Quote:
kristos :
If you got a pump with insane head pressure (in pc watercooling terms that is ) does this worsen the chances for leaks or breaks in the water circuit?
I would think it would but then perhaps I'm just worrying over nothing
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Not really. Keep in mind that AFAIK ALL the pumps normally used in PC cooling systems are some form of mag drive, as they are the easiest / lowest cost to make water tight and durable. Mag drives are inherently not very powerful, and even the high pressure Iwaki's max out at around 30' / 10m of head (approx - I'm working from memory so I'm probably off a wee bit) and most of the rest will be somewhere's between 8-15' (2.5-4m)
That is a MAXIMUM head pressure, that you would see only if you had *NO* flow at all. More typically you will have a head pressure *about* 1/2 the rated max or 4-8' (1.2-2.5m).
Head pressure translates at the rate of 32' = 14.7PSI = 1 atmosphere of pressure, so your actual pressure difference between the pump inlet and outlet will be on the order of about 2-4 PSI, which should be easily within the range of any hose or fittings you are likely to encounter. Even a big Iwaki will probably only get you up to 7-8 PSI, which is still not enough pressure to cause problems if your build technique is reasonable.
Arguably the biggest single point of failure is hoses blowing off of fittings, which is easily prevented by simply using appropriate clamping technology on the barbs. Next most common POF is poor construction techniques, such as overtightening fittings in plastic (causes cracks); lack of appropriate sealants on fittings; poor choices of glues and sealants; and poor application techniques (especially trying to seal leaks by globbing sealant onto the outside of the leaking part....)
Personally, I pressure test each component I will use to 90PSI (the max my air comressor will put out) or it's maximum safe pressure (whichever is less) before starting to build a system. Once the system is built, I will pressure test the entire system to the lowest pressure rated component's pressure (typically the radiator at ~25PSI) This will find any problems, and prove that the build is OK.
Gooserider