My computer's watercooling

a while back i bought a watercooling kit and got it installed, things were great. Now the last week, it seems like its overheating. Im not overclocking or anything and i still use the computer the same as before.

Last 4 days i had about 4-5 shutdowns while gaming and when i feel the tubing they are hot.  I cleaned out the vans that came with the kit and was hoping this would take care of the problem, but after that it shut down again.  

Anyone have any ideas what i could do to get the pc to cool properly again.

AEM

Depending on how old it is, the liquid lost to evaporation could be to the point that it doesn't remove heat enough. On a zero maintenance, closed-loop system you'll only get between 2-5 years out of a good brand, maybe less from a budget brand. If it's not that old, try removing the heat sink from the cpu, wipe all of the old thermal paste off from both the heat sink and cpu, apply some fresh [QUALITY] thermal paste (Arctic Silver is the best imo), and reinstall. Thermal paste can make all the difference.

thanks for the advice, yeah its a closed loop about 6 months old. Thermaltake Water 2.0 Performer CLW0215. Messed around with it most of tonight and atm it seems to be running alot cooler already. Getting low end 40C instead of the 60-70C earlier tonight. If things dont change i will remove the paste and put some new paste on there. Thanks again AEM

I have run water cooling for about 6 years now and have run into the same problem as you are now. I have a few questions to ask you. First are you using pure distilled water or are you using the special radiator type fluid they sell for some of those water kits especially Thermaltake. the green slime as I call it . Second are you using cooling fans on the radiator block or just running a pure radiator? the last thing I wanted to ask is if you can see the water moving or feel it when you try to pinch the hosing? The reason I asked those questions is this is what could be happening I have had all these problems occur in the lifetime I have been using water cooling. First that thermaltake solution breaks down over time. They say it doesn't but if you watch it it starts to form clumps of green slime inside the tubing. Especially if you have your pc near a window with sunlight. Its algae build up its not supposed to happen but it does with that cheapo thermaltake solution. This can cause thermal breakdown and pc temps to rise. Unfortunately also with the algae build up it can cause the diaphragm in your pump to start to fail which would cause your temps to rise also. A easy way to check this is to shine a light through the tube you can see the speed of the fluid and also see if there are clumps of garbage inside it. if there is you can clean it out really good by mixing some bleach in water and running it through the system. I would suggest refilling the system with a mixture of 3 to 1 real car radiator fluid and distilled water. its what I use and never deal with algae from it. If you feel that is too much risk for you I suggest buying EK premium coolant. Here is a link to the stuff you can get it in other colors also http://www.frozencpu.com/products/14159/ex-liq-189/EK_EKoolant_Premium_Liquid_Cooling_Premix_Coolant_-_1L_-_Clear.html?tl=g30c337. If those both seem ok it could be another easy common problem which isn't hard to fix. The radiator your pump is hooked up too for cooling could be clogged. Dust builds up on the fins and causes thermal breakdown. You can easily clean it by unmounting it and soaking it in some CLR you can get at any hardware store. I hope these help. It would not harm also to look at the fan on the radiator if using one to make sure its functioning right. Most likely though its the algae build up. That almost always causes thermal breakdown and temps to rise. Might want to invest also in a filter that can be changed in an out. I have a fuel filter from a car inside my line with quick connects on both sides. it was a life saver. I just keep replacing the filters because it cleans the coolant . Since I did that I have not had to change my water in 2 years.

Toros, his cooler is a closed-loop, zero maintenance. system. It's not a complete water cooling system with pump, radiator, coolant, etc. - its an enclosed system that cools only the cpu and doesn't need to be refilled. It's the new wave of water cooling systems meant to be simple and easy to use.

Ahh I just looked it up on the net my bad. It does have everything that can go wrong with a normal system also that I mentioned but the way it looks it cannot be fixed. Is this one of those self containted units been hearing about that are once they fail you toss them ? If so I do not think that is a better solution. Again I am sorry my bad I should have looked it up I just assume water cooling systems are alittle more detailed then this. I did not know they even made those hehe. Guess I am behind the times in this field. I just always been a tinker person so I like building my own water cooling systems. My bad sorry for the confusing post then.

Yeah they are "disposable" solutions but they are cheap, zero-maintenance, and supposed to last between 2-5 years. I've had mine for about 8 months with no problems. They are certainly not meant for the hardcore builders that are overclocking their entire system (cpu, gpu, ram) to ungodly levels but for the average gamer they are nice. Much quieter and more efficient than a big cpu fan but no maintenance is a big plus. And I think I got mine for around $50 on sale.

Oh, so they are a fan replacement. heh I get it now. I just use fans, although a quieter computer would be nice. I do OC my GPU, but just slightly and it maintains a normal 68-70C range.

Normal, unloaded temp should be around 40-50C!

yeah apparently switching 1 of the fans and cleaning it did do the job. Even when playing games i wont go over 60C. Which in my opinion is good. Now i wont be afraid to install the next 1 myself (didnt know what to do, but after it being installed, and me taking it completely off. I CAN DO THIS. Thanks everyone for their help. Much Appreciated. AEM

I'm talking loaded temp. My idle temp is about 38C.