XSPC D5 Reservoir/Pump Help

[MikeG]

I have an XSPC D5 Dual Bay Reservior/Pump Combo and my problem is twofold:

1) Very noisy
2) Air bubbles are created when I turn it on max speed

Speed setting 1 is quiet but not enough flow, setting 3 is the loudest, and setting 5 has probably the least irritating sound other than number 1, but I can still hear it over the fans even when the fans are turned on high.

Also, when I have my pump turned on high, it sucks in the small amount of air from the top of the reservoir and creates tiny bubbles. I have the res filled as much as I possibly can. If I tilt my computer three or four degrees to the right, I do not have the problem with bubbles. It appears that the intake to the pump is very close to the top of the reservoir and when I tilt the reservoir slightly clockwise, I am putting a greater column of water over the pump intake.

I read that the noise is caused mostly by the reservoir and not the pump. If this is the case, then I'd like to get rid of the bay mount reservoir in favor of something quieter that would work with my D5 pump. Any suggestions?

 

[tinytomlogan]

You need to leave it on and make sure all the air is out of your rads too....

 

[MikeG]

I took the pump and reservoir out of the case and set it on it's side on top of some foam. With all the fans turned off and the pump on high, I can barely hear the pump. It's hard to tell because my ears are still ringing from those XSPC 1600 Xinrulian fans! It's only been a month and already a couple of them are chattering even on 50% power. I just ordered six of the Corsair SP120 QE fans which I hope will solve that problem.

I'm thinking about removing the lower drive bay and mounting the pump and res in the bottom of the case on top of some foam. Not sure how I would secure it though, being that it would be mounted on foam. I think if I added a fill tube to the reservoir like you did on your XSPC kit video review, it would solve the problem with the bubbles. What did you call the fitting that screwed into the fill port on the reservoir? The bubbles only happen when I have the pump on the absolute max setting as it causes a bit of turbulence within the res. I did not have any problem with bubbles when I had it on it's side.

 

[B NEGATIVE]

The best way to bleed a loop is to pulse the pumps regularly rather than leave on full. If its still being a pig then a single drop of Dishwashing fluid can help greatly.

 

[MikeG]

The best way to bleed a loop is to pulse the pumps regularly rather than leave on full. If its still being a pig then a single drop of Dishwashing fluid can help greatly.

Thanks for the reply B NEGATIVE, but I don't think the issue here is air in the rad . I've left it running for several days and I'm pretty sure I have every bit of air out of the system EXCEPT for about one cubic inch of air at the very top of the reservoir near the fill port. The issue I have is that the outlet of the pump is near the top of the reservoir and with the pump on full, every ten minutes or so, it catches that bubble at the top of the res and injects it through the system. If I tilt the reservoir at a slight angle, I can run several days (or perhaps forever) without it sucking in that bubble. Maybe I just have a good pump and low restrictive system and others don't have that problem. I think I know a way to solve this now, they make an M20 to G 1/4" adapter for the fill port. I can then add a bit of extension tubing which would allow me to fill the reservoir completely as well as easier to fill.

I have not yet figured out a solution to my second problem which is noise. If I remove the pump and res from the chassis, it is actually pretty quiet. I need a way to decouple it but I'd still like to keep it in the front drive bay if possible. I don't know why XSPC did not provide a decoupling solution with this reservoir. Looking at the photos on their web site, it looks like most of their other reservoirs have rubber grommets built in. Any ideas?

 

[S_I_N]

turn the pump down it dont need to be run at full speed. most if not all find level 3 a good point for it. I know mine can cavitate a bit on 5 causing it to introduce air if not totally filled up.

also turning it down to 3 will lower the pump noise significantly.

 

[B NEGATIVE]

turn the pump down it dont need to be run at full speed. most if not all find level 3 a good point for it. I know mine can cavitate a bit on 5 causing it to introduce air if not totally filled up.

also turning it down to 3 will lower the pump noise significantly.

This.

Save setting 5 for heavy benching days.