Cleaning a Radiator?

[gatsu]

I'm fairly new to the watercooling scene and purchased some of Alphacool's NexXxos v.2 radiators for a build I'm planning. I've seen suggestions online to clean radiators with something like Mayhems Blitz prior to setting up the loop. I wasn't sure if this applied to all radiators or even if some manufacturers might suggest something else entirely. I didn't see anything on the product page for those radiators either, so I figured it'd be a good idea to check in here.

Is it necessary/recommended to use some sort of cleaning solution on Alphacool radiators?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Deleted member 6987]

Hello, in order to clean a radiator, you can fill them with hot tap water mixed with 2 teaspoons of vinegar (hot means 40-50 C degrees). Shake it !
Do it again, shake it
Then do it with distilled water only and shake it !

I have also these radiators but they were pretty clean, but better to do it before using them.

Good luck !

 

[Luckystricker]

Hi @gatsu

Distilled water is sufficient to clean a radiator. Under no circumstances should you use normal tap water or mineral water, especially cleaning agents that contain vinegar or alcohol should not be used. Tap and mineral water contain minerals and ions, and if you rinse it again with distilled water, these can leave residues behind and cause algae to form. Cleaners can attack the copper from the radiators and then lead to an undesirable reaction, for example it attacks the nickel plating of the radiators. Rinse and shake several times with distilled water, that's enough.

Best Regards

 

[gatsu]

Thank you both for your replies! I was planning to have some distilled water on hand, so that makes this a lot easier and less complicated.