How to Clean Your Radiator

If you're building your own water cooling kit it's a good idea to flush out the radiator to remove any flux that is left over from the manufacturing process. This will also remove any light oxidation that has occurred. You'll need distilled 1-2 gallons distilled water, and white vinegar.

The general process is as follows:

1) Heat the distilled water and pour it through the radiator.

2) Fill the radiator about 1/2 way with hot water and shake. Repeat this several times.

3) Drain the water from the radiator and repeat the step 2 with White Vinegar. Use the cheapest white vinegar you can find.

4) Fill the radiator with white vinegar and let sit 30-60 mins. Do not let set any longer. Vinegar is acidic and will damage the radiator if left for long periods.

5) Drain the vinegar and flush with water as in step 2.

Author:

Nick Curtiss. Thank you to Russell Brown for the suggestion and Jeremey Burnett for pointing me the right way.