watercooling gone wrong?

[blk03MitsuES]

i'm provably going to water cool my next pc so......... you guys ever screwed up anything cus something licked? how about some do's/dont's of watercooling? is it better to piece it together or just buy a kit?

[Dem Pyros]

don't: let it leak

[.Maleficus.]

don't: let it leak
As a follow-up to this..

DO: Seal it tight.


As far as watercooling goes, you can screw something up with a kit, or a custom bought one too. The appeal with the kits is not having to pick out water blocks, res, pumps, etc. and end up getting the wrong thing. With a kit, you're pretty much guaranteed to have it right.

That being said, they are less original, tend to be worse performers than the high-end custom ones, and may not fit in with your mod well.

If I ever watercooled (which I probably will) I'd do a custom one. The main reason to watercool is to get that extra performance boost, and I wouldn't want to hinder that by just getting a kit.

As long as you are very careful and take the build slow, you shouldn't have any problems with a custom bought setup. If you visit the DangerDen (http://www.dangerden.com) website, you'll find prices, setup guides, and more. Check it out.

[simon275]

It is not always best to do up hose clamps really tight as this can distort the tubing leading to leaks or reduced flow. You need just enough tightness to provide a water tight seal and to hold the hose in place but not to much so the tube distorts.

[klingelton]

hmmm, watercooling eh... well when i replace my reserator (which i will do over time) i'm going to build a custom setup. reason for this is because the kits are just too generic, if you don't have exactly what's on the side of the box, don't expect it to nearly work, don't expect help from the supplier, expect a nightmare.

don't know what i'm going to do with my reserator though, might add it in as the reservoir/external pump of my custom setup. god this thing is crap! couldn't cool a refridgerator!

[nil8]

I wrote this up in another thread, I'll copy it here.

"Watercooling isn't that hard. It helps immensely to be comfortable working on computers and doing some more advanced work. If you don't have this, don't worry. It's what this community is here for.

You can buy your parts separately, just make sure you have the same size tubing going from 1 part to another. There are 2 different sized tubes that are commonly used(1/2" and 3/8"). Most kits use 3/8".

Everything is compatible as long as it has the same tube sizes. Going from a 1/2" fitting on one piece to a 3/8" fitting can be done, but it's tedious and not going to give the correct visual appeal of water tubing and causes more possible leak points.

Your basic watercooling system consists of your waterblock(s), pump, radiator. I highly suggest a reservoir for filling/bleeding the system.

Another thing is to make your reservoir the high point of your system, so the air will bleed quicker and easier.

I've built a couple of WC rigs. The best loop I've found is pump->reservoir->cpu block->gpu block->radiator->pump. Other guys might have different opinions or ideas, this is mine. Take it with a grain of salt.

Most of all, be patient. The computer I'm typing on right now is watercooled and I rebuilt the water loop at least a dozen times to fix issues. Be patient, take care of your equipment and occasionally monitor your system for problems.

Another suggestion I have is the Criticool powerplant. I've found it to be insanely useful for troubleshooting problems without having the computer on. The other upside is that when you hit the power button on your box, your pump turns on too. The only other options are leave it on 24/7 or plug it in every time you use your computer. If you forget it once, the water will heat up and can cause failure. The type of tubing used in wc setups isn't designed for boiling heat.

Soft tubing and high gph/lph pumps cause problems. The tubes can't take the pressure and start to close in on themselves. Use harder tubing on the pump intake. Most DIY stores have hard tubing in their plumbing section. It's meant for refrigerators or to move water.

If your fittings are threaded, buy some teflon tape and use it. A couple of wraps of your fittings threaded ends will do. It helps keep things watertight and is necessary due to small gaps caused by manufacturing. Hardware stores will have it.

Cable ties moving in opposite directions on the same fitting normally will keep it watertight. A pair of needle nose pliers and a little pressure will normally stop would-be leaks as long as your tubing is cut flush. Cable ties can be found anywhere and a few hundred small ones shouldn't cost more than 5 bucks.

I would also suggest keeping a couple extra seals around just in case. Better safe than sorry. Also, paper towels or some other way of catching fluid. Draining systems can get messy.

A little tip on draining: As soon as you remove a tube from a closed loop, you have 2 parts leaking fluid. This is no good. You have to be quick about this, but using your thumb as a watertight seal works well. The air will displace through the tube and your thumb will keep the water in place in whatever part of the system you just pulled the tube from."

I hope this helps.

I've personally had a couple of broken seals, a reservoir that wasn't level, a lot of tubing leaks, twists in my tubes and times when I've lost my patience.

Give yourself plenty of space to work and make sure you have something to clean up the mess with. You will make a mess the first time you drain your system to fix something.