White buildup in tubing and nowhere else: could it be the tubing's fault?

[starbuck3733t]

Ever since I've started watercooling, which is admitedly only goliath, i've gotten white buildup on my tubes regardless of what kind of coolant I've run. The first was this greenish-white stuff when I ran straight distilled water, and then white stuff from running anti-freeze (dexcool variety), and now even with bluemotion and ACFluid. Each time I flushed the system REAL GOOD with probably 300 gallons plus of tap water, and then flushed straight distilled to remove the tap water. I even tried airspirts *sol (pinesol & lysol 50/50 mix) to clean out the tubes, which helped a little bit.

My current theory, which is unproven because I had 'contaminated tubing' (still a bit cloudy, not brand new fresh tubing) mixed in with fresh tubing, is that it's the TUBINGs fault that it reacts with the additives. The white-greenish stuff was mixed-metals reacting, there were some galvanized screws in my reserviour at the time that must have been in contact with the water.

For the record, I'm using 1/2" ID thick wall (1/8") ClearFlex 60. Pug said that he's never run into this problem running polyurethane tubing, and the new ethyl polyurethane tubing doens't react like the old stuff. The urethane is a bit 'stiff' for my needs, so I'm sticking with the clearflex for now, and I just retubed the entire system from scratch on this go around, running ACFluid and blue motion. In a few weeks we'll know if it was just cross contamination.

Now, my theory is as such. Tubing like clearflex DOES react with the coolant, the coolant leaches the 'plasticizer' out of the tubing, which is why tubing after its been in a rig for a while looses its bendability and starts to have a shape memory, the plasticizer is what keeps it flexible.

I did some research and the next time I retube, if I still get buildup, I'm going to use Tygon Formulation 2075 (not the standard every day tygon formulation R-3603 that most WC rigs use). The 2075 is EXTREMELY chemical resistant, contains no plasticizer (yet is still bendable). I'll put it this way, this stuff survived 30 days in MEK (Methyl Ethyl Ketone), one of the NASTIEST solvents out there, it did not cloud, embrittle, or degrade.

It's also US$4 a foot from mcmaster car for the 1/2" Variety.

Please post what type of tubing you're using (tygon & formulation, clearflex & number, vinyl, polyurethane & variants) , whether you have copper/alu mixed in your loop, what the composition of your coolant is, and if you've ever had any kind of tubing buildup.

In closing, I have heard a few reports that Clearflex is much more 'permeable' for additivies, and that's why it stains and gets buildup so easily. Also, this whole thing is conjecture at the moment, so I may very well be speaking out my ass. I am not a chemical engineer, but an electronic engineer. Please correct me if I am wrong, but I'd still like to hear your experiences with different tubing types, coolants, and buildup.

[pHaestus]

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess that the UV reactive blue dye you are adding has some white pigments in it (white things typically glow blue in UV. Probably it's coming out of solution and coating your hose. If you pull out a piece with white stuff does it glow in UV light?

[pHaestus]

oh I didn't answer your question did I? My test loop is the one of relevance and it is 25% antifreeze/75% distilled water and it runs 24/7 w/o buildup. Tubing is clearflex, also copper pipe/fittings and some stainless steel, some brass. Aluminum is variable (depends on the block I'm testing).

I had some problems with it once because I had left the res open for a month or so while I went out of town on business and I got some nasty rings in the res as water evaporated (and a bit in the tubes too). Airspirit's *sol mix solved that problem though (and quickly).

[starbuck3733t]

i'll give the glowing buildup a try when I get a chance... i'm hitting the forums on and off while I clean my house. I dont think I've done dishes since march! (yickkkk). Off to get paper towels now!