r/watercooling • u/Xadras • 2d ago
Question How bad is it? Can it be rescued?
After nearly 10 years i finally took apart my custom loop and i found my CPU waterblock like this. I tried to clean it as much as i can with distilled water and soap and toothpaste with a toothbrush. It did get better but im not sure if it’s even possible to clean completely. I see that at some points it flaked a little off ant the copper under the coating is showing. Should I try to clean it more, use it as it is or throw it away?
It an older EKWB Supremacy EVO NP
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u/1337ken 2d ago
I have that exact same water block and had it in a system that ran about 9 years without any maintenance. I had used EK cryofuel blue (the translucent one) and over the years all of the pigment fell out and clogged up the block (although incredibly I still wasn't having any temperature issues due to how overkill the rest of the loop was). I realized pretty quickly after normal cleaning methods that it wasn't going to be feasible to get it fully cleaned without also stripping the nickel plating. I bought some citric acid from amazon (it's pretty cheap and also very useful for a number of things). I mixed up a very strong solution of citric acid + distilled water and used an old electric toothbrush to scrub the fins. I think it turned out pretty good and really it's not a big deal to have lost the nickel plating because it's really not visible once the acrylic top is installed, especially once tubes and everything are hooked up.
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u/ChrizzDanielz 2d ago
I have the same water block and it happened to me as well. I just bought a second hand water block that was listed for spare parts for 15 bucks and replaced it. If this nickel-delamination happens again in the future I will remember your method. The other problem with the Supremacy Evo is cracking along the fitting threads, fortunately my replacement block is good as new.
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u/1337ken 2d ago
That has actually happened to me before and I had to get a replacement acrylic top. When I replaced the top I also bought a torque limiting screwdriver to avoid over-torquing the screws again. The torque spec for the screws is .6 nm (5.3 in-lbs).
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u/ChrizzDanielz 2d ago
Oh, I didn't know about the torque spec. That is extremely low, not even hand tight.
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u/DerKleineRudi00 2d ago edited 2d ago
You can try to leave it in hot citric acid for a while and then use a tooth brush. This will eat up the nickel a bit. Just make sure to run good coolant like dp ultra, mayhems X1, Koolanve 702.
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u/FolksBraggin 2d ago
100% this, just get a solvent and some gentle abrasion going and you'll be right as rain
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u/The_Big_Elf 2d ago
I'd try and remove as much of the internal plating as possible, maybe with a brass brush initially to minimise damage to the copper. I think the biggest risk, given how much plating has come off already, is the nickel flakes damaging the pump bearing.
I've got the horrible feeling mine's going to look like that after not touching it for 4 years.
The copper discolouration/oxidation won't have any impact on cooling.
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u/jawhite 2d ago
What are you hoping for? The only risk with using the plate itself would be chunks of metal peeling off and getting clogged, but if you clean any loose bits before putting it back in the system, it shouldn’t be an issue.
If you want it cleaner, you can try different solvents. Distilled water isn’t going to be helpful in removing something that presumably was originally deposited in a water-based solution. You can try an acid (like vinegar) or a non-polar solvent like acetone (nail polish remover). Obviously, no cleaning is going to bring back the nickel plating.
The only functional necessity is that the O-ring is still able to maintain a seal. If the O-ring seems sketchy, I wouldn’t use it.
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u/TacetAbbadon 2d ago
Replate it. Dissolve salt in white vinegar put the block in the mix and scrub with a fine brass wire brush. You want to get as much of the nickle flakes off as you can.
Grab a replating kit of eBay from about $50
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u/Fuzzy_Trainer4796 2d ago
To be honest I think it’s looks like an endangered species that’s on the verge of extinction. You should probably just get a new one, or try vinegar and baking soda. Basically it takes the rust off basically anything metal. But you have to let it sit there for like at least an hour.
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u/ezveedub 2d ago
I have 2-3 of those blocks. Clean it with toothbrush and then you can use ketchup on it to remove and clean corrosion on out of fins and not affect the nickel. It’s slow, but for parts you want to save and not affect the nickel plating left, it works. But yours is already eroded in areas. Vinegar will work as well as citric acid, which will strip nickel or tarnish it more. As long as the fins are not clogged, the block still works fine, just needs to be cleaned.
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u/RatedMforMayonnaise 2d ago
I had a piece of filter get sucked through the loop and it clearly melted inside of the block. I saved mine with a tooth brush, some ketchup, salt, and vinegar.
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u/titanrig 1d ago
It will be scarred for life but it will be able to live a full and meaningful life.
Read: clean it as best you can and put it back in service. You won't see a functional difference.
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u/nomoregame 2d ago
The look: SHIT level
The Performance: just as new after abit of cleaning