Time to top up the H2O bro!

count minaba · 06-10-2005, 09:39 PM

Just noticed the res is down by about 5mm.
Thats not too bad after running for over 4mths I think
Anyway, time to top up.

This is were a side panel is a good idea so you are not left wondering if it's dry

Drufuss · 08-10-2005, 08:38 AM

Hi count!

I switched to water about a month ago and today i refilled something between 5 mm and 1 cm into my reservoir (maybe i´ll take exact measurements and calculate the exact amount of coolant i had to refill).
My system seems to be leakproof (at least i can´t see any leaking anywhere) so i wonder "Where did it go?".
Was this the rest of trapped air somewhere in the cooling circuit slowly finding its way to the reservoir over the time?
Does it leak (just a tiny little bit so i can´t spot it) somwhere?
Does it evaporate?

Greetings

Dru

h20-ski · 08-10-2005, 10:07 AM

All of my watercooling setups do that. I am thinking that water is evaporating from around the barbs. I always see little droplets of water around them. I know when I need to refill by the amount of noise that the water makes in te reservoir.

Drufuss · 08-11-2005, 05:56 AM

" water is evaporating from around the barbs"

I´m sorry but i can´t find a german translation of "barbs" that makes sense for me.
Could please use another term?

Correction: I think i found what you mean http://www.brasparts.com/hose_barbs/...hose_barbs.htm.

So you have droplets around them? Imho i would call this leaking.
Either your barbs aren´t fitted tight enough on the cooler, you´re pipes or hose aren´t fitted tight enough to the barbs or you´re using the wrong type of pipe or hose.

Greetings

Dru

h20-ski · 08-11-2005, 10:08 PM

Yep that was what I was talking about. You are right that should not be happening, but if you think in microscopic sizes, there are probably holes and grooves in the tubing that allow almost inmeasurable amounts of water to bypass.

Drufuss · 08-12-2005, 02:37 AM

You´re right, nothing is perfectly tight, but real droplets around the barbs would make me worry.

I´m using these in my setup http://www.ktc-cooling.com/catalog/p...&cPath=1_56_60, similiar to the ones in my first link but with an additional screw nut to tighten the tube-barb connection.

Btw. when i´m at posting links, that´s my reservoir http://www.ktc-cooling.com/catalog/p...&cPath=1_51_52 and that´s my radiator http://www.ktc-cooling.com/catalog/p...&cPath=1_12_30.

Greetings

Dru

h20-ski · 08-12-2005, 01:15 PM

That is quite the radiator. Looking to go passive? The only thiing I would worry about is whether the pump has enough power. Good luck

Drufuss · 08-13-2005, 04:28 AM

If "passive" means no fans on the radiator then yes, my setup is passive.

I´ve mounted the radiator to the right-side-panel of my Midi-Tower (it´s about the same size)

The pump is use is this http://www.ktc-cooling.com/catalog/p...&cPath=1_33_36 and seems to be powerfull enough. I´m using PUR tubes with 8mm inner diameter, connected to cpu-cooler, X800-cooler (both sides, GPU + Ram), 2 HDD-coolers, the "monster radiator" and it´s pushing the coolant strong enough so i could setup my reservoir as "bonsai fountain". I use the bottom inlet of the reservoir and the coolant is "splashing" against the top cover (res. isn´t completely filled, approx. 5mm air left).
Don´t know if i should top it up completely? Find it kinda funny to have a PC that is completely quiet except some gentle gurgling.

Greetings

Dru

h20-ski · 08-13-2005, 09:00 PM

The DDC is an awesome pump and silent to boot. I topped of my reservior so I don't think that I have to go to the bathroom all the time

Drufuss · 08-14-2005, 02:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by h20-ski

The DDC is an awesome pump and silent to boot. I topped of my reservior so I don't think that I have to go to the bathroom all the time

Good point h20-ski.

Another thought that keeps my from topping up was, that the coolant will "expand" when getting warmer, increasing the pressure inside the cooling circuit. When there´s no air in the circuit to be compressed all the additional pressure will act on the tubes and the barbs. Maybe it´s not that much, but i don´t want to risk anything. On second thought, when the coolant gets warmer, the tubes get warmer too and become more flexible. So maybe the tubes will "expand" little bit reducing the pressure on the fittings?

Greetings

Dru

P.S.: When the coolant level drops beneath ~10mm below the top lid, the gurgling stops. It also stops when the flow of coolant will be blocked by a bent tube, sediments or the pump failing.
So the gurgling act´s as an indicator for me that everything´s O.K. When it stops i have to refill the reservoir, look for bent tubes, failing pump, or clean the cooling circuit.

Drufuss · 09-17-2005, 11:20 AM

Another month has passed, and the coolant level inside my reservoir has once again dropped by about the same amount.

Think i will let pass another month before i refill. One question that arose just now is, should i refill with coolant (pre-mixed) or with destilled water?

Greetings

Dru

h20-ski · 09-17-2005, 12:38 PM

All I have done is replace it with distilled water. Right now my server is running straight DI water.

Drufuss · 09-17-2005, 01:08 PM

I was told not to run the DDC with distilled water only. The pre-mixed coolant i use has some greasing ingredients.

If only the water component of the coolant evapourates over time, refilling with destilled water should be okay i think, and prevent the coolant from becoming to "thick" or "concentrated".
If not, refilling with water may dilute the coolant and the pump may get stuck eventually.
I still have about 0.5 liter of the coolant here, and i also have distilled water, maybe i´ll ask the guys at watercool.at who sold all the equipment to me about their opinion.

Greetings

Dru

Drufuss · 05-24-2006, 10:16 AM

Just an update.

I´m now refilling my reservoir at a regular basis (about every 2nd month) with distilled water only (as advised by the people who sold the equipment, their servers are water-cooled using the same pump and they´ve done so for years now).

Greetings

Dru

06-10-2005, 09:39 PM	#1
count minaba LivingDead... LivingLarge Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Dead center of Sydney! Posts: 11,271	Time to top up the H2O bro! Just noticed the res is down by about 5mm. Thats not too bad after running for over 4mths I think Anyway, time to top up. This is were a side panel is a good idea so you are not left wondering if it's dry __________________ IC7-MAX3/ bios 1.8 Intel 3.4E 1gig OCZ PC4200EL Invidai 6600GTS 2xSeagate 120gig Sata Raid0 WinXP Pro SP2 MCE2005 22" Viewsonic widescreen Pioneer 111 DVD Liteon 52x CDRW Logitech Z640 5.1
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08-10-2005, 08:38 AM	#2
Drufuss CUSL2-C -> P5Q ? Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Österreich Posts: 2,768	Hi count! I switched to water about a month ago and today i refilled something between 5 mm and 1 cm into my reservoir (maybe i´ll take exact measurements and calculate the exact amount of coolant i had to refill). My system seems to be leakproof (at least i can´t see any leaking anywhere) so i wonder "Where did it go?". Was this the rest of trapped air somewhere in the cooling circuit slowly finding its way to the reservoir over the time? Does it leak (just a tiny little bit so i can´t spot it) somwhere? Does it evaporate? Greetings Dru __________________ System specs: Asus P5Q Core 2 Quad Q9550 2.83 GHz @ 3.42 GHz 4 x 2GB DDR2-Ram PC2-1066 Corsair Dominator @ 800MHz 3 x Seagate 7200.ESII 500GB SATA Sapphire HD4870X2 2048MB Soundblaster Audigy 2 ZS, Hauppauge HVR4000 DVB-S/S2/T, Dlink DWL-G510, Logitech Z-5450 5.1 THX Wireless Enermax Modu82+ 625W Win XP MCE 2005, openSuse Linux 11 64bit, Vista Home Premium 64bit CUSL2-C ruled! ..äh... RulEd! Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana.
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08-10-2005, 10:07 AM	#3
h20-ski Forget Wakeboarding Join Date: May 2004 Location: Texas Posts: 2,460	All of my watercooling setups do that. I am thinking that water is evaporating from around the barbs. I always see little droplets of water around them. I know when I need to refill by the amount of noise that the water makes in te reservoir. __________________
(Offline)

08-11-2005, 05:56 AM	#4
Drufuss CUSL2-C -> P5Q ? Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Österreich Posts: 2,768	" water is evaporating from around the barbs" I´m sorry but i can´t find a german translation of "barbs" that makes sense for me. Could please use another term? Correction: I think i found what you mean http://www.brasparts.com/hose_barbs/...hose_barbs.htm. So you have droplets around them? Imho i would call this leaking. Either your barbs aren´t fitted tight enough on the cooler, you´re pipes or hose aren´t fitted tight enough to the barbs or you´re using the wrong type of pipe or hose. Greetings Dru __________________ System specs: Asus P5Q Core 2 Quad Q9550 2.83 GHz @ 3.42 GHz 4 x 2GB DDR2-Ram PC2-1066 Corsair Dominator @ 800MHz 3 x Seagate 7200.ESII 500GB SATA Sapphire HD4870X2 2048MB Soundblaster Audigy 2 ZS, Hauppauge HVR4000 DVB-S/S2/T, Dlink DWL-G510, Logitech Z-5450 5.1 THX Wireless Enermax Modu82+ 625W Win XP MCE 2005, openSuse Linux 11 64bit, Vista Home Premium 64bit CUSL2-C ruled! ..äh... RulEd! Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana.
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08-11-2005, 10:08 PM	#5
h20-ski Forget Wakeboarding Join Date: May 2004 Location: Texas Posts: 2,460	Yep that was what I was talking about. You are right that should not be happening, but if you think in microscopic sizes, there are probably holes and grooves in the tubing that allow almost inmeasurable amounts of water to bypass. __________________
(Offline)

08-12-2005, 02:37 AM	#6
Drufuss CUSL2-C -> P5Q ? Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Österreich Posts: 2,768	You´re right, nothing is perfectly tight, but real droplets around the barbs would make me worry. I´m using these in my setup http://www.ktc-cooling.com/catalog/p...&cPath=1_56_60, similiar to the ones in my first link but with an additional screw nut to tighten the tube-barb connection. Btw. when i´m at posting links, that´s my reservoir http://www.ktc-cooling.com/catalog/p...&cPath=1_51_52 and that´s my radiator http://www.ktc-cooling.com/catalog/p...&cPath=1_12_30. Greetings Dru __________________ System specs: Asus P5Q Core 2 Quad Q9550 2.83 GHz @ 3.42 GHz 4 x 2GB DDR2-Ram PC2-1066 Corsair Dominator @ 800MHz 3 x Seagate 7200.ESII 500GB SATA Sapphire HD4870X2 2048MB Soundblaster Audigy 2 ZS, Hauppauge HVR4000 DVB-S/S2/T, Dlink DWL-G510, Logitech Z-5450 5.1 THX Wireless Enermax Modu82+ 625W Win XP MCE 2005, openSuse Linux 11 64bit, Vista Home Premium 64bit CUSL2-C ruled! ..äh... RulEd! Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana.
(Offline)

08-12-2005, 01:15 PM	#7
h20-ski Forget Wakeboarding Join Date: May 2004 Location: Texas Posts: 2,460	That is quite the radiator. Looking to go passive? The only thiing I would worry about is whether the pump has enough power. Good luck __________________
(Offline)

08-13-2005, 04:28 AM	#8
Drufuss CUSL2-C -> P5Q ? Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Österreich Posts: 2,768	If "passive" means no fans on the radiator then yes, my setup is passive. I´ve mounted the radiator to the right-side-panel of my Midi-Tower (it´s about the same size) The pump is use is this http://www.ktc-cooling.com/catalog/p...&cPath=1_33_36 and seems to be powerfull enough. I´m using PUR tubes with 8mm inner diameter, connected to cpu-cooler, X800-cooler (both sides, GPU + Ram), 2 HDD-coolers, the "monster radiator" and it´s pushing the coolant strong enough so i could setup my reservoir as "bonsai fountain". I use the bottom inlet of the reservoir and the coolant is "splashing" against the top cover (res. isn´t completely filled, approx. 5mm air left). Don´t know if i should top it up completely? Find it kinda funny to have a PC that is completely quiet except some gentle gurgling. Greetings Dru __________________ System specs: Asus P5Q Core 2 Quad Q9550 2.83 GHz @ 3.42 GHz 4 x 2GB DDR2-Ram PC2-1066 Corsair Dominator @ 800MHz 3 x Seagate 7200.ESII 500GB SATA Sapphire HD4870X2 2048MB Soundblaster Audigy 2 ZS, Hauppauge HVR4000 DVB-S/S2/T, Dlink DWL-G510, Logitech Z-5450 5.1 THX Wireless Enermax Modu82+ 625W Win XP MCE 2005, openSuse Linux 11 64bit, Vista Home Premium 64bit CUSL2-C ruled! ..äh... RulEd! Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana.
(Offline)

08-13-2005, 09:00 PM	#9
h20-ski Forget Wakeboarding Join Date: May 2004 Location: Texas Posts: 2,460	The DDC is an awesome pump and silent to boot. I topped of my reservior so I don't think that I have to go to the bathroom all the time __________________
(Offline)

09-17-2005, 11:20 AM	#11
Drufuss CUSL2-C -> P5Q ? Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Österreich Posts: 2,768	Another month has passed, and the coolant level inside my reservoir has once again dropped by about the same amount. Think i will let pass another month before i refill. One question that arose just now is, should i refill with coolant (pre-mixed) or with destilled water? Greetings Dru __________________ System specs: Asus P5Q Core 2 Quad Q9550 2.83 GHz @ 3.42 GHz 4 x 2GB DDR2-Ram PC2-1066 Corsair Dominator @ 800MHz 3 x Seagate 7200.ESII 500GB SATA Sapphire HD4870X2 2048MB Soundblaster Audigy 2 ZS, Hauppauge HVR4000 DVB-S/S2/T, Dlink DWL-G510, Logitech Z-5450 5.1 THX Wireless Enermax Modu82+ 625W Win XP MCE 2005, openSuse Linux 11 64bit, Vista Home Premium 64bit CUSL2-C ruled! ..äh... RulEd! Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana.
(Offline)

09-17-2005, 12:38 PM	#12
h20-ski Forget Wakeboarding Join Date: May 2004 Location: Texas Posts: 2,460	All I have done is replace it with distilled water. Right now my server is running straight DI water. __________________
(Offline)

09-17-2005, 01:08 PM	#13
Drufuss CUSL2-C -> P5Q ? Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Österreich Posts: 2,768	I was told not to run the DDC with distilled water only. The pre-mixed coolant i use has some greasing ingredients. If only the water component of the coolant evapourates over time, refilling with destilled water should be okay i think, and prevent the coolant from becoming to "thick" or "concentrated". If not, refilling with water may dilute the coolant and the pump may get stuck eventually. I still have about 0.5 liter of the coolant here, and i also have distilled water, maybe i´ll ask the guys at watercool.at who sold all the equipment to me about their opinion. Greetings Dru __________________ System specs: Asus P5Q Core 2 Quad Q9550 2.83 GHz @ 3.42 GHz 4 x 2GB DDR2-Ram PC2-1066 Corsair Dominator @ 800MHz 3 x Seagate 7200.ESII 500GB SATA Sapphire HD4870X2 2048MB Soundblaster Audigy 2 ZS, Hauppauge HVR4000 DVB-S/S2/T, Dlink DWL-G510, Logitech Z-5450 5.1 THX Wireless Enermax Modu82+ 625W Win XP MCE 2005, openSuse Linux 11 64bit, Vista Home Premium 64bit CUSL2-C ruled! ..äh... RulEd! Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana.
(Offline)

05-24-2006, 10:16 AM	#14
Drufuss CUSL2-C -> P5Q ? Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Österreich Posts: 2,768	Just an update. I´m now refilling my reservoir at a regular basis (about every 2nd month) with distilled water only (as advised by the people who sold the equipment, their servers are water-cooled using the same pump and they´ve done so for years now). Greetings Dru __________________ System specs: Asus P5Q Core 2 Quad Q9550 2.83 GHz @ 3.42 GHz 4 x 2GB DDR2-Ram PC2-1066 Corsair Dominator @ 800MHz 3 x Seagate 7200.ESII 500GB SATA Sapphire HD4870X2 2048MB Soundblaster Audigy 2 ZS, Hauppauge HVR4000 DVB-S/S2/T, Dlink DWL-G510, Logitech Z-5450 5.1 THX Wireless Enermax Modu82+ 625W Win XP MCE 2005, openSuse Linux 11 64bit, Vista Home Premium 64bit CUSL2-C ruled! ..äh... RulEd! Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana.
(Offline)

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