Cooling Water pump question..

If you mount a water pump at the top of your case or above it AND upside-down, will this = pump head 0'? Or do you measure from the lowest part of your tubing since gravity will only go against flow when water returns to pump?

 

If you have a looped system, the hydrostatic head will equalize. On a water cooling system the head will come from restrictions.

 

So wait.. what kind of watercooling system is NOT looped?

 

well a bong system isn't "looped". there is a hydrostatic head on a bong system from top of water level in the res to the shower head. i prolly shoulda used "closed loop" in first post. also there will be head from restrictions in the system. if you have a pump made for 5/8" in/out and you put 3/8" in/out fittings on it (and nothing else) you are adding head to the pump and it wont operate at maximum rated specs. other things that will add head-lengths of tubing, water blocks, rads, elbows, fittings....this is why people use pumps rated higher than the flow they need, and try to find the least restrictive blocks, rads and fittings.

 

err... you really don't want to mount the pump at the top of the loop. If there are airbubbles, that is where they will sit, making the pump cavitate, resulting in rattle, and when using Water Wetter, loads of foaming. Most pumps should not run dry either and are therefore recommended to be mounted below the water level (for practical purposes, you want to keep the loop above the pump as much as possible).

 

My question about mounting the pump at the top was because I have a sump pump and I'm not sure I could adapt it to be inline as the intake part would need to be modified a little to add a fitting and accomodate a tube.

Pump output is 1/2" and my wc system is planned at 1/2". With pump at the top, it will be sitting in the reservoir, also at top. In this configuration (submersible in rez), as long as the water level is above the intake of the pump, air should not be in system, correct?

What if I mount the pump in the rez upsidedown, then drill a hole in the bottom for the tube to come out? Would this still be a bad idea to place at top of system?



I know the rez is supposed to be highest in system to trap air, but in my situation, it's the only place I can mount the pump. Therefore, pump will have to be up there too. Good? Bad?

 

Nope, that would work...

 

Thanks Nexxo!

A few other questions:

1.) If using a submersible pump, you don't need an airtrap, right? Just keep an eye on the waterlevel?

2.) Using pump in the rez, does this still need to be placed at highest point of the loop?

and

3.) Does moving the pump+rez up or down increase/decrease head pressure? Optimal at top? Bottom?

Original idea?? : Incorporate desktop fountain/waterfall*


Any probs with this idea? Will I be losing pressure by not having a closed loop? Radiator slightly above waterlevel=problem? Can be moved..

Sort of like a bong cooler, except no shower head/bong/rain sound... I think the fountain sound should be a bit more soothing and interactive

*Might ditch the fountain idea if pressure is too high for fountain or it drops pressure for rest of system

 

I am gonna be doing similar stuff, but instead of a fountain I am gonna have a waterfall stuck inbetween two panels of plexi, and the bottom of my plexi will act as it's own res.

Should work quite well I think...

What do you guys think?

 

*bump*

anyone wanna take a stab at my water pump questions??

 

1: With submersible pump in res, no air trap is required; the res functions as the air-trap.

2: Res is ideally at the highest point of the circuit, but provided it is watertight, it doesn't have to be (open it though and it will overflow!)

3: the lower the pump, the higher it has to push the water up the loop, so the higher the head. But most pumps are perfectly happy with a bit of head (OK, that sounded much ruder than it did in my mind ). What you need to worry about is flow resistance of rad, block etc.

4. Having a submersible setup will not lose you any pressure; pressure is a result of the pump pushing water against flow resistance (whether caused by gravity or constrictions in the system components).

 

Thanks for the answers Nexxo

What do you m8s think about adding a waterfall or fountain to the loop before the coolant returns to the rez?

 

Is feasible if you don't mind the calming music of water gently cascading down your system... very Feng Shui.

Me, I think I would find myself popping down to the loo every five minutes... and I think it would eventually get on your nerves.

But I have thought about having a set-up in which a sheet of coolant appears to be streaming down the inside of a (double layer) case window. Can't do temps any harm, but I imagine it is a bit tricky to set up and the res would have to be at the bottom to collect the coolant (in fact the waterfall window/container would be the res).

Just stay away from plastic pink flamingos, OK?

 

DARN!!

I thought about the irratibility factor as well.. The sound of the water can't be nearly as bad as the sound of 5 case fans + 2 HSF's

If anything, the "fountain/waterfall" will be sitting on the top of my rez and could easily be removed, allowing for a closed loop again.

I read somewhere that having 2 reservoirs is a , something about losing pressure..?? Would this still be the case with a submersible pump? Any serious pressure drop? I could ditch the 2nd rez idea but might have 2 heatercores in my loop. I guess everything will be up for experiment once my cooling system is complete

 

Two reservoirs IS a no-no Not just pressure drop, it simply won't work.

Think about it: once coolant enters the res there is nothing to make it leave again except 1. gravity or 2. the pump sucking it out. Put two res's in series, what is going to make coolant leave the first res to enter the second? It only works if overall flow required is no faster than coolant leaving through gravity, or if the first res completely fills up therefore pushing coolant on to the next. Either way, you seriously drop pressure=flow...

This is still the case with a submersible. The only differerence between a submersible and in-line setup is that in the first, the pump is actually inside the res, rather than behind it.

 

I guess my dual rez setup was to convert my sump pump into an "inline"..



The rez that the pump sits in should be 100% full. Rez#2 will act as the airtrap and fill rez#1 as needed via gravity. This way, I could hide the rez and pump somewhere and use rez#2 as a gauge to tell me how my waterlevel is doing. Should I just scrap this entire idea and keep it simple?

I'd still drop pressure with my diagram?

 

*bump*



3 days w/o response...


What do you think of this as a custom rez? Modding possibility

Spotted on ebay for $9.99, it's a 4"x7" 16oz Stainless steel air-tight canister. Top appears to be clear, enabling light to shine thru.. voila, improvised aquatube

 

Dude!! that res is superb! Where from?? How u gonna drill holes in it??

About the waterfall thingy - wont u loose a lot of water from evaporation? And what about the noise making u wanna pee all the time?

 

The stainless steel container is sold as a food storage container for coffee beans or other food you wish to keep airtight. I always figured the holes could be drilled by dremel or drill. I'm not too sure on the thickness of the walls though and I've never drilled steel.. only the aluminum of my Lian Li

About the noise of the water trickling, keep in mind it won't sound like the raging rapids or the pouring rain. It will be soft, subtle, and relaxing.. Those of you who have desktop fountains or even fish tanks to listen to can appreciate the calming effect. Hey, it can't be as bad as the sound of 200CFM flying through your case, can it??

...if anything, the waterfall can be removed if the sound gets irritating or due to excessive evaporation

As stated above, I found that canister on eBay.. Just browse around this section to find more items like it. I've also found an all polycarbonate version of the coffee canister for those of you who want a clear res. May make drilling it easier than the steel too

 

Very interesting....The waterfall effect gets on my nerves eventually....but you can always use some sponge or something to limit the sound.....