Sealing up the system
 

Hey guys, just had the heart attack of my life.

I just disassembled my rig because I'm putting in an Athlon64 3000+ plugged into an MSI K8N Neo Platinum. Well, when I set up my system last time I was overly heavy on the dye because I didn't know how much to use, so I used a lot, I also had some Water Wetter in with the distilled water. Now, when I disassembled my rig just now, I found dye on the back (non fan side) of my graphics card. Seems that my system must have had a slow leak from the tubing connection to the water block (found evidence suggesting this). Somehow, my graphics card didn't get killed, how I don't know... in any case my two questions are this:

1. How do I get the crap off my graphics card, it's a thick pasty type consistency, or do I figure since it didn't kill it when it was wet, it's fine now that it's dry, so don't fret.

2. This is the real question. How in the heck do I get a good seal out of my system. This wasn't the first seal problem I've had. I originally had a problem with a resevoir and even this time it initially had a slow leak and kind of stopped on it's own after a couple fo days of me tearing my hair out. for connections I use hose clamps over hose barbs, no fancy, easy break, connections. I guess I just have to really really ream down on the things, I'm always concerned about splitting the tubing. Also, all the acrylic resevoirs I have found out on the market tend to have nylon hose barbs, and I can never seem to get these things to seal to the acrylic, I used teflon tape this past time and still had a minor leak at the beginning that was really only sealed by the dye and water wetter in the system drying when exposed to air. I tightened down the hose barbs to the point where I was starting to get surface cracks in the acrylic. How do you guys seal your systems? I never seam to hear about people having problems with this sort of thing.

I'm no expert in this area (I watercool for quiet so I use low noise / low pressure pumps and tend to have no leakage) but I'd suggest you also mention the full details of your system. Stuff like pump type, tubing type, diameter, barb diameter, barb threaded portion sealed to water block or reservoir with what kind of sealant, anything else you can think of that might be relevant (don't bother posting the brand of your floppy drive :) )
Don't forget that the water block itself might be leaking - particularly if you've ever had it disassembled.

If your having problem with leaks you need this-Bar's Leaks.


It prevents leaks, stops leaks, cuts electrolysis, lube water pump seals. It the best stuff you can put in any cooling system. I've been using this stuff for 10 years in my automobiles.

You mean the "New Generation" StopLeak that's got "Powder Aluminum" in big letters on the packaging?
Hmmm...
Maybe the powdered aluminum works as a sacrificial anode. I dunno. Any qualified chemists want to comment (in layman's language, please - I skipped chem in HS...)?

Dude, no, not the New Alunminum stuff. I'm talking about the original stuff. I would not put aluminum stop leak in a copper based cooling system. I'm not that stupid. Use the orinigal stuff that comes in a tube in powder form(G12BP). It's brown looking. Works well with copper based systems. They've been selling this stuff since the 1940s.

Or just tighten the hose clamps? Never had a leak with a hose clamp even with 500+ GPH pumps. Try and get your hose clamp on the flat surface of the barb (if there is one) and not the barbed edges. Water can leak past the hose through those barbs. Those barbs are to keep the hose from poping off NOT to help seal, common mis-conception..

So... you've had iron block engines? Copper rads and heater cores? Just wondering...

Eldon James has a decent write up on this.
There's also the issue of mold lines if it's a non EJ plastic fitting (EJ makes an issue of not having this problem which might indicate that other manufacturers do)

Notice in my first post I wrote that Bar's Leaks cuts electrolysis? I've got a copper heater core, brass barbs which is copper and nickle, and I guess th water block
has nickel barbs. So I only have 2 metals on the PC cooling system.

The engine on my truck I think is aluminum. The radiator/heater core is aluminum. Some car manufactures put this stuff in at the factory.
The coolant in my mom's Toyota Camry has a brownish color like Bar's Leaks. They've been selling this stuff since the 1904s it's safe to use in aluminum and copper based cooling systems.

Hmmm... I had thought that brass was a copper-zinc alloy...
So... the "original", if it's OK for alu systems, even though it's brown is probably not copper? From my experience, when you get an electrolytic circuit with copper and aluminum, it's the aluminum that erodes.
Every so often I feel bad about having skipped chem (wasn't a way in my HS to get both adv. physics and chem - and graduate with everyone else. I've gotten back to chem books in the past, but only carbon chem (for bio-stuff).

Bobkoure: I just finished HS Chem... copper will be reduced while the aluminum will oxidize, so the oxidized aluminum (rust) will be formed as a result of corrosion. I would think that adding a metal with a higher activity (higher activity= more likely to corrode. Aluminum is more active than copper, so it will oxidize) such as zinc would eliminate the risk of corrosion. Water heaters have sacrificial zin anodes, so why not throw a tiny chip of zinc into a resevour or other receptical in your loop?

Brian

Brass maybe copper and zinc. Bronze maybe copper and nickel. I tend to get them comfused.

Both brass and bronze are copper-zinc actually. Brass is usually around 70Cu-30Zn, while bronze is around 90Cu-10Zn.

As for the gunk stuff to put in your system - I would only use that if it's a radiator or other cooling part leaking. For a leak at a joint you just need to fix the joint itself.