sacrificial zincs?

[jackdog]

anyone ever used them in a system to prevent galvanic corrosion? Seems as long as you had a fine brass screen to act as a strainer in case of spalling they would work wonderfully to protect against corrosion. They are cheap and could be easily replaced if you just set one up in a tee off the discharge side of the pump with a ball valve to isolate it during maintenance. I am not using any aluminum, but was just thinking.

Also some enterprising entrepreneur needs to get some GE Spectrus and remarket it in a solution with distilled H20 and a bit of glycerine as a algaecide for WC systems.

[Slammin]

And have it eat up your pump? No thanks.

[jackdog]

Originally Posted by Slammin

And have it eat up your pump? No thanks.

The continium/spectrus or the zinc? And why would you think it would eat up your pump?

[Slammin]

Well, I had an MCP350 pump and used a yellow hi-lighter for dye in my loop. The pump failed a few hrs later. The guy from Swiftech explained that the pump uses a thin ceramic bearing that is cushioned from the pump housing by a very thin layer of water (hence the warnings for running pumps dry) and that the hi-lighter dye contains fiber particles. These particles lodged between the ceramic bearing and pump housing causing the pump to fail.

edit: I was talking about the zinc. That spectrus sounds very interesting though. I wonder how expensive it is?

[jackdog]

Originally Posted by Slammin

Well, I had an MCP350 pump and used a yellow hi-lighter for dye in my loop. The pump failed a few hrs later. The guy from Swiftech explained that the pump uses a thin ceramic bearing that is cushioned from the pump housing by a very thin layer of water (hence the warnings for running pumps dry) and that the hi-lighter dye contains fiber particles. These particles lodged between the ceramic bearing and pump housing causing the pump to fail.

edit: I was talking about the zinc. That spectrus sounds very interesting though. I wonder how expensive it is?

good points, the zinc should erode at a molecular level but there still would be the possibility of spalling unless you were using a 10 micron or so filter around it. I am not enough of an engineer to know if it would work if you were to use a copper wire in the water itself and have it connected to an external zinc connected to ground.

As far as the cost of the Spectrus I will ask the GE rep on his next visit. We pay a flat rate for treatment chemicals, testing chemicals, and a monthly lab analysis. We use it in evaporative condenser setups and my only concern using it and a Continiuum solution would be the compatibility with pump seals/bearings.

I think I shall just stick to my distilled water/iodine/glycerin witches brew even though I am using a magnetic drive pond pump with a hefty slip rate, nothing as high tech or precise as the Swifttech pump.

Still if someone wanted to do the research and marketing it seems as if there is a market for alternative to ethyl glycol. I batted this around last evening with a businessman friend who said as long as you used the Spectrus in solution with glycerin and distilled H20 and referenced GE and Spectrus on the label you would satisfy the TM requirements but neither he nor I are lawyers so I would not accept that as a fact without consulting a attorney.

here is a link to to the GE closed loop treatment page, for any interested

http://www.gewater.com/products/chem...losed_loop.jsp

[Panthols]

Most additives you are going to use will prevent galvanic corrosion. Also, there is no reason to mix metals in a loop... at least none that I am aware of. Either way, if you feel you are going to have issues then just ground the blocks/whatever to prevent a circut from forming in your fluid, that will work well enough.

[jackdog]

Originally Posted by Panthols

Most additives you are going to use will prevent galvanic corrosion. Also, there is no reason to mix metals in a loop... at least none that I am aware of. Either way, if you feel you are going to have issues then just ground the blocks/whatever to prevent a circut from forming in your fluid, that will work well enough.

Yeah this has become a pet peeve of mine. I have been looking at these additives and quite frankly I am not impressed even by the ones up for sale by the water cooling dealers/manufactures. If cooling water chemistry was as simple as dumping a 55 gal drum of ethyl or propylene glycol in our tower circuits and chill water loops we would be doing it.

The same chemistry applies to the unit in your computer, it's just on a smaller scale. You still have the same issues to deal with as those big fellows you see on top of the commercial buildings. Corrosion prevention, heat transfer, energy efficiency, and biologic controls. I guess I am just hoping that one of the Swifttech reps or other WC dealer/manufacturer gets the idea and starts to think that gee there may be a better way.

[Panthols]

Best solution is NOT to run mixed metals. If you run deionized water you will basically have the same effect as running a loop with copper sulfate in it, which will kill the microbes on it's own. No additives to worry about, no problems period, except the fact that the water will gradually become more conductive. If you want to go something fancier, you can use a non-ionic sufficant to retain waters non-conductive properties a little bit longer.

[jackdog]

The only metals in my system are copper, and perhaps down the road some chrome plated brass barbs. Those are all fairly close on the anodic index and if there is any galvanic action it will occur on the chrome plating.

So what do you think of distilled water with a few drops of iodine or some of the Spectrus in solution along with some glycerin for a surfactant/wetting agent and controlling the PH to around 8 or 9 with bicarbonate of soda. I will confirm this plan with out water chemistry representative next week but just curious as to what you think of the plan.

Heck I know it is not that big of a deal since I will probably be changing out the pump and or water block in a year or so anyway but I really like to do things right irregardless.

[Panthols]

If you are running copper blocks and not mixing metals, there is really no nead for any additives. The water will pick up copper ions, which will kill any growth by itself. This is provided you are running distilled/deionized water, tap water would get pretty ugly.