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I have a Zalman LQ1000 case that has built in water cooling. Most of the time it works fine but I get a build up of particles in the coolant/water solution that clogs up the flow indicator impeller which causes the case to beep and flash when it thinks that the water flow is too low (thus I don't trust my PC left on unattended for long periods). I am using the supplied Zalman coolant diluted with de-ionised water as distilled water is not readily available in the UK. I suspect it is the water I am using that is causing this problem.

What is the best coolant to use to prevent this build up? Will it happen regardless of what I use and will just have to get used to flushing the system regularly?

UPDATE:

I came across this forum: http://www.techsupportforum.com/hardware-support/overclocking/water-cooling/376303-water-cooling-problems-sitrep.html which describes my problem quite well. Seems that it could be caused by the Zalman Coolant rather the the type of water used.

I have been recommended by very helpful support at www.quietpc.com to try using the Feser One coolant (www.feser-one.com/site/index.php?cPath=68)

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3 Answers

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Deionised and distilled water are essentially the same thing - the only difference is the method used to purify the two. There are different grades of deionised water - you may find you acheive a better result with better quality water.

A you find this discussion of distilled/deionised water useful.

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Didn't really help answer my question. There is a difference between deionised and distilled water. As I understand, the deionising process doesn't remove organic components and therefore is not as sterile as distilled water. – Piers Myers Sep 15 '10 at 15:41
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I would suggest using a non-conductive coolant designed for PC cooling. I've had good success with the PrimoChill Ice coolant. I found it at Amazon (UK) as well so you shouldn't have difficulty in getting it there. While I'm using a Swifttech system as opposed to a Zalman, I haven't noticed any buildup of anything. PrimoChill's site seems to be down for maintenance at the moment, so make of that what you will. In any event, I would say find SOME sort of non-conductive coolant. Aside from being designed for the job, a spill or leak won't fry your system.

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Thanks for this recommendation - mixed reviews for the PrimoChill Ice, some say it is not as non-conductive as they advertise (thinkcomputers.org/old/…) – Piers Myers Sep 16 '10 at 11:04
Fair enough, I can only speak to my experience - my suggestion of some form of non-conductive coolant still stands though. Good luck! – DHayes Sep 16 '10 at 13:20
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  1. Go to the grocery store
  2. Purchase 1 gallon of distilled water
  3. Flush your system with the distilled water (drain, fill with distilled, run for 24 hours)
  4. Drain and refill the system with fresh distilled
  5. Do a dance
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and don't use any coloring - only additive should be silver/nuke – Alex Waters Aug 18 '11 at 4:05
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