[labnetwork] Water cooling lines cleaning solutions

[Parveen Kumar]

Hi Dan,

We’ve encountered similar clogging issues in the past, particularly with
chillers. In one instance, we circulated a vinegar solution through the
lines for about a day or two, replacing it a couple of times during the
process. This proved effective in clearing the deposits and restoring
proper flow.

That said, I would recommend exercising caution depending on the materials
in your system, as prolonged exposure to acidic solutions can impact
certain metals and components. It’s great that you’re planning to validate
solutions using corrosion coupons—that’s definitely the right approach.

More recently, after cleaning, we’ve been using OptiShield II to maintain
the system, which has worked better for us in preventing buildup.

I’d be happy to share more details if helpful, and I’d be very interested
to see the results of your testing once available.

Best regards,
Parveen

On Tue, Mar 31, 2026 at 9:22 AM Dennis Schweiger <schweig at umich.edu> wrote:

> Dan,
>
> Here at UofM/LNF we're using this product material (Optishield II) for all
> of the self contained systems and have had good luck with it.
>
> https://shop.optitemp.com/
>
> Thanks,
>
> Dennis Schweiger
> University of Michigan/LNF
> Facilities
>
> 734.647.2055 Ofc
>
> On Mon, Mar 30, 2026 at 7:57 PM Dan P. Woodie <daniel.woodie at princeton.edu>
> wrote:
>
>> Most Excellent Lab Managers,
>>
>> I am sure most of you have struggled at one point or another with clogged
>> cooling lines on tools or chillers from either mineral deposits or
>> biological growth. We built a specialized cleaning cart with a tank, pump,
>> and filter that we can connect to a tool to run a cleaning solution through
>> it. We are looking for suggestions for cleaning solutions that others have
>> found to work well without corroding the materials in the tool too badly.
>> We have purchased some corrosion testing coupons to test these solutions
>> before putting them into use and hope to share this data with the community
>> once the work is done.
>>
>> So, if you have any cleaning solutions you can recommend, please share
>> them so we can include them in the testing. Thanks.
>>
>> Dan
>>
>> Daniel Woodie
>> Director, Micro/Nanofabrication Center, Princeton Materials Institute
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