First time Water cooling

[PhoenixKnights]

Hello all, I heard this was the best place to come and talk about water cooling so here I am.

I'm about to build a water cooling system and want advice and opinions on what I have planned...

I'm planning on using a MCW5000-P to cool my cpu, and some 1/2" tubing the pump I am planning on right now is a Danner mag drive 3, and a car heater core as the radiator, and then some tuperware that I'd convert to become a reservior. I'm planning on sealing everything with some silicone to prevent leaks

Any advice or opinions on what to do or what not to do before I spend my money and create this sytem?

The main things I am concerned about is making a water tight seal I won't have to worry about and the pump having too much water pressure causing leaks.

Also, what's the best way to adapt a car heater core for 1/2" tubing? and should I get barb adaptors for my the MCW5000 or just leave it as it comes?

[PhoenixKnights]

so anyone had any problems with pressure? or perhaps with any of the barbs or adaptors? I would really like to get some experienced people's opinions on this subject.

[hydrogen18]

according to some article at the spode abode, venting a pump will greatly reduce water pressure(but shouldnt impact maximum head)so that should reduce the chance of leakage at fittings because of the lowered pressure. then again there is good ole duct tape to seal it up...

[Gooserider]

Pressure is NOT an issue, unless you are doing a really sloppy job on the plumbing... I forget the exact specs offhand, but a Danner pump is only good for about 10 feet of water head pressure. This translates to about 5 PSI. The radiator is probably the weakest commercial component in your proposed system, and it's tested at 25 PSI.

(Minor rad selection hint - if you can, get a single pass unit, not a dual pass, it will give much lower flow resistance)

Your proposed system sounds pretty good overall, with the possible exception of the tupperware res. I would want something a bit more sturdy, though I've seen people successfully use stuff that I wouldn't touch. (MY res will be made out of PVC pipe...)

See the poll and survey I did a while back on WC disasters (don't have the link handy) and notice that nearly all errors trace back to 'user error' at some level.

If you make sure you know what you are doing in terms of hooking up plumbing fittings, you shouldn't have a problem. (Note, Silicone is NOT an optimal approach, try teflon tape and plumbers dope on threaded fittings.) Remember that if a connection is not mechanically sound, no amount of externally applied goop will make it long term leakproof.

Good Luck,

Gooserider.

[Boli]

Buy LOTS of spare tubing, you WILL make mistakes and change your mind on the location of the equipment inside the case. A good rule of thumb is to buy twice as much as you thin you will need.

Plan your system meticulously. First decide where everything should go in your case from asthectics and size alone (very important ;P). and work out what would be the way to join it all together using the least amount of tubing. Now you look at what leads to what.

It should optimally go res-->pump-->block(s)--->rad--->res.

In the end you want a systen that works with the least amount of tubing... but this tubing should not be tight and should have SOME give it it. Aside from looking neat you help the pump preasure no end.

If you use a res try to put it at the highest point of your system there it will function as an air trap as well.

Make the postion of your rads work in conjuction with the airflow in your case not against it

One thing I found out through use is if you use a block with mounting holes if you will want to access the rear of the mother board wherer the nuts are on a regualr basis. So if possible cut a hole allowing you to access these nuts. I think the fact that I had to take my board off so much lead me to damage the thing.

You will almost certainly do something wrong on your first attempt so don't feel disheartened. I learnt more getting it wrong than I ever did reading the articles in the forum.

And above all have fun.

~ Boli

[PhoenixKnights]

shorting out a 1000 dollar computer is not what I concider fun. But never the less you don't have to break something to test the system fortunately. I'll just put it all together and then let it run over some white paper and put some colored water in it so that I can see where there are leaks if there are any.

Also I'm accually planning on mounting it outside the case on top. most likely in a tool chest that I will convert. But I will make sure that the reservoir's water level is higher than where any places where the water flows.

[Gooserider]

Boli: It should optimally go res-->pump-->block(s)--->rad--->res

Note that the exact flow pattern is a subject of 'religious debate' (a topic considered to be highly important and subject to much passion on the part of the debaters, not as important to others... ) Many people will not like the arrangement Boli suggests, preferring to go Pump > RAD > Block(s) > res > pump.

The theory is that this runs the coolant through the rad just before the blocks so that the blocks see the coolest possible water. Boli's theory is that you want to dump the heat picked up in the blocks ASAP, and not leave it sitting around in the plumbing warming up the rest of the case.

I'm partial to the Pump > RAD > Block(s) > res > pump theory myself, but don't think it makes a great deal of difference either way. Probably it is best to use whatever layout makes the most sense in your system.
However it is by far the best if the output from the Res feeds directly into the pump intake, preferably with a very short, straight, run, using the largest diameter hose possible. The idea is that you don't want ANY restriction on the pump's intake side if you can avoid it.

Something else that is helpful but not everyone does, is to make sure you mount your block(s) so that the output (or an output if the block has several) is at the highest possible point on the block. Also make sure that the tubing goes UP for at least a short distance after the outlet. This makes the system easier to bleed the air out of, and minimizes the chance of getting air bubbles trapped in the blocks. (does TERRIBLE things to the cooling when that happens!)

Generally speaking, it is best if the water flows in a mostly upwards direction from the pump to the res, so that any air gets pushed into the res. The pump should pull from the bottom of the res, and the coolant should return to the top of it. You should avoid high loops that can trap air in them.

(BTW, other than the minor issue with flow patterns, Boli's advice is very good...)

Gooserider