Cleaning and maintenance intervals

[Tadeus]

Hi everyone,

I built a custom loop in my PC about two years ago. It was the first custom loop I’d ever built, so I still have relatively little experience with them.

The clear coolant from Alphacool still looks fine, but I can see very fine, cloudy deposits in the reservoir, the hard tubing, and the CPU block... these are likely just micro-particles that have formed over time.

Anyway, I’m now considering cleaning the system, but to be honest, I have no idea what the best approach is.

How do you guys handle this?
Do you take the entire system apart, including the CPU block and reservoir? Do you replace any of the seals or gaskets?
Do you replace the fittings and hard tubing, or do you reuse them as long as they aren't damaged?
And which cleaning products do you use?

 

[Eddy]

Hi,

If you see particles in the loop, you should drain it completely and flush it once with distilled water. Ideally, you should also use a cleaning kit.

You don’t need to take anything apart. The O-rings etc. never really need to be replaced. A lot of people like to do this, but it’s completely unnecessary, and you can basically always keep using all the parts.

Here’s a link to the cleaning kit: https://shop.alphacool.com/en/shop/...acool-core-loop-cleaning-100ml?number=1021766

Please don’t use any cleaning agents under any circumstances. Almost all of them contain substances that can attack O-rings or damage acrylic. By the way, this also applies to vinegar, which is often recommended.