So I've been trying to see how I can run the tubing to/from the radiators, through the floor and up to the reservoirs and blocks. Using Sketchup, I went through different configurations, but came to realize I just don't have enough room under the floor. This is due to a blatant miscalculation on my part at the very beginning of the build: I simply cut the holes in the side panels too large. As you can see in this pic, the mesh boxes are so tall, they block the radiator ports. Even with 90° elbow fittings, I don't think I can make it work. So, aside from obtaining two more side panels and cutting the holes again, which would mean re-doing all the edging and window cutting, I have a possible solution, depicted below. The top pics show the mesh boxes as they are now, and the bottom pics show the proposed solution. What do you guys think? Any other ideas that may work better?
Make a feature of the tubing coming through the mesh so you can actually see it, that could look good if you did it right.
Your idea will work best. Making holes in the mesh for tubes would mean getting your hands in the cages to remove tubes. Can you say 'raccoon trap'?
Yeah I had thought of having the tubing go through the mesh, which would look sick if they went straight through. But due to the close proximity of the neighboring rad, it wouldn't be feasible. I could just use the elbow fittings on the rads, and go straight up through the floor above, but for aesthetics, I want to organize them better and have them evenly spaced in a nice line. And with the mesh boxes in the way, I'd have to use copious amounts of elbows to make them come up through the floor where I want them. And that would probably be bad for water flow lol.
The mesh boxes are nice and putting that step in will spoil em, making the mesh boxes smaller is the best way to go imho. You don't have to make new side panels, as far as I can tell by making the boxes smaller by reducing their height only and then filling the side panel by a corresponding amount would look much the way planned it. The whole thing is going to be painted so there is lots of scope in filling and making presentable whatever modifications you make on the side panel.
For the rear two radiations, that can just be flipped so the fittings extend into the clear space over the fan. For the frontmost, you could either change the mesh design, mod some new fittings onto the top of the rad, add a gap between the front fan and the front rad to create space for the fittings (possible with some sort of duct between them), or reverse the radiator and cut some slots into the inner-front panel of the case to accommodate the fittings.
Master Boddaker.. First off - awesome design - you have come up with some idea's i haven't seen before - especially the way you designed the front - sidepanel flow. Nice trick on routing the acrylic - how far down into the material did you route? Halfway? It's defenately a trick I will remember As far as the issue with the mesh boxes I'd go with your own proposal.. It will give you a visual twist when looking through the vent holes in the sidepanels.. But how are the tubes going to be located regarding the floor above? Are the tubes to go through seperately for each radiator (above rad 1, above rad 2, above rad 3) or are all 6 tubes going through a dedicated area of the floor?
I think you have more confidence in my bondoing skills than I do lol. It would take me quite a bit of work to fill in the upper portion of the holes and make it look right. The front radiator has the most room out of the three, since its fan extends into the front cavity. So the fittings will have more room facing back towards the rear. And they wouldn't work facing the front just because the tubing would then have to make a U turn. Thanks DragonONE. Yes, the V-groove is routed about halfway. Makes for a sharper corner. Yes I think in the interest of time, I will be making the notches in the mesh. Seems to be the easiest solution, and it won't be totally obvious unless you were to peer directly into the holes. As for the tubes, I plan to space them evenly as they go through the floor, probably in two groups of three (one group coming from the reservoirs, one group going up to the blocks). This configuration will require some elbows to get the tubing where I need them. But I think the aesthetic benefit will out-weigh any loss in water flow. I'm working on tubing placement in Sketchup and will post a pic soon. Thanks everyone for all your input!
Hey guys, I finally got something to show on the tubing. After spending countless hours running tubing in Sketchup, I ended up with this configuration: Please don't mind the mess under the floor, that is still under construction lol. I just wanted to get the upper portion figured out first. I had initially tried running the lines from the blocks straight across to the reservoirs, but that looked horrid (I'm not even going to show that jumbled mess!). So I opted to run all lines down through the floor making it neat and clean. Yes, it will add to the overall length of each loop, but with a dedicated pump for each, I don't think I will have any problems. What do you think?
Thanks everyone! The tubing does look rigid, but that's just how it comes across in Sketchup. However, I have been toying with incorporating hard lines under the floor to keep things cleaner. More on that later. ;-) But I will be making some nice acrylic wire looms to help with the tubing organization.