Watercooling! Note to all watercoolers!

[isunktheship]

Okay, so it's Christmas, so... Merry Christmas all.

My folks got me a DD watercooling system for x-mas, which is amazing!

One problem... the radiator comes with 4 screws, but MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A FAN screwed in, instead of just screwing the radiator to the case (especially if it is a thin case).

I started filling it up and expected maybe my parts would leak, but... nope... the radiator did. Either it came messed up, or the STOCK screws that I used effed it up. (I think the stock screws were a little too long) I'll be returning it now, why should I pay for someone elses engineering mistakes. Instructions for that would have been A+, I'm sure the system is great, but why allow that to happen?:down:

Anyways, if you guys ever get a radiator and don't plan on mounting a fan onto it... WATCH OUT, you may end up puncturing it with the screws they give you.:dead:

:santa:

No computer parts were harmed in the making of this post.

[Crimson Sky]

Never use the supplied pointed sheet metal screws on a radiator. I always get a small tap and then use machine screws with flat ends. If you screw too deep, you'll crush the fins causing a leak. Also, cutting the screws to size with a hacksaw is recommended. all you need to do is catch about 1/8" of the radiator to secure it.

[isunktheship]

You'd think they would warn you with that... did I miss something?

If you are a pro and read tons of forums, and happen to learn that, great... but for someone who hasn't seen it on forums, or for someone who doesn't read forums at all, what the heck?

As soon as I saw that UV blue dye spill out my heart broke in two. I wrote I haiku.

Just screw in the rad.
This is going to be awesome.
Crap, there go my dreams.

***ANOTHER WARNING***
My dad is an organic chemist, he works for a small company called Johnson and Johnson...;) ...you may have heard of it.

After seeing my PC-ICE for the system, he instantly recognized that it contained a chemical called Ethylene Glycol. This is very sweet and sticky, if you have ever used this stuff you know what I'm talking about. I don't know about the warnings written on some of the other brands, but the PC-ICE isn't very specific. He warned me that this chemical is a liver poison. If anyone has a dog or cat, be careful, they will eat this stuff as it is so sweet. If your radiator got messed up and you have a leak, get the animals away.

That's about it, tune in next week for more watercooling updates!:up:

[gosugenji]

lol this happened to me with my first rad, thankfully they replaced the thing :D. It happened because i used a different type of screw than specified, about 1/4" too long(always remember to measure your screws)? punctured the fins and on fill i see beautiful green UV dye come leaking out oh joy...

[nil8]

Ethylne Glycol is what they used to make radiator coolant for cars out of. I don't know if they do anymore or not. Don't drink it. Rule of thumb: Don't drink any chemical you put in your computer's wc loop.

The problem is kind of a common sense thing. Sharp pointy things and multiple small tubes full of fluid in a pressurized system..well, you get the picture. Still, mention to the company that the screws supplied don't work. If enough customers do this, they will supply different screws. Pissing off your customers is bad business. Most companies that offer speciality products, such as watercooling, often don't include instructions because they expect their buyers to know what they're doing. Unfortunately, this leaves the noob in a bad place. This is one reason TBCS exists.

Anyway, at least you caught it. That's the important thing.

A great tool for testing water systems before you turn your rig on is the Criticool Powerplant. It's in Paul's book and I've found it to be an absolute necessity for troubleshooting or working on my WC setup. It allows you to turn your pump on without turning your system on, or if you're the forgetful type(like me), it turns your pump on when you hit your power button. It's around 20 bucks and worth the expense.

[butvinjd]

All radiator screw holes are right above the tubes in which water flows so screwing too far will puncture the tube. I did so with my first swiftech radiator and I was able to get a new one for free from swiftech, I blamed it on an unclear manual.

My new thermochill radiator has a sticker on it that specifically warns against this. It also came with two sets of screws in order to make sure you know which to use. :)

Bad luck, but you arent the only one this has happened to.

[isunktheship]

Sry if this is resurrection in any way, but..

After 3 weeks of talking back and forth with Danger Den I finally got a new res. I'll post pictures of the install in a different thread in a couple of weeks when I go back home.

*sigh* the customer service at DD sucks, and unless you threaten them they walk all over you.

Oh, and this time I got two sets of screws, the first time I didn't.

As I mentioned before, my dad is a chemist. He was telling me that at his work they have a lot of tubing/connectors/clamps. He's going to check what stuff they have in this magazine at work, and I might get some quick disconnect plugs! He also says that hose clamps are much safer than the "zip-tie" clamps, as they have popped off or broken completely.

There's some info from a respectable source, enjoy!

[Zephik]

He also says that hose clamps are much safer than the "zip-tie" clamps, as they have popped off or broken completely.


Tru-Dat