Watercooling Fluid Shootout

I would have liked to see long term results with the fluids; in particular fading characteristics and if the dyes/additives will separate out and stain the tubing.

In RE the metal buildup, does anyone filter their fluid? Seems like a good idea.

Wow fesser is fast to add the bit-tech award to their website. Are they lurking the worldwideweb for previews.

I lol'd.

Feser one - Almost as good as distilled water!

Yeah I know there are also other aspects involved and not just the load temperatures, but I just found the award of excellence a bit funny :)

Originally Posted by radodrill
I would have liked to see long term results with the fluids; in particular fading characteristics and if the dyes/additives will separate out and stain the tubing.

Well dont know about your wc setup, but i have to refill mine 2 wc pc's once or twice a year because the dye vaporizes. And no, i dont have leakes. So to answer the question. It will last till you have to refill

Been using Feser One for a while now, it's great stuff.

I use the UV Green and UV blue coolants in my two loops. The only thing I noticed was that my UV Blue coolant was barely reactive at all (particualrly when compared to the UV Green).

How well did your UV Blue Feser One react to UV light? Anyone else had experience with the UV blue stuff?

Originally Posted by [USRF]Obiwan
Wow fesser is fast to add the bit-tech award to their website. Are they lurking the worldwideweb for previews.

That and we let companies know how well they do in reviews - not just to alert them to awards but to give feedback on how they can make better products and the problems (if any) we had.

Originally Posted by WhiskeyAlpha
How well did your UV Blue Feser One react to UV light? Anyone else had experience with the UV blue stuff?

Id say the Blue UV Feser one works well with UV light ;)

UV off
http://pandora.ispeeds.net/~delph/bit/feser1_UVBlue.png
UV on :D (pic taken during leak testing)

I can also confirm that this stuff wont fry your mobo when it leaks, or more to the point when accidently spill some.

Originally Posted by Delphium
Id say the Blue UV Feser one works well with UV light ;)

UV off
http://pandora.ispeeds.net/~delph/bit/feser1_UVBlue.png
UV on :D

I can also confirm that this stuff wont fry your mobo when it leaks, or more to the point when accidently spill some.

Cheers Delphium.

Though to be honest I think it looks much like mine. The main UV effect is created by the UV Green coils you're using. Judging by those pics the UV Blue looks nowhere near as "vibrant". Maybe it's just the contrast that's fooling me but my UV Green Feser looks much brighter under UV light than my UV Blue stuff. To be honest those pics look about the same as mine.

Ah, look here,

So it's not my imagination after all :D. Looks like the UV Green is particularly reactive, particualrly obvious when placed next to the blue.

When I used to use Zerex and UV dyes (back in the good old days :)) it was far more vibrant than the Feser One UV Blue.

Looks like I might be going UV Green in both loops.

Hmmm intersting the green is much brighter/vibrant :)
Know what ill be going with next time =]

Originally Posted by WhiskeyAlpha
Ah, look here,

So it's not my imagination after all :D. Looks like the UV Green is particularly reactive, particualrly obvious when placed next to the blue.

When I used to use Zerex and UV dyes (back in the good old days :)) it was far more vibrant than the Feser One UV Blue.

Looks like I might be going UV Green in both loops.

or you could add some of the more vibrant dye. no reason it shouldn't work as I see no chemistry that could go horribly wrong.

Originally Posted by Delphium
Hmmm intersting the green is much brighter/vibrant :)
Know what ill be going with next time =]

Yeah, I did see another comparison somewhere where the blue one did look a bit brighter than the link I posted. Still not a patch on the green stuff though.

Originally Posted by Bluephoenix
or you could add some of the more vibrant dye. no reason it shouldn't work as I see no chemistry that could go horribly wrong.

I'm not sure about this Bluephoenix. I have no clue when it comes to the chemistry but IIRC, when I used to use distilled water, UV dyes made the coolant more conductive (or was it the corrosion inhibitor?).

Even Feser One comes with stern instructions not to mix colours/dyes as it can jeapordise the "non-conductiveness".

In fact, I bought a bottle of the Feser One UV Blue dye to try and "spice-up" my blue coolant and it made no noticable difference after adding the recommended amount.

da dego is correct, however distillized water has been used in wire EDM machines for 20 years, where resistance is an important feature, and while it's true it will become conductive over time, conduction is relevant. What's the measure? as conductive as air, less? more? Actually you can tell if the water in an EDM machine is getting dirty as when you stick you finger in you'll get a slight tingle. Caution though the brass wire carries enough juice to kill you.

Good review, I never used non conductive cooling in a loop and over the years I drenched my motherboard and video card repeatedly. I just turned off the power nad blotted and thoroughly hair dryed the mobo and I never killed a piece of hardware.

Another cracking article Brett. I would like to see a proper test of 'non-conductivity'. I've had small leaks of distilled onto some of my components and its never done any harm to them, so until proved otherwise i would doubt the benefit of any of these coolants over water. Can you not set up a test of a 'catastrophic leak' and have it dump all the coolant onto some old hardware?

Alos why did you use water wetter as the control additive? I was under the impression it had been rejected by the watercooling community as it deposited goo into your loop. CandyKid on Wizdforums had a very informative post on the subject.

Originally Posted by WhiskeyAlpha


I'm not sure about this Bluephoenix. I have no clue when it comes to the chemistry but IIRC, when I used to use distilled water, UV dyes made the coolant more conductive (or was it the corrosion inhibitor?).

Even Feser One comes with stern instructions not to mix colours/dyes as it can jeapordise the "non-conductiveness".

In fact, I bought a bottle of the Feser One UV Blue dye to try and "spice-up" my blue coolant and it made no noticable difference after adding the recommended amount.

see the post right after yours.

but also, if you know what is in the dyes, simple chemistry will be able to tell you what will neutralize that.

Originally Posted by Bluephoenix
see the post right after yours.

Not sure what you're pointing me to here? Are you saying that NCF are pointless? That may be the case but I'd rather not take the risk. It may seem a naive attitude to you but having heard many tales of Feser One spillage causing zero collateral damage, I feel slightly more comfortable with it whizzing round my loops. Particularly after hearing horror stories of distilled/dionised water spillages (when mixed with the necessary corosion inhibitors and UV dyes) having more adverse effects.

When it comes to cost, as Brett mentioned, it's differs little to distilled/deionised water, when you take into account the additives. Also, with it performing almost as well as distilled water, why take the risk?

Originally Posted by Bluephoenix
but also, if you know what is in the dyes, simple chemistry will be able to tell you what will neutralize that.

As I said, I have no knowledge of chemical properties/reactions/effects so regardless of how "simple" the problem may seem to yourself, I might as well be trying to split atoms. :D

Originally Posted by Da_Rude_Baboon
Another cracking article Brett. I would like to see a proper test of 'non-conductivity'. I've had small leaks of distilled onto some of my components and its never done any harm to them, so until proved otherwise i would doubt the benefit of any of these coolants over water. Can you not set up a test of a 'catastrophic leak' and have it dump all the coolant onto some old hardware?

Alos why did you use water wetter as the control additive? I was under the impression it had been rejected by the watercooling community as it deposited goo into your loop. CandyKid on Wizdforums had a very informative post on the subject.

Hey Da_Rude,

Thanks for the love. :) Now, as to your questions.
1) I'll try it to see if I have anything friable that's not already fried. ;) To say that Bit-tech puts a strain on hardware is, well, a complete understatement. I have old junker boards, but for the most part they're junk because we use and abuse. ;) But for the most part, you need to consider it like this - these fluids are designed to prevent a leak from blowing up your hardware - NOT to be a submersible chemical. It is not totally inert - it just doesn't conduct 12v or below very well when you aren't talking a power-supply worth of amps/wattage. Even a substantial puddle isn't going to kill things, but if you douse the board in it then you may not be as happy a camper.

2) I used water wetter as a readily available and effective compound found in many watercooling loops. Yes, it leaves goo over long periods of time - but the 2hrs it was in my loop wasn't going to put down too much sediment. I don't advise using the stuff, tbh - but that's because when there's as cheap and good of an alternative in Feser, I can't think why anybody SHOULD use it.

Originally Posted by WhiskeyAlpha
As I said, I have no knowledge of chemical properties/reactions/effects so regardless of how "simple" the problem may seem to yourself, I might as well be trying to split atoms.

Heh. I've had years of proper University chemistry couses at one of the leading US uni's for chemical research - and I don't think that I'd wanna try that any more than you. Besides, most of these compounds are copyright/patent blah blah blah - so you'd be hard pressed to know just what's in them unless you have an NMR machine at your disposal. Maybe Bluephoenix does, though - so hey, if he can do it, he should post the results for the rest of the class, too. ;)

All I can say is:

Distilled Water = Free and no environmental side effects (not that any of these other products have any but some do)

If you are careful and pressure test your cooling system before using it, you won't have any problems and if you do they are usually covered by warranty. Now i guess it's nice to have the added security of knowing that these coolants won't damage your system in the event of a failure, but for me I just don't see the cost benefit.

Originally Posted by Scootiep
All I can say is:

Distilled Water = Free and no environmental side effects (not that any of these other products have any but some do)

If you are careful and pressure test your cooling system before using it, you won't have any problems and if you do they are usually covered by warranty. Now i guess it's nice to have the added security of knowing that these coolants won't damage your system in the event of a failure, but for me I just don't see the cost benefit.

Hey Scootiep,

It's an interesting point, but I just wanted to bring a point to readers -
Warranties, however lenient, will NOT cover liquid cooling leaks. And if they do, they are never more than for the value of your cooling purchase. Further, it is nigh on impossible to determine if a leak in a cooling setup is user-error or product error. This makes it even less likely that you'd ever see a dime.

All this translates to - if your loop leaks, for whatever reason, you're likely screwed. Some people will say that "if you build your loop right, it'll never leak." I, on the other hand, look at a non-conductive fluid as insurance. If I can spend 8 quid to make sure I don't lose a 300 quid graphics card, while looking cool to boot, I'm all for it. ;)

Originally Posted by Da Dego
Heh. I've had years of proper University chemistry couses at one of the leading US uni's for chemical research - and I don't think that I'd wanna try that any more than you. Besides, most of these compounds are copyright/patent blah blah blah - so you'd be hard pressed to know just what's in them unless you have an NMR machine at your disposal. Maybe Bluephoenix does, though - so hey, if he can do it, he should post the results for the rest of the class, too. ;)

Ah, so another "expert" with chemicals suggests it's not quite as "simple" as Bluephoenix suggests. I had my suspicions but like I say, I'm a chemics n00b :P

Originally Posted by Scootiep
All I can say is:

Distilled Water = Free and no environmental side effects (not that any of these other products have any but some do)

If you are careful and pressure test your cooling system before using it, you won't have any problems and if you do they are usually covered by warranty. Now i guess it's nice to have the added security of knowing that these coolants won't damage your system in the event of a failure, but for me I just don't see the cost benefit.

Whilst I agree with you in principal Scootiep, I don't necessarily agree in practice.

Distilled water is (or rather, can be) free, but without an anti-fungal solution and possibly corrision inhibitor (depending on if you're using mixed metals) it will need regularly changing and lead to cloudy tubing. Plus as gimmicky as it may seem, you gotta love the colours :). When you take into account those additives (that lets face it, most people want or need) Feser One is the better option for the majority and doesn't cost much different.

Even the most carefully pressure tested loop can develop leaks after time. Granted a thorough test will hopefully ensure no major leaks but it doesn't stop a small one developing days/weeks/months after the installation. You say: "you won't have any problems and if you do they are usually covered by warranty"; that may apply to the components themselves (be it radiator, block etc) but it certainly won't apply to any components that may be damaged in the event of a leak (mobo, cpu, gpu etc).

Your final point regarding cost benefits, well, I think my last two paragraphs sums up what I think about that.

EDIT: Bah, Brett beat me to it.

Any thoughts on the UV "reactiveness" of the Blue Feser you used btw Brett (see earlier posts)?

Originally Posted by WhiskeyAlpha
Ah, so another "expert" with chemicals suggests it's not quite as "simple" as Bluephoenix suggests. I had my suspicions but like I say, I'm a chemics n00b :P
...
Any thoughts on the UV "reactiveness" of the Blue Feser you used btw Brett (see earlier posts)?

Heh..I'm far from an expert - but I've had a pretty good education, as both specofdust and bindi can attest. ;)

As for the UV reactiveness - the guys are right that the UV blue stuff does not glow like a proverbial christmas tree, but that's part of it being blue. UV reactive stuff is "less reactive" (not really, but visibly) the closer it gets to the UV spectrum - so blues and purples will always be faint compared to reds and greens. It's an unfortunate reality.

Originally Posted by Da Dego
Heh..I'm far from an expert - but I've had a pretty good education, as both specofdust and bindi can attest. ;)

LOL, don't worry Brett, I don't need to see your credentials, I'll take your word for it ;)

Originally Posted by Da Dego
As for the UV reactiveness - the guys are right that the UV blue stuff does not glow like a proverbial christmas tree, but that's part of it being blue.

Um "the guys" were.. me. :)

Originally Posted by Da Dego
UV reactive stuff is "less reactive" (not really, but visibly) the closer it gets to the UV spectrum - so blues and purples will always be faint compared to reds and greens. It's an unfortunate reality.

*Looks up "UV Spectrum" on google images and realises it's the same as a rainbow (with an extra UV and IR bit added to each end)*

Ah, I see :o

So theoretically, red would be the most reactive, followed by orange, yellow and then green. Jesus they must be insanely bright!

Originally Posted by WhiskeyAlpha
So theoretically, red would be the most reactive, followed by orange, yellow and then green. Jesus they must be insanely bright!

It's a bit more logarithmic than that, but...yeah. If you look at an orange or red piece of sleeving, for example, vs. blue. Best to do this with a cold cathode in a lit office. You can see the red fluorescence under a UV light in pretty bright office light, whereas blue would be much less visible. And don't forget, our eyes are most sensitive to green light, which means that even if it's not giving off as much fluorescence, it is *perceived* to be almost as bright as the reds.

NOTE (for the flamers ready to pounce): This is simplified explanation - properly, we're talking about the luminescence of the spectrum of available fluorescence due to near-UV spectrum Woods blacklighting. I am not going to be this pedantic to muddle the issue. :P I just want to stop the next guy saying "wait, this isn't the proper UV spectrum, j00 don't no nuffin!"

Originally Posted by Da Dego
It's a bit more logarithmic than that, but...yeah. If you look at an orange or red piece of sleeving, for example, vs. blue. Best to do this with a cold cathode in a lit office. You can see the red fluorescence under a UV light in pretty bright office light, whereas blue would be much less visible. And don't forget, our eyes are most sensitive to green light, which means that even if it's not giving off as much fluorescence, it is *perceived* to be almost as bright as the reds.

Cheers for the explanation Brett ;).

Originally Posted by Da Dego
NOTE (for the flamers ready to pounce): This is simplified explanation - properly, we're talking about the luminescence of the spectrum of available fluorescence due to near-UV spectrum Woods blacklighting. I am not going to be this pedantic to muddle the issue. :P I just want to stop the next guy saying "wait, this isn't the proper UV spectrum, j00 don't no nuffin!"

I wouldn't worry about them Brett, they'll be too busy pissing themselves laughing at me to question the validity of your statements