This Is Why You Need Purpose-Made Coolants

In the water cooling world, there are two tides. One goes for pretty colored coolants, the other wants only cooling performance and doesn’t worry about looks. Some of the people in the other movement are promoting pure distilled water as the best choice for liquid cooling as it requires almost no maintenance. So today we’re gonna talk about all the coolants, and also explain why pure distilled water can be a bad idea.

Why not to use pure distilled water

To answer this, we need to ask: Do you want your water cooling blocks to look like this?

If the answer is negative, then you definitely should avoid using pure distilled water since there are a few things that can go wrong. Using pure distilled water can cause all sorts of funny stuff to grow inside your liquid cooling loop. Various types of algae and living organisms, like bacteria, could make your liquid cooling loop their home, and the results can be really nasty.

The other main reason why pure distilled water is risky is corrosion. Most users prefer nickel-plated water blocks beacuse they look nice and shiny. However, not using proper, purpose-made coolants could in the end damage the nickel plating on the water block and make it look pale and tarnished.

On the other hand, if you dislike corrosion and algae salad in your loop, you have a great option – EK-CryoFuel – that contains biocides which prevent biological growth and corrosion from happening.

Keep in mind that purpose-made coolants do not kill biological growth, they just prevent them from growing in the first place. A common mistake that people make is to run their loop for a few days on distilled water to test the loop for leaks. In just a day, microbiological growth can start occurring and adding the purpose-made coolant afterward can not kill it off.

EK is one of the rare liquid cooling gear manufacturers that produces pure bare copper water blocks which require less attention and maintenance. Only these water blocks can be used without anticorrosives and biocides since there is no nickel plating that can get damaged. However, the copper water blocks will naturally oxidize and change color in certain spots.

EK-CryoFuel

The EK lineup of coolants can be divided into three main sections based on your needs:

• EK-CryoFuel
• EK-CryoFuel Solid
• EK-CryoFuel Dye Pack

EK-CryoFuel

If you’re one of those people who dislike maintenance and worrying about matching colors, because you just want it to cool, the transparent colorless EK-CryoFuel Clear coolant will do wonders for you. Additionally, it’s a great way to prepare your loop for the colored coolants.

It is available in Premix and Concentrate packaging. Premix is a mixture ready to be used in a loop, while the Concentrate requires you to mix it with distilled water. It is recommended to make 9:1 ratio mixture of distilled water and Concentrate to get the sufficient saturation of the mixture. They both contain corrosion protection according to BS5117 (ASTM D1384) standards.

Tried and tested transparent colored coolants that have been on the market for many years, also contain corrosion protection according to BS5117 (ASTM D1384) standards, high-quality concentrated pigments for intense, vivid and saturated colors, and are compatible with acrylic, PETG, POM acetal, glass, and rubber (NBR, EPDM, and Norprene) materials. They have 2-year shelf life, while EK suggests a yearly change of coolant within the system.

They are also available in Premix and Concentrate packaging. Premix is ready to be put into a loop, while the Concentrate requires you to mix it with distilled water. The mixing procedure for these concentrates is the same – a 9 to 1 ratio should be applied. As of right now, the available colors are: Power Pink, Acid Green, Lime Yellow, Navy Blue, Blood Red, Indigo Violet, Amber Orange.

EK-CryoFuel Solid

These are non-transparent, solid-colored coolants. Relatively new, but already very popular due to great color stability and no staining on liquid cooling components. EK-CryoFuel Solid also contains synergistic corrosion inhibitors to protect metals commonly found in computer liquid cooling systems. It has been tested in accordance with BS5117 (ASTM D1384) and found to meet corrosion standards for copper, brass, and stainless steel. This coolant also contains biocides to help prevent unwanted biological growth inside your cooling loop. All EK-CryoFuel Solid mixtures are biodegradable (90% in a period of 10 days) and will not remain in the environment or cause any bioaccumulation. They have 2-year shelf life, while EK suggests a yearly change of coolant within the system.

They come in Premix and Concentrate packaging also. Premix is ready to be put into a loop, while the concentrate requires you to mix it with distilled water. The 250mL concentrate is to be mixed with 750mL distilled water to form 1L of ready-to-use coolant. As of right now, the available Solid colors are Fire Orange, Azure Blue, Scarlet Red, Electric Purple, Neon Green, Laguna Yellow, Cloud White.

EK-CryoFuel Dye Pack

The Dye Pack is for people who want to create their own perfect coolant color. The package consists of Red, Yellow and Blue dye bottles that you apply to your base coolant – either EK-CryoFuel Solid Cloud White or EK-CryoFuel Clear, depending on the preference for transparent or solid coolant. EK strongly recommends the use of EK-CryoFuel Solid Cloud White or EK-CryoFuel Clear coolants as the base for the best results.

One Dye Pack bottle on average contains roughly 340 drops, but the number may also vary depending on the dosage. If you’re aiming for a more intense shade, increase the dye quantity with appropriate mixing ratios. The mixing ratios in the tables are given as drops for one liter of coolant and are just informative. These are only guidelines for mixing your color and shade.

The difference in looks between transparent and EK-CryoFuel Solid

On the left, you can see the EK-CryoFuel Navy Blue, and on the right, EK-CryoFuel Solid Azure Blue

The conclusion

Whichever color you prefer, it is important to pick a coolant and not run pure distilled water in your expensive liquid cooling loop. As long as you’re using a good quality market-proven coolant like EK-CryoFuel, your loop is protected. We hope you’ve learned something and enjoyed the read! Hit us up on social networks or through our support channels if you have any questions.

We would like to thank SS mods for the photos we used in this blog post.