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Watercooling strange water loop issue

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by blackwatch, 1 May 2015.

  1. blackwatch

    blackwatch Minimodder

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    TO say I am not happy is an understatement. I have just finished building my new PC and i went to fill the loop yesterday. I had intended to use ice white fluid however when it turned up the fluid appeared to be pink ( similar to a milkshake !!! ) as I was filling the loop but that is the start of my nightmare.

    When I had fill the loop ( the same way i always do ...fill res flick pump on then off ...top off res...rinse and repeat) I noticed some large air bubbles.so i topped the loop up ( still pink!!! ) and tried to rotate the case to get rid of the air bubbles but no matter what i did nothing would work...I could here the pump but it was as if the loop was pumping against a brick wall and would not move the air bubbles. There wasn't even any movement in the res like normal.

    Thinking the pump was toast I took everything out of the case and built it up out side the case ( well most of it apart from the CPU block and 1 rad ) and bingo it worked fine..well after i had nudge the position of the res. SO i spent another 4 hours re installing the loop into the case yet once again nothing it was as if i was pumping against a wall again

    My loop is as follows

    Phobya balancer 150 > DDC 1t Plus 18W >Alphacool NeXxos 240 > EK Monarch Ram Block > XSPC
    Raystorm > Xspc 360 Rad > Swifttech 120 rad > Phobya Balance. ( the reason for the additional 120 res after the 360 is I was going to be cooling my GPU in the same loop at a later date )

    I have checked every where and made sure the rads etc are clear of blockages and they are.
     
  2. Big Elf

    Big Elf Oh no! Not another f----ing elf!

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    Are you connecting the pump inlet and outlet up correctly when setting it up in the case? Also Rad orientation can sometimes make it a pain to get the big air bubbles out, however rotating the case should eventually get it/them out.

    Are you using Mayhems fluid? If so check with them why you might be getting the pink hue. I'm assuming you've flushed out the rads and blocks and aren't using any additives?

    Edit: Something I do if the pump seems to be struggling is to attach a tube to the res inlet and blow hard down it as I switch the pump on to force the fluid into the pump. Have you checked the CPU block to make sure there's nothing inside that could block the flow or that any jet plate is inserted the correct way round.

    Edit2: There's no reason to add an extra Res if you're going to add a GPU into the same loop (unless for looks).
     
    Last edited: 1 May 2015
  3. blackwatch

    blackwatch Minimodder

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    Im using the EK V2 black acetal pump top and i am going into the top of the block then out of the side. I have the alphacool inlet / outlet holes at the bottom. I tried blowiing into the res as i started it but it just pushed fluid both ways then came back.


    Could the pump be struggling to do the entire loop?
     
  4. Big Elf

    Big Elf Oh no! Not another f----ing elf!

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    Was there any resistance when you blew into the loop? I know it's hard to judge but if you felt you had to blow hard that indicates a blockage and from what you've said the CPU block appears to be the only thing that's restrictive in your loop compared to the rads and a Raystorm isn't that restrictive. The pump should easily cope with that loop and more, a lot more.
     
  5. blackwatch

    blackwatch Minimodder

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    I had to blow very hard indeed while it was assembled in the case. One thing i did noticed is when the loop was built up outside the case to get the pump to take everything down i had to nudge the res and make sure it was at a certain angle

    Unfortunatley we dont have outgoing calls at home at the moment but I have emailed Scan.co.uk ( twice now ) and I am waiting for them to get back to me regarding the fluid.
     
    Last edited: 1 May 2015
  6. PocketDemon

    PocketDemon Modder

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    The pump's certainly more than man enough to do what you're trying.

    Well, i've been using DDC1 Ultra pumps for ~7 years with much more restrictive rads & longer flows as the rads are external (2 machines, with the 2nd pump bought about a year after the first, & the first pump's still going strong) - though i use XSPC res tops on mine as it ensures that there's liquid in the pump...

    ...given that the pumps 'can' become damaged if there's not liquid in them when turned on.


    Anyway, (assuming the change in colour of the liquid hasn't also made it like treacle) the sensible options i can think of are -

    1. liquid's not getting to the pump so it's not actually pumping anything - i assume you've got the pump orientated the right way up?

    2. some component is severely limiting the flow - ie there's a blockage in the res or the tubing's badly kinked somewhere or one of the blocks is full of junk or... So, along with looking at the tubing, you'd need to check that liquid can flow through each component separately to rule them out - i would start with the res as it seems unusual that the angle makes any difference.

    3. the pump's faulty - beyond anything else it 'could' be that the symptom of altering the angle of the with the res is moving the pump; & there's an intermittent fault with either the impeller or the wiring that it's indirectly affecting.

    4. or, whilst very unlikely, you're not leaving the top off of the res when doing the initial fill & there's pressure issues.
     
    Last edited: 1 May 2015
  7. blackwatch

    blackwatch Minimodder

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    I am in the process of rebuilding the loop outside the case at the moment. for testing purposes I have got some de-ionised water this morning. Does the location of the plate inside the cpu block make any difference?? I have rotated it from when I cleaned it the other day, just to be sure.

    This is how I have my loop set up currently, with the res going into the top of the EK pump top.

    [​IMG]
     
  8. Big Elf

    Big Elf Oh no! Not another f----ing elf!

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    Just had a quick look at the manual and probably not. Just checked mine and you should be able to blow through it easily with only a slight restriction. Same goes for the EK RAM block which is fairly low restriction as well.

    One other thing occurs to me is that the pump top could be stopping the impeller from rotating correctly. EK tops are usually pretty good and fit well but it could be a one off problem. Can you feel/hear vibration when the pump is running?
     
  9. blackwatch

    blackwatch Minimodder

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    Well the loop is assembled in a carefully controlled condition lol

    [​IMG]

    so here goes....just glad to see the back of the milk shake

    [​IMG]
     
  10. blackwatch

    blackwatch Minimodder

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    well its been sat there for the last few hours working fine. I have noticed a minor leak on one of the 90 deg elbows so i might buy some more tubing and re do one of the tubing runs and replace that elbow before I reinstall it into the PC.....oh and i will need some new fluid as well
     
  11. Big Elf

    Big Elf Oh no! Not another f----ing elf!

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    So what was causing the problem?
     
  12. blackwatch

    blackwatch Minimodder

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    Im not sure. I opened up the cpu water block and cleaned it again ( there was a very small blockage there ). I then orientated the flow plate and put it back together again.

    When I fired up the loop outside the case there was some initial resistance just after the CPU block, but the pump pushed through it this time with out any issues.

    I need some fluid now and then i am back in business I hope :)
     
  13. Big Elf

    Big Elf Oh no! Not another f----ing elf!

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    Even a small amount of debris can restrict flow in a modern CPU block due to the tiny pins/fins and small clearances.

    If you're going with Distilled Water then I can recommend this company. The last time I looked it was the only company selling distilled water at a non rip-off price in the UK. For coloured fluids Mayhems will be the best.
     
  14. blueviper11

    blueviper11 What's a Dremel?

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    yes... very good, Last time i order distilled water from this company,cheap and fast delivery.
     
  15. blackwatch

    blackwatch Minimodder

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    It may be acedemic now. Thanks to some one in Indonesia I have had my bank account cleared out!!:jawdrop: I can't even afford a small bottle of DW from down the road.

    My life just gets better and better :(
     

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