PolarFlo TT blocks

[Cathar]

Nice looking, but something smells funny with their performance vs pressure drop graphs:





If I'm reading that right, the PolarFlo TT apparantly has a pressure drop of 0.5mH2O at 20LPM.

Slap me silly and call me a skeptic, but 1/2" ID tubing attached to a 1/2" OD barb with 10mm ID has a pressure drop of around 0.80mH2O all by itself, and that's not even including the pressure drop due to the inner structure of the block, or the water that has to exit the block.

[BalefireX]

Link to source of information, and interior pics:
http://www.polarflo.com/index.asp?Pa...PROD&ProdID=54

Its a pretty block... but I agree, the flow ratings look strange. The PolarFLO SF block was just a dimpled base, and this new base has triangular pins in the way of the flow... since both are single inlet, dual outlet blocks, I don't see where the huge decrease in head loss is occurring. As usual however, PolarFLO has made a very nicely machined and sexy block.. I particularly like their "Posi-Seal" Chrome Barbs.

[pHaestus]

Looks a little like bigben's wb I think. The Polarflo people have damn fine machinists; the finished blocks look very sweet

[Cathar]

Agreed, they certainly do look nice.

From the angle on the inner block design, it does remind me of the Procooling logo.

[Roscal]

Cathar is right, there's something strange with the pressure drop. Look at Joe testing of Polarflo SF :



-> PD is 0.46 psi @1 GPM = 0.32 mH2O

Now BillA 's Polarflo testing and we've got about the same results than Joe @1 GPM :



--> Polarflo firm has only ~0.08 mH2O @ 1GPM for SF ! Difference is too big and unreal... Marketing ?


The PD of SF is also available on the polarflo website :

[Cathar]

Another image at the PolarFlo website that details the PD curve for the TT:

[Althornin]

Originally Posted by Cathar

Nice looking, but something smells funny with their performance vs pressure drop graphs:





If I'm reading that right, the PolarFlo TT apparantly has a pressure drop of 0.5mH2O at 20LPM.

Slap me silly and call me a skeptic, but 1/2" ID tubing attached to a 1/2" OD barb with 10mm ID has a pressure drop of around 0.80mH2O all by itself, and that's not even including the pressure drop due to the inner structure of the block, or the water that has to exit the block.

Nope, looks right to me!
I think you arent reading it right.
Look at the units.
not m, its M
as in meters......
Look at the bottom of the graph - its in feet....
I think half a meter of head is more realistic, eh?

[Cathar]

Originally Posted by Althornin

I think half a meter of head is more realistic, eh?

For 20LPM through a block?

Half a meter of head for 20LPM is not even realistic for 1/2"ID tubing attached to a 1/2" OD barb, let alone an entire block.

[HAL-9000]

Originally Posted by Althornin

Nope, looks right to me!
I think you arent reading it right.
Look at the units.
not m, its M
as in meters......
Look at the bottom of the graph - its in feet....
I think half a meter of head is more realistic, eh?

There's something weird in the graphs, 20LPM is something like 300 gallons an hour. They must have a huge pump for testing it...or something. What I think they did is the guy making the graphs meant to label the GPM as LPM, because at that rate...5 LPM, the rest of the mess, including the pressure drop, starts to make some sense.

Someone should let PolarFLO know their graph is screwed up. I don't think they are purposefully deceiving people, not with tested flowrates that far out there from planet earth.

And those PolarFLO's are some damn sparkly waterblocks. They're so sparkly that watercooling.de might have to give'em a good rating. That seems to be the pattern over there: Jewel-like pretty block=Excellent Cooling

[HAL-9000]

Yeah, I think the graph is screwed. Looks like they labeled their metric results as English for the flow, and the pressure drop...with appropriately disastrous results.

If we "pretend" that the GPM is actually LPM, and then convert the pressure drop straight across to SI units, we get 5LPM at ~1.6mH20 which sounds much more realistic. I think they are liike NASA and that Mars probe...got their English and SI units all screwed up.

I love America, but we need to ditch English units.

[Althornin]

Originally Posted by Cathar

For 20LPM through a block?

Half a meter of head for 20LPM is not even realistic for 1/2"ID tubing attached to a 1/2" OD barb, let alone an entire block.

Ok, wasnt thinking about the flow rate.
Yep, not at 20LPM

[BillA]

for reference (the best looking wb I reviewed)



to be POSITIVE:
Steve at PolarFlo is to be commended for posting product performance data

Good show Steve

(ck your raw data and conversions)

[RedViper]

Some things about Polarflo that need to be mentioned. I have a universal VGA block. While removing the base, to both get a look at the internal structure and to rotate the mounting, I EASILY stripped the soft screws supplied with the unit. Email-based customer support was helpful in that they supplied the screw size, but the person I spoke with also assumed what I call only call an accusatory tone. After requesting more screws be sent to me, I haven't heard anything for two weeks. Lastly, the barb placements for the block are too close together for 3/4 inch OD tubing, unless of course you have vice-grips for fingers.

[HAL-9000]

Originally Posted by RedViper

Some things about Polarflo that need to be mentioned. I have a universal VGA block. While removing the base, to both get a look at the internal structure and to rotate the mounting, I EASILY stripped the soft screws supplied with the unit. Email-based customer support was helpful in that they supplied the screw size, but the person I spoke with also assumed what I call only call an accusatory tone. After requesting more screws be sent to me, I haven't heard anything for two weeks. Lastly, the barb placements for the block are too close together for 3/4 inch OD tubing, unless of course you have vice-grips for fingers.

The stripping screws and email issues don't sound like fun. But I bet its hard to find a VGA block, especially a universal one, that doesn't have trouble with 3/4" OD tubing. 3/4" x 2 = 40mm exactly almost, which is the diameter of most VGA blocks! I think it will be a tight fit with just about any uni-VGA block.

[RedViper]

Originally Posted by HAL-9000

The stripping screws and email issues don't sound like fun. But I bet its hard to find a VGA block, especially a universal one, that doesn't have trouble with 3/4" OD tubing. 3/4" x 2 = 40mm exactly almost, which is the diameter of most VGA blocks! I think it will be a tight fit with just about any uni-VGA block.

Something else I wish I had known then huh? I meatballed in some 1/2x5/8 on one barb and coolsleaved it so things worked out.

[MadHacker]

Originally Posted by RedViper

...Lastly, the barb placements for the block are too close together for 3/4 inch OD tubing, unless of course you have vice-grips for fingers.

I had the same problem with the one i bought...
I ended up using one of the holes out of the side and one hole(attached a 90 elbow) off the top to get the hose to hook up properly...
other then that it is seems to be a good block...

[RedViper]

Originally Posted by MadHacker

I had the same problem with the one i bought...
I ended up using one of the holes out of the side and one hole(attached a 90 elbow) off the top to get the hose to hook up properly...
other then that it is seems to be a good block...

Yeah, performance wise I don't have an issue with it. I'm running a bit over 9800XT clock/mem with no issues at all. Good fix BTW, I wish I would have thought of that.

[pHaestus]

hmm Steve offered to send me a PolarFlo wb to review before. Maybe I can score one of the new ones. They have a great style for sure

[SnowRider]

Originally Posted by RedViper

Some things about Polarflo that need to be mentioned. I have a universal VGA block. While removing the base, to both get a look at the internal structure and to rotate the mounting, I EASILY stripped the soft screws supplied with the unit. Email-based customer support was helpful in that they supplied the screw size, but the person I spoke with also assumed what I call only call an accusatory tone. After requesting more screws be sent to me, I haven't heard anything for two weeks. Lastly, the barb placements for the block are too close together for 3/4 inch OD tubing, unless of course you have vice-grips for fingers.

Don't be offended by this, I just thought I should mention some things about PolarFLO and their blocks. First, I'm pretty sure they're not supposed to be opened up and put back together by the user as it raises the risk of them leaking. 2nd, the nylon barbs they use on that block are supposed to strip a little bit which is what gets the watertight seal. Now if you stripped them so bad they were crooked or something...... that's kind of your fault dude, I must ask though..... why did you take the barbs out in the first place if you were just rotating the mounting plate?
And about the barbs being close together, that's been mentioned before about that block but everyone I've seen mention it has been able to make it work so you should be able to cram them on there somehow. Hopefully that issue will be fixed in their new "TT" series blocks (which look absolutely sweet!! I can't wait to read some reviews of them).

Originally Posted by pHaestus

hmm Steve offered to send me a PolarFlo wb to review before. Maybe I can score one of the new ones. They have a great style for sure

Go for it man

[RedViper]

Originally Posted by SnowRider

Don't be offended by this, I just thought I should mention some things about PolarFLO and their blocks. First, I'm pretty sure they're not supposed to be opened up and put back together by the user as it raises the risk of them leaking. 2nd, the nylon barbs they use on that block are supposed to strip a little bit which is what gets the watertight seal. Now if you stripped them so bad they were crooked or something...... that's kind of your fault dude, I must ask though..... why did you take the barbs out in the first place if you were just rotating the mounting plate?
And about the barbs being close together, that's been mentioned before about that block but everyone I've seen mention it has been able to make it work so you should be able to cram them on there somehow. Hopefully that issue will be fixed in their new "TT" series blocks (which look absolutely sweet!! I can't wait to read some reviews of them).

You're wrong, no offense. The block was advertised as having rotatable mounting HW, which I availed myself of. Besides that, would it have been a burden to simply equip the unit with harder screws? As for the barbs, I never mentioned those in any other context than that they we too close together for my selected tubing. I never said that I removed them. I am, however, aware of the reason why the barbs, supposedly, shouldn't be removed. And that's based on the idea that once the barbs are seated, they tend to expand ever so slightly which makes for a better seal.

As for removing the barbs, should I wish to do so, I could do so with no stripping at all simply by using a deep socket of the correct size, coupled with a bit of patience. All in all, I think you misread my post and saw it as a plea for help instead of the cautionary tale it was intended to be, so I'll leave it here.

[SnowRider]

Yes I guess I did misread your post so....... uh........ we never had this discussion, it doesn't exist When you said screws I thought you meant the barbs or plugs which have a threaded end and not the mounting plate screws.
[bang head on desk] ow ow ow ow [/bang head on desk]

[Incoherent]

Any ideas about the die simulator size. They are not telling anything on their website unless I am missing something. Making the C/W numbers meaningless.
Presumably a P4/A64 size.
Beautiful blocks.

[RedViper]

Originally Posted by SnowRider

Yes I guess I did misread your post so....... uh........ we never had this discussion, it doesn't exist When you said screws I thought you meant the barbs or plugs which have a threaded end and not the mounting plate screws.
[bang head on desk] ow ow ow ow [/bang head on desk]

Understood. It happens to the best of us.