Do I Need to Maintain an AIO?

You may have an AIO (all-in-one) liquid cooler or are currently considering one for your build - but then realize there's liquid involved and ponder if there's a maintenance required. Simply said - there isn't much additional maintenance required as there would be with a traditional PC build/CPU air cooler.

Although AIO coolers have liquid inside of them, there's no maintenance regarding the liquid itself. AIO coolers are intended to harness the benefits of liquid cooling without the hassles that may come with it - such as filling and draining liquid, and especially risking potential liquid damage to the rest of your components.

The loop with liquid inside is fully sealed off from the factory, and as much air as possible has been removed. You cannot open the AIO, nor do you need to. However, keeping the AIO and it's fans tidy and free of dust will ensure you're AIO continues to perform at it's best.

Like with any PC, you'll want to take to clean its interior and get rid of dust. If you live in a dusty area, have pets, or smoke inside, you might need to clean your PC more frequently - say every two to three months. Otherwise, if you live in a relatively dust-free environment, a bi-annual cleaning would suffice.

With an AIO cooler, you'll want to pay special attention to dusting one area in specific: the radiator. Dust build-up can frequently occur on the AIO cooler's radiator due to the cooling fins being densely packed together. If you have a pet, it's especially easy for fur to get caught in between fins and allow fur/dust accumulation.

To effectively clean the radiator, you may have to temporarily remove the fans attached to the radiator, especially as there may be some blind spots of accumulated dust that isn't immediately visible with fans attached. We've actually written a guide on how to clean an AIO that you can read for some instructions.

Other than that, the maintenance of an AIO isn't any different from performing traditional maintenance. To ensure your PC performs smoothly and prolong its lifespan, check out our articles How to clean your PC, and how often you should do it and How often should I change my thermal paste?