H50 Leak (motherboard, CPU, tracks damage?)

[bodhi68k]

Hi,

 

I purchased my custom 3XS system prebuilt by Scan Computers (very competent and well respected custom-PC builders here in the UK) way back in early 2010, complete with preinstalled H50. Yes, it's an "old" computer by the standards of people who upgrade their systems every year or so but I'm still extremely happy with its performance and had/have no intention of replacing it for a few more years.

 

Up until this point, the system has performed flawlessly. However, yesterday my computer began to shut down for no apparent reason. On reboot I saw the BIOS message: "CPU Over Temperature Error!" After researching the problem I came to the conclusion that the H50 may need to be reseated. I don't particularly enjoy "tinkering" with PC hardware but I've assembled my own system in the past and so reseating a CPU cooling block is well within my capabilities.

 

So, I proceeded to open her up and was horrified to see liquid leaking from the H50 cooling block. There were droplets splattered around various areas of the motherboard (an Asus P6TD Deluxe).Thankfully, I have my computer in a horizontal position, so none of the liquid appears drained onto any other components (gfx card, etc seem untouched). The liquid contamination seems localized around the CPU socket area of the MB.

 

Anyway, I'm not sure if it was the best thing to do but I immediately cleaned as much of the liquid up as possible using tissue paper, q-tips and isopropyl. I haven't been able to disassemble the whole system to look, so I'm just hoping none of the liquid has seeped around the back of the MB.

 

Now, because my computer is essential for work purposes, the first thing I did after the emergency clean up was to order a new CPU cooler. Not surprisingly, I've been rather put-off the idea of enclosed water coolers for now and have ordered a traditional i7 air cooler (namely, a Noctua D14).

 

I guess I don't really have a clear-cut question to ask at the moment. What I really hope is that my new cooler will arrive in good time and that the system will work for a few more years to come. But I'm also concerned because the system is probably out of warrenty with Scan Computers and I'm not sure what potential long-term damaged this liquid from the H50 may cause.

 

I'm not sure what the liquid contained in the H50 is and whether it is corrosive and will eat away at the CPU and MB tracks over time causing related issues for me immediately or in the future?

 

If this is the case, are Corsier liable to replace my hardware? I'm usually quite lucky with products and rarely have to make any form of claims. The few claims I've attempted in the past have been a complete nightmare - with the companies doing all they can to send me on a wild goose-case before I eventually just give-in and bin the component to save myself the stress and time.

 

However, this time I feel it's different. My system was expensive and has worked flawlessly until the leak. I can see no other reason for the fault other than my H50 being of poor quality. The way I see it is that if my system's immediate or even long-term health has been affected by this leak then I would really like the components replaced by Corsair. This is not just a matter of a self-contained product failure. The liquid in this cooler has potentially damaged other components which were working perfectly fine and may have given me many more years of service if this liquid from the H50 had not contaminated them (namely the CPU and motherboard).

 

Am I right to think this way and does anyone have any advise on what I should do? I'm sat here typing on my Asus EZPC 901 just cringing at the thought of the hassle and botheration I might have to go through to get this issue resolved. :(

 

Anyway, I just wanted to post this. Hopefully some of you have advice on what I should do and in particular some insight into what exactly this liquid from the H50 is? Is it corrosive and can I expect problems either immediately (when I install my new cooler) or even months/years in the future?

[peanutz94]

First make sure you take lots of pictures of the damage .

 

The liquid inside is mostly water and a small amount of glycol. As long as it's cleaned up good and left to dry there is no need to worry about corrosion damage. You could use isopropyl alcohol to clean the boards surfaces. Just let everything dry real good and you might find that everything is okay.

 

If this is the case, are Corsier liable to replace my hardware? I'm usually quite lucky with products and rarely have to make any form of claims. The few claims I've attempted in the past have been a complete nightmare - with the companies doing all they can to send me on a wild goose-case before I eventually just give-in and bin the component to save myself the stress and time.

If you find out that you have damaged components ask for a damage claim for with your RMA for the cooler. They will reimburse you for some of the cost of your components. They have a capped limit. Which really, they don't have to pay for anything. Us who use custom loops have nothing to fall back on at all .

Anyway you will most likely have to send in your damaged components to them as well as the cooler.

[RAM GUY]

I am very sorry to hear that bodhi68k. Rest assured that we will do our best to get this matter resolve in a timely manner. Like what Peanutz pointed out, I would suggest that you take a lot photos of the cooler showing where it is leaking, then submit an RMA request describing the incident very briefly or you can simply provide a link of this thread so we can see the full explanation. We can take it from that point on.