An unusual thing emerged from my cooling system...
An unusual thing emerged from my cooling system...
I recently disassembled my cooling loop to remove everything, including all copper and brass parts. The loop was quite dirty—either due to leftover flux in the radiators or because I considered hot gluing a helix into the reservoir (a mistake). After cleaning with water and vinegar, I reassembled it and ran distilled water through it to check if flushing was necessary. Surprisingly, more debris came out, confirming some buildup. I left the system running with the valve closed and water inside for a while, then opened it and noticed unusual metallic-looking material coming out. I don’t know what it is, but it looks like it could be residue or a foreign object. I’m concerned about operating the loop unchanged and need advice on what to do next.
There are various copper oxides present. If they were black, red, green, or blue I’d identify them easily. I don’t see white, though it might be possible. Black is the most frequent in pipes—it tends to form with low oxygen levels. The advantage of black compounds is their hardness as oxides generally do, and their strong toxicity helps with biocide effectiveness. Pure distilled water without additives works better with copper because of this. UV light could make them appear clearer, but they often exist as plastic powder suspensions instead.
I believe the CPU block has a nickel-plated copper finish, possibly with a nickel oxide layer that may have been stripped off. There’s no immediate cause for concern about metal erosion since these components are generally resistant to water. The shiny, metallic appearance suggests it should hold up well against moisture. You likely removed most of the UV dye during cleaning, and the coating looks solid, so you shouldn’t worry much about its integrity.
There exists that information. I recall very little regarding nickel’s behavior. It seems to me it’s minimal which explains its historical use in coins and car trim (they eventually switched to chrome plate and then to Mylar, though the shiny finish on vehicles was once nickel-based). I don’t anticipate significant erosion unless there’s a galvanic problem. Copper water pipes have lasted for many years. Iron oxide is what we associate with rust, but fire could be considered rust as well—just quicker. Iron oxide is soft and encourages further formation of iron oxide. Aluminum, for instance, is even more reactive, yet a protective oxide layer forms. Aluminum oxide is also recognized as sapphire (the transparent aluminum seen in Star Trek—it’s been around for ages—but it’s prohibitively costly beyond high-end watches and phone screens). The outcome is that aluminum appears very shiny but quickly becomes dull as the oxide builds up. Despite this, the oxide is so durable it actually enhances the metal’s strength. “Adonized aluminum” refers to an extra-thick sapphire coating developing over the surface. Edited April 3, 2022 by Bombastinator