Bubbles in watercooling

IceShock · 20 Jun 2007 at 21:57

DaveMac said:
I had a similar issue a few years ago using the res below:

The "growth" inside is a piece of sponge to slow the inlet into the res from hitting the tiny air pocket at the top and making micro bubbles that were drawn back into the loop.

nice looking res, where do you buy them sort? thanks

IceShock

DaveMac · 21 Jun 2007 at 00:05

IceShock said:
nice looking res, where do you buy them sort? thanks

It was an Innovatek Tank-o-matic, not sure if they are still available as it was a few years ago, though there are similar styled versions around from other manufacturers.

Jokester · 21 Jun 2007 at 00:10

Yeah EK does something very similar.

Jokester

robj20 · 21 Jun 2007 at 07:44

Drained it and flushed it twice, filled with water only and still the same thing, water goes cloudy like milk within a few seconds, switch the pump off and it all settles and clears.

Jokester · 21 Jun 2007 at 07:47

Have you left it for any length of time? It can takes a good few hours for any air bubbles to bleed out.

Jokester

robj20 · 21 Jun 2007 at 08:01

Yeah its easy to get rid of the bubbles, just leave it switched off for 10 minutes, as soon as it comes back on it clouds up again.

w3bbo · 21 Jun 2007 at 08:18

If thats just with water then it is possibly cavitation in your pump. Your pump is sucking in air from your res which leaves you with 2 options - by a bigger res to cope with the power of swap your pump for a less powerfull version(DDC pro rather than ultra). My advice would be to go with a bigger res, either a dual bay res or a tube design (ek multi res). In the meantime make SURE you have filled the bayres up as much as possible leaving as little air at the top.

robj20 · 21 Jun 2007 at 08:21

Thanks, if my sponge idea doesnt work i will look at getting a bigger res.

PinkFloyd · 21 Jun 2007 at 11:59

Can you not run the pump on a lower voltage?
(no idea if that would work - just using logic!)

pegasus1 · 21 Jun 2007 at 13:19

Run the pump at a lower speed. An effect not dissimilar happens to my loop if i have the pump at 100%

robj20 · 21 Jun 2007 at 14:05

How do i turn the pump down, i tried running it off the 7v line and it broke it, had to get it replaced.

Drazic · 21 Jun 2007 at 18:00

DDC should only be 12v. Nowt eles!

What the full spec in loop flow order of the loop.

You got a top on the pump, did you fit this ya self?

Any rad cleaning

robj20 · 21 Jun 2007 at 18:16

Iv got a Nexxos 120.2 -> D-Tek Fuzion -> Alphacool bay res -> DDC Ultra Alphacool top -> back to nexxos.

The nexxos was cleaned with white vinegar till clear then tap water, then one flush through of distilled. Pump was assembled by me as was the whole system, then to check for leaks i pressure tested using a pressure source (its what i use to test my diving bottles, it checks for air leaks over a long time i put it on for 24 hours and there was no loss so there is no way there is a leak or air getting in)

chaparral · 21 Jun 2007 at 19:56

robj20 said:
Iv got a Nexxos 120.2 -> D-Tek Fuzion -> Alphacool bay res -> DDC Ultra Alphacool top -> back to nexxos.

The alphacool bay res is known to have problems with air bubbles...because you can't fill it right up to the top because of the Fill plug being in the centre hump...

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=142444&highlight=repack

The repack res from Alphacool

Very nice bling quality, but found to my dismay that the DDC2 with modded top completely overwhelms this res, air bubbles just keep circulating around and around. Main peculiarities associated with its performance that I observed when paired with a strong pump:

--Difficult bleeding
--Cannot be fully filled, due to its "center hump" feature and the fact that the fill/bleed port is located on this hump.
---Vortex forms which pulls air back into the loop

I can only guess that it was originally developed and tested on very low flow Euro style setups. The hump is the main problem. Causes air to get trapped on either side. A strong pump will in turn generate a vortex, which then sucks the trapped air back into the loop.

Get a Swiftech bay res or micro res

Am myself is using a Swiftech single bay res with a 18watt DDC Ultra Alphacool top pump with no problems and only takes about 5 to 10minutes to bleed my setup..

Drazic · 21 Jun 2007 at 21:18

robj20 said:
Iv got a Nexxos 120.2 -> D-Tek Fuzion -> Alphacool bay res -> DDC Ultra Alphacool top -> back to nexxos.

The nexxos was cleaned with white vinegar till clear then tap water, then one flush through of distilled. Pump was assembled by me as was the whole system, then to check for leaks i pressure tested using a pressure source (its what i use to test my diving bottles, it checks for air leaks over a long time i put it on for 24 hours and there was no loss so there is no way there is a leak or air getting in)

Hold on, you presure test the parts via the kit used for your diving bottles!

OMG what a n00b! Sorry but thats a silly high presure of air or what ever there using now.

What exactly did you use to test it!

Rad has that been cleaned and flushed till fully clear with boiling hot disttled water? NOT TAP AS THIS HAS CASLISUM IN THERE.

Bay res is crap!

Micro res is what you need for the DDC pumps due to high flow. 2 DDC gave me over 15psi back/head presure just before a Storm rev1 alone, thats well over 2oft of head!!! The res found it hard to cope with 2 in a small loop. Only a test to show power of dual ddc's!

Fittings, type and how they sealed, PTFE or o-ring?

Have you flushed the hose at all?

I have a res top i can send you to test and see if that chnages things, will send it with the foam bit which helps!

Edit

Fact i have a spear micro res too.

I'm happy for you try both out to see which works for you.

I say micro res

MikeTimbers · 21 Jun 2007 at 21:18

Slow down the water by squeezing the tubing just after the pump. Possibly put a clamp on it so that some water gets through. Secondly run it for at least 6-12 hours before you get upset about it.

Drazic · 21 Jun 2007 at 21:37

MikeTimbers said:
Slow down the water by squeezing the tubing just after the pump. Possibly put a clamp on it so that some water gets through. Secondly run it for at least 6-12 hours before you get upset about it.

He's running small bord tubing, if he did that it'll burn the pump out.

Alphacool top is crap and the inlet needs a mod for it to breath better and stuff

It;s the res

MikeTimbers · 21 Jun 2007 at 22:59

Drazic said:
He's running small bord tubing, if he did that it'll burn the pump out.

Alphacool top is crap and the inlet needs a mod for it to breath better and stuff

It;s the res

Really? yuck. Even a little restriction on the tubing will slow it down some - doesn't have to be a whole lot. Whatever, if the res is proven to cause this, then it's not fit for purpose.

Drazic · 22 Jun 2007 at 05:22

MikeTimbers said:
Really? yuck. Even a little restriction on the tubing will slow it down some - doesn't have to be a whole lot. Whatever, if the res is proven to cause this, then it's not fit for purpose.

Yeah think he said 10 or 8mm.

Cather/Stew has proven that 3/8'' is fine as a min

robj20 · 22 Jun 2007 at 07:01

Drazic said:
Hold on, you presure test the parts via the kit used for your diving bottles!

OMG what a n00b! Sorry but thats a silly high presure of air or what ever there using now.

I say micro res

I doubt a watercooling setup could handle 360 bar. The device i used to test only goes to 20 bar and i only used 1.5. I think people are right in that it is the res, however i did manage to fill it so that it is about 90% full, but like someone said there is a vortex in it which does seem to suck the bubbles back. I just need to get rid of the vortex and slow the water in the res down.