fix-a-bix help
 

i got my h2o system running, & it has been seemingly flawless, except that i was noticing a persistant smell of water wetter in my room. i thought it was only assembly spillage that would eventually evaporate, but after the 36th hour running & still smelling the shtank I became suspicious of a leak. upon closer inspection, i found a small amount of bubbles circulating through my lines & my air trap appeared to have lost about 1/2oz of water. sure i had a leak, i began inspecting everything with a light & magnifying glass, & it looks like i may have a tiny puncture in my BIX near the mounting holes. i claim this because i can see unique residue staining that flows down from the corner near one of the bolts. my n00b1l35c3n53 caused the puncture; i think i grazed a water channel while i was passing my 3" mounting bolts through both sides. anyways, enough of my story, you know roughly where, why, & how much it leaks so:

anyone know how to fix-a-bix without ruining the performance?

ie: i want to avoid any radiator "patching-goops" that could end up insulating my water. please help me:(

I have the same problem, but my persistant reek is because I spilled some HyperLube on the carpet. Blech. I need a carpet cleaner. There are some plumbing solders that can be "painted" on the outside of the area and cured with the heat from a lighter. It shouldn't reduce the cooling effect of the rad by much. For God's sake, though, DO NOT put any of that rad sealer in your rad or it'll plug up quicker than you can blink. You need an external sealant. Check your local hardware store and they'll have a stack of it.

Tough problem.

I'd try some JB weld, applied with a toothpick, but I'm assuming that you know exactly where your leak is.

Unless you can find that out, you'll have to patch the whole area, and that means lots of goop.

Even if you do find the area, you may not be able to reach it, at least not without dissasembling the whole thing (which may involve cutting out that prudy frame).

You might start with cutting a hole on the side, maybe with a dremel, as long as you don't damage the internals. You'd at least get a better look.

thanks to you both for the advice. i'm positive the leak is coming from between two of the rectangular channels near the top-right mounting holes (the way i have it mounted at least). fortunately it's in an area of minimal airflow, so gobbing external sealant shouldn't hurt performance much (between the corner mounting brackets, which are brazed to the top, bottom, & side "tanks" on both sides). i'm sure i won't be able to pinpoint it between the channels because there are mangled fins in there that i "gently" pushed aside to pass the bolts through (i tried to be careful & push the fins into each other & not dent the water channels, but i think i buggered it).

using flourescent dye might help. i'd likely have to "pack" the 1/4"x1/4" area around the bolt with paint anyways to make sure it is sealed, so it won't matter exactly where it is. i'm not going to hack out the core or mounting brackets to get at the pin-hole, because i'd surely introduce a major leak in the process.

i just had an idea, i think i'll actually epoxy the mounting bolt in there so it reinforces the area & keeps the glue up against the hole. i think this would be the most robust seal i could make without stripping the neato black paint off my bix & soldering it (i'd rather buy another one that do all that).

I had the same problem with my first system using a BIX, but I never noticed a leak, just a constant smell of water wetter and an evaporation problem. I wonder if I did have a leak in the BIX and didn't know it?

How bad does Water-wetter smell? Now I'm scared to use it! Definitely not a good idea for an open-reservoir system, right?

NO!!!

i wouldn't fear using wetter unless for some reason you absolutely have to have an open system, which would preclude the use of any fragrant or poisonous fluids.

BTW, some can't smell wetter as well as others (genetics & smoking). to me it smells very strong, like 70% anti-freeze (has a marking scent that smells like maple syrup) & 30% soap (Majic Bubbles, the kind kids blow bubbles with). i'm not 100% sure if the evaporated wetter is toxic (it is if it is contains E-G), but i bet it's not good for you.