dugdiamond
New member
Today I water-cooled my rig.
I was my first time building a custom loop, but not my first time at plumbing.
I am an ex-plumber and engineer (Royal Engineers).
Now, even though my loop works flawlessly, is 99% silent and extremely efficient... I thought I would share some do's and don't's. And, I have not seen a written tutorial here, only TTL's old vids.
Always read the instructions first (no matter how clever you think you are).
Always flush ALL parts with de-ionised (aka distilled) water, even if the parts you've bought said they were, and came sealed.
Use as little right angles in you piping as possible. Abrupt angles = pressure points; vibrations; trapped air; choked waterflow.
Try to use smooth lines in your pipes. If you are going to hard-line your loop, then use the appropriate bending kits, and make bends rather than use connector fittings.
When cutting your piping, always cut it a little longer than required. Then, trim until it is perfect. Make sure no burrs or trimmings fall inside the tubing.
When hard-lining, make a template and never defer from it.
Always build your loop in your case, with ALL the components fitted. "First fix" your loop; then temporarily remove un-needed components (GPU, memory, storage, etc.), before leak-testing.
Once all the un-needed components are out of the rig, recheck that all pipework is secure, and check that the motherboard has no power to it.
If your PSU can be removed from the chassis, do it.
If you are using flexible hosing, leave the piping to settle in for a hour or so (flex hosing can stretch/warp when manhandled). Leaving it to relax allows it to regain its' natural tension/form.
Double-check that the tubing is how you want it; trimming hosing if required.
When leak-testing: Turn your pump onto Max (if it has a speed setting); Fill your reservoir to the top; Connect pump to the PSU correctly.
Use paper kitchen towels (or similar), and lay them under your loop.
Flick the ON/OFF switch to your power source so that the pump bursts the coolant through your loop WITHOUT letting the reservoir/pump suck in air.
Once the reservoir depletes, refill accordingly, until required or full.
Do NOT add your colouring yet. (if you have leaks and need to re-build the loop, this will be a waste of time)
Air pockets are more than likey somewhere in the loop. It's inevitable - so...
Once the larger air pockets are out of the system, you'll probably be left with micro-bubbles. Don't worry about these. They will work their way out over time, or can be helped on their way by gently finger-flicking the tubing.
Do NOT install your components yet.
Leave your loop run on Max for a few hours before lowering the settings to your final speed that you'll be using 24/7.
Leave this loop leak-test for 24-48 hours.
If you are happy, and no leaks have occurred, now is the time to carefully add the components back into your rig.
Always have your rig with its' lights ON when adding your colouring (if you're going to do so), as lit coolant looks different to itself unlit.
I was my first time building a custom loop, but not my first time at plumbing.
I am an ex-plumber and engineer (Royal Engineers).
Now, even though my loop works flawlessly, is 99% silent and extremely efficient... I thought I would share some do's and don't's. And, I have not seen a written tutorial here, only TTL's old vids.
Always read the instructions first (no matter how clever you think you are).
Always flush ALL parts with de-ionised (aka distilled) water, even if the parts you've bought said they were, and came sealed.
Use as little right angles in you piping as possible. Abrupt angles = pressure points; vibrations; trapped air; choked waterflow.
Try to use smooth lines in your pipes. If you are going to hard-line your loop, then use the appropriate bending kits, and make bends rather than use connector fittings.
When cutting your piping, always cut it a little longer than required. Then, trim until it is perfect. Make sure no burrs or trimmings fall inside the tubing.
When hard-lining, make a template and never defer from it.
Always build your loop in your case, with ALL the components fitted. "First fix" your loop; then temporarily remove un-needed components (GPU, memory, storage, etc.), before leak-testing.
Once all the un-needed components are out of the rig, recheck that all pipework is secure, and check that the motherboard has no power to it.
If your PSU can be removed from the chassis, do it.
If you are using flexible hosing, leave the piping to settle in for a hour or so (flex hosing can stretch/warp when manhandled). Leaving it to relax allows it to regain its' natural tension/form.
Double-check that the tubing is how you want it; trimming hosing if required.
When leak-testing: Turn your pump onto Max (if it has a speed setting); Fill your reservoir to the top; Connect pump to the PSU correctly.
Use paper kitchen towels (or similar), and lay them under your loop.
Flick the ON/OFF switch to your power source so that the pump bursts the coolant through your loop WITHOUT letting the reservoir/pump suck in air.
Once the reservoir depletes, refill accordingly, until required or full.
Do NOT add your colouring yet. (if you have leaks and need to re-build the loop, this will be a waste of time)
Air pockets are more than likey somewhere in the loop. It's inevitable - so...
- Disconnect the power supply completey.
- Close off your loop (so that no coolant can escape).
- Tilt your whole case in one direction 90 degrees.
- Re-connect the pump's power and blast the coolant for a few seconds, to get the air round the bends and traps.
Once the larger air pockets are out of the system, you'll probably be left with micro-bubbles. Don't worry about these. They will work their way out over time, or can be helped on their way by gently finger-flicking the tubing.
Do NOT install your components yet.
Leave your loop run on Max for a few hours before lowering the settings to your final speed that you'll be using 24/7.
Leave this loop leak-test for 24-48 hours.
If you are happy, and no leaks have occurred, now is the time to carefully add the components back into your rig.
Always have your rig with its' lights ON when adding your colouring (if you're going to do so), as lit coolant looks different to itself unlit.
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