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Lope · 11-11-2006, 01:03 AM

I recently had to replace the coolant in my rig. Because my rig is so ridiculously heavy and such a beast to do anything with (40KG), I ended up just flushing it with tap water, and then leaving tap water in it.

The first time I filled my loop, I removed the tap water from it by blowing on the pipes, then I filled it with distilled. Obviously this puts loads of bacteria in the water. (I had 7% antifreeze, and got lots of growth and air in my loop and it finally choked after about 20 months)

So although tap water contains more minerals for bacteria to eat, I figured its better than blowing the tap water out of the pipes. The only other way I could do it is flush the loop with a few litres of distilled, flowing down the drain. This doesn't suit my poket.
I should mention that the tap water we get is very soft.

When I refilled it a few weeks ago, I made damn sure there wasn't any air in the loop. And it was really quiet. But now the pump is humming noticably. I'm wondering if the minerals have caused wear in the impellar...?
Its a little Uno 5W 320L/h 1.2m pump, mounted between foam in a PVC res, sitting on bubble wrap.

Also I should mention, part of the appeal of just filling up with tap water is that its so damn easy! It can be done fairly quickly, and then you've got a fresh loop of water, no nasties in it, toxic, environmentally unfriendly chemicals. It should last a good while. Next time I have to flush my loop, I'm going to paint most of my pipes black.

I dont know about mineral deposits. Thats something I will find out

Also the chlorine in the tap water is probably pretty good for keeping the bacteria under control.

11-11-2006, 01:03 AM	#1
Lope Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: South Africa Posts: 17	Tap water bad for pump? I recently had to replace the coolant in my rig. Because my rig is so ridiculously heavy and such a beast to do anything with (40KG), I ended up just flushing it with tap water, and then leaving tap water in it. The first time I filled my loop, I removed the tap water from it by blowing on the pipes, then I filled it with distilled. Obviously this puts loads of bacteria in the water. (I had 7% antifreeze, and got lots of growth and air in my loop and it finally choked after about 20 months) So although tap water contains more minerals for bacteria to eat, I figured its better than blowing the tap water out of the pipes. The only other way I could do it is flush the loop with a few litres of distilled, flowing down the drain. This doesn't suit my poket. I should mention that the tap water we get is very soft. When I refilled it a few weeks ago, I made damn sure there wasn't any air in the loop. And it was really quiet. But now the pump is humming noticably. I'm wondering if the minerals have caused wear in the impellar...? Its a little Uno 5W 320L/h 1.2m pump, mounted between foam in a PVC res, sitting on bubble wrap. Also I should mention, part of the appeal of just filling up with tap water is that its so damn easy! It can be done fairly quickly, and then you've got a fresh loop of water, no nasties in it, toxic, environmentally unfriendly chemicals. It should last a good while. Next time I have to flush my loop, I'm going to paint most of my pipes black. I dont know about mineral deposits. Thats something I will find out Also the chlorine in the tap water is probably pretty good for keeping the bacteria under control.