Recommend Me a Coolant

[Killerxp100]

I have been water-cooling for over 10 years. In that time, the only coolant I've ever used is distilled water with the appropriate amount of PTN Nuke biocide. This is the Benzalkonium chloride version, not the copper sulfate stuff. It's supposed to be safe for nickel. I prefer using non-plated blocks, just copper and brass in my loops. In 10 years I've never had any problems with corrosion or build ups.

Non-plated blocks have gone the way of the dinosaur, everything is nickel plated these days. Just got an EK block for a 3080 and installed 2 weeks ago. Loop has been running 24/7. Took a look at the block today, almost all of the nickel plating is gone, with the copper now exposed. I've never heard of a nickel block corroding so fast. Contacted EK, I can almost guarantee that they'll say it's the fluid I used that did it.

Anyone use a clear coolant they like? I guess nickel needs strong corrosion inhibitors. At least now I have a non plated gpu block lol.

 

[Dan_D]

The two best coolants I've used are the ones from Koolance and EK's Cryofuel. I've only used the UV Red, UV Blue, and colorless for the Koolance and the colorless for the EK Cryofuel. I've run the former in the Exos 2.5 units for more than 10 years with few flushes and everything still looks clean in the blocks and res. The Cryofuel is newer for me, but I've been running it for a bit more than a year without anything nasty in the waterblocks of all the systems I've used it in.

 

[Epos7]

I've been using the Indigo-Violet Cryofuel in my recent build and so far so good.

Also have the EK block on my 3080, and I recently drained and refilled the loop (had to replace a fan). PC had been running for 3-4 months and no signs of buildup. Nickel plating on the GPU block was still intact.

 

[NightReaver]

When I started watercooling 7 or so years ago I used antifreeze. Only thing I hated was the mess it would make. Since a couple years ago I just use distilled water and a silver coil.

 

[warhol76]

I use the corsair XL5. I have never had any issues

 

[vegeta535]

I use nothing but distilled water and primochill Liquid Utopia for years and have never seen any kind of growth or degradation.

 

[hititnquitit]

I started out using a 90/10 mix of distilled to antifreeze way back when there werent additives or premixed fluids. All of my blocks were either gold plated koolance blocks or copper chunks from companies that i cant remember lol. When petra came out with his pt nuke i bought a bottle of that and used it up with no ill effects so i bought another. Ive been using it and distilled with copper blocks, nickel and gold with no issues. I feel bad for those that have. Im down to about half a bottle of my last pt nuke and roughly 1/2 a gallon of mix but i think i may try one of the koolance clear mixes. For something new, shrug. Im bored. Cant find any new gear so fug it, may as well do some relatively safe experimentation lol.