OC & Modding Replacement fluid for Corsair AIO

napstersquest

napstersquest

Thread Police
Adept
So I bought a cheap H115i from a friend who said it was not cooling his 3900X well.

I tried it for myself, the pump works fine and RPM is being reported, I am using it with Noctuas so that's not an issue either.

I think the issue is with clogging due to growth or oxidation inside the pump/radiator, so I would like to take it apart.

The issue is, what coolant should I use in it afterwards?
Distilled water won't work because AIOs use mixed metals (Copper CPU block and Aluminium Radiator).

Where can I find anti-oxidation and anti-microbial drops for water? I really don't want to spend 1.5K on corsair coolant.
 
In the late 1990's, we just used car radiator fluid. It was cheap, never clogged or clumped and worked well for mixed metal loops because it had ethylene glycol.
 
Topped off with distilled water. There was lot of air inside.
Let's see that happens long term!
Back to very high temps!
Probably have to replace it now with something else.
 
Last edited:
That would be a difficult ask. Arranging sleeves of the exact dia is going to be difficult. The only
thing I can suggest is to apply adhesive(fevibond) on the tube, stretch the sleeve on top of it. Use a good tape to secure it in place and then take it off when it cures.
 
nRiTeCh said:
Is it so that all AIOs sooner or later suffer from such horrors?
Click to expand...
This was like 6 years old and from the looks of it very roughly handled.
Going for ones with very good warranty and accepting the fact that it is not gonna last 7-8 years would be a good idea I guess
 
I used premixed engine coolant in my loop and the temps shot up drastically. Went back to distilled water + redline water wetter
 
I have a Vega 64 Liquid edition, which is about 4 yrs old but has been in use for only from the last year or so due to various reasons. Should I be worried about the CLC or liquid?
 
napstersquest said:
As long as radiator is above the pump while running, you should be fine I think
Click to expand...
Ah that's a relief. Yep, I followed the Gamer's Nexus guideline for that, but just to be sure, does this look right? There's no pump in sight, so I'm assuming it's within the 2slot GPU itself, and the radiator is placed on top of the front panel with a 140mm intake fan on the front of the top panel.
Apologies for the horrible picture quality :p
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20210831_162830.jpg
    IMG_20210831_162830.jpg
    243 KB · Views: 70
napstersquest said:
For a testbench, sure. But with PETG, PMMA, Acrylic, Rubber, Steel, Copper, Brass, Nickel, Aluminium materials, I am not sure if I want to put it in my main PC!
Click to expand...

to be on safe side. Of course I mean understand. But in an engine you have much the same materials and interaction amongst them. Not to mention some engines last a lifetime, if cared for properly. Anti freeze is ethylene glycol. You’ll only have a problem if you have glycol based pipes(like he said in the video). There is a thermal difference as well, in terms of an engine running way warmer. But anti freeze also has corrosion inhibitors and essentially the principle of functioning remains the same, the block is made out of iron/aluminum, thermostats, hoses, water pump body. My only reservation is the to with viscosity and the fact that it’s toxic. Always better to be safe than sorry.
 
TheCoolerPlayer said:
Ah that's a relief. Yep, I followed the Gamer's Nexus guideline for that, but just to be sure, does this look right? There's no pump in sight, so I'm assuming it's within the 2slot GPU itself, and the radiator is placed on top of the front panel with a 140mm intake fan on the front of the top panel.
Apologies for the horrible picture quality :p
Click to expand...
Think about the math problems we used to do for water flow from one tank to another which differ in height.

Your concern is that the pump impeller should always be in water and not whirring through air. So the pump should not be the highest point in the loop. In your case the highest point in the loop is the tube-radiator linkage at the top so air bubbles should concentrate there once the liquid starts drying up.

The setup you have looks okay but the best option would be if you could put the radiator on the top. I am going off GN's videos though as I avoid AIOs.

I saw someone's PC die back in 2014 with an AIO so Noctua FTW for me.

@napstersquest I saw MD selling Corsair Hydro X custom watercooling gear.

CORSAIR Hydro X Series XL8 Performance Coolant 1L (Clear)

CORSAIR Hydro X Series XL8 Performance Coolant comes with clear white color brings your custom cooling system’s color scheme to life, available in a wide choice of vibrant translucent colors
mdcomputers.in mdcomputers.in

Maybe this would work without any hassles.
 
Marcus Fenix said:
@napstersquest I saw MD selling Corsair Hydro X custom watercooling gear.

CORSAIR Hydro X Series XL8 Performance Coolant 1L (Clear)

CORSAIR Hydro X Series XL8 Performance Coolant comes with clear white color brings your custom cooling system’s color scheme to life, available in a wide choice of vibrant translucent colors
mdcomputers.in mdcomputers.in

Maybe this would work without any hassles.
Click to expand...
Yes but the purchase cost of that non-functional AIO plus this fluid costs more than a functional AIO so was looking to avoid it
Even then not sure if that fluid would be good for mixed metals in the long run
napstersquest said:
I really don't want to spend 1.5K on corsair coolant.
Click to expand...
Here
Edit: the description says only use with nickel, brass and copper. So not useful for aluminum radiator + copper block.
 
Back
Top