have this happen to them?
It looks a lot like bacterial growth although plasticiser leaching from tubing also looks similar. Did you have a biocide in the liquid or does Mayhem's Pastel not require it? Does any of your tubing look opaque or brown? I think you may have to dismantle and clean the loop but after 5 years I'd change the O rings on reassembly. Are there any components in your loop likely to be affected by mixed metals and again does Mayhem's Pastel not require anti-corrosion? Also I'd ask Mick/Mayhem's to have a look at your images to see if they can indicate the problem. They also used to sell a 'Blitz' product for cleaning out loops but I can't remember the exact name or see it on their site.
The pastel has biocide and corrosion inhibitor in them and I've used the blitz cleaning solution on each loop change. Blocks and rads are full copper, all the fittings are the same Alphacool ones I've been using for 5 years, oh apart from a couple of XSPC ones I had to add in. I'll check them when I drain it again tonight for signs of corrosion. If it's plasticisers leaching I'd be miffed as it's mayhems tubing! Had used Alphacool the previous 2 times, but apart from a being stained orange, it's still clear. Way clearer than the last lot after 2 years of pastel white. This was after the first rinse. Cpu loop on the left still has a fair bit of the pastel left in there, I've used deionised water for rinsing. I'll tap up mayhems see what they think. Might get a couple of o rings on order just in case.
Come upgrades I do regret going full custom sometimes. But I'd never have Ben able to run my 970 at the speeds I do without it melting otherwise. Plus, you don't get epeen chufty badges on your standard air cooling. It's all about the chufty badges
Seriously? I can't believe the small amounts used for polishing components would have that much impact.
Well, I've deduced that it was the catalyst, general consensus is also the having the Aurora concentrate in the coolant for such a long time will not have done it any good either. On most of the threads there was a white buildup, but there was considerably more on threads where I'd used brasso to bring up the shine on the copper fittings and also on the rad chambers. Mustn't have cleaned them thoroughly enough after. I gave all the fittings a bit of a clean last night, but got my electric toothbrush charging to give them a bloody good thrashing tonight. Will be using a new brush as to not cause further contamination.
The answer? stop using vanity coolant. Mayhem Pastel is notorious for turning poo brown and dumping chalky crap into your loop. ^ day one. Four months later. I'm not the only one this happened to either, there's a few on Reddit. That's after one month of use. I then switched to XSPC EC6 in red and green, but it stains like a biyatch when you drain and clean. Now? I use XSPC EC6 clear which is awesome in every regard. Mayhem is the stuff of one bloke in his kitchen. I wouldn't touch any of his coolants or acid cleaning kits with a barge pole now. Edit to add. I know what causes it, too. Heat. for the first couple of months after building that loop I didn't game much (time of the year being summer, and there being nothing I wanted to play). Fast forward on two months and I'm gaming my ass off again and getting the coolant temp up to about 53c. It very quickly turned brown.
I didn't have a problem with the red or white pastel and the white was in there about 3 years I think. The Orange was still vibrant as it went in when emptied. If I hadn't have put the Aurora in and cleaned the brasso of properly I doubt it would have happened. I am going with a clear coolant this time round though, but only cause I don't want to block the view of this beauty
It's sheer luck in all honesty dude. Firstly Mayhem will blame pretty much all combinations of metal or PETG tubing ETC but can not offer a solid real reason why it happens. It does, however, hold some sort of chalk and it will clog up your pump. Jay2pennies did a video recently where he had to take his pumps apart after using pastel green. I should have known better, having seen poor Tom Logan have his black pastel turn to poo many years ago. I just figured that it had been fixed since. The problem is when you see a WC rig being built as part of a project you hardly ever see that rig again some time later. I always hang onto mine, hence I can go back to it to see how it's still going etc. Most modders do it as a job though and the rig will be broken down long before it would become a concern. The upshot though? yeah, it's not worth it. Use nice coloured hose and so on to add that splash of finesse and just stick to clear coolants.
Well turns out it wasn't brasso, purely the Aurora. I think the places it built up were coincidental. Putting my loops together tonight, picked up my pump-res and solid white spooge came out, despite it having been flushed about 5 times, could see a fair bit in there so had to take them apart, no choice now. Well turns out it wasn't brasso, purely the Aurora. I think the places it built up were coincidental. But putting the impeller in a glass of water it was clear to see the Aurora 'beads'. Had the thing under the tap and give it a working over with the nail brush, but suspect I'll have to clear my loop regularly till I replace the pumps and res. Good news is that the o ring is in good nick, still plenty rubbery and pliable, so should still get it together tonight. Hopefully. Lol
Well worth a watch. Those are the same pumps as yours too, right? apparently they can gunk up inside the dome part, so it's a good thing you gave that a good soaking.
