Alphacool Pump Noise

suprafogg · 11 May 2015 at 10:02

Hello, looking for some expert advise.

I have installed an Alphacool water system over the weekend, the Alphacool LT/ST 360mm kit.

The pump seems to be making an intrusive constant grinding sound, I have read air bubbles could cause this but there doesnt seem to be any big air bubbles in the tubing, possible in radiator maybe?

The pump model is an Alphacool DC-LT 2400 Low Noise Ceramic 12V DC .

Any advise on this would be appreciated I was hoping for a nice quite case so a bit diheartended with it at the moment!!

ErikN · 11 May 2015 at 10:33

Ha yes, the "low noise" pump. I bought one too for that reason, it makes a grinding/whining sound.

I ended up getting a DDC instead...

suprafogg · 11 May 2015 at 13:31

I have been reading up and apparently it is caused by an o-ring not being thick enough so the blades are catching the res, i've ordered the o-ring that should have come with the kit which is thicker so I'm hoping this solves this as if not will be disappointed. Especially considering it's £150 of kit and was originally just going to get an H60 or something!

suprafogg · 11 May 2015 at 16:07

Going to try and slightly unscrew the pump to see if the noises reduces, if it does then this o-ring should fix the problem with it being thicker so the pump wont be as far into the res. Fingers crossed!!

foop · 11 May 2015 at 16:31

I had a similar problem - albeit with a different pump, a EK Water Blocks EK-D5 Vario X-TOP. The pump top was just too close to the impeller, and it either didn't run at all or ran with a horrible noise.

I found out that this was the problem by running the pump with the top incompletely tightened. It was a tricky balancing act getting it at the sweet spot between too tight and so loose that it leaked.

In the end I had to get a replacement pump top. If it's the same sort of problem with your pump it sounds like the new O-ring will help. It was only fractions of a mm that made the difference.