do i need an overflow tray/res?

James Manns · 11 Dec 2009 at 19:02

as im going to be setting up a watercooled rig soon i was wondering,
when the liquid gets warm and expands, do i need an overflow tray or res to stop it bursting out onto the system??

Ducky Spud · 11 Dec 2009 at 19:18

No is the simple answer

You'll need to have a res in the system anyway, which wont be filled to the top. If any expansion does take place then there will be enough room in that. But to be honest, I doubt much expansion takes place at all. Seen people monitor water temps and they tend to be around 30C, so not that hot at all really. Dont get up near the CPU temps anyway (60-70!)

JonJ678 · 11 Dec 2009 at 19:20

Nope. Water doesn't expand very much at all between 20 and 40 degrees. Plus the entire system is under pressure anyway (as there's a pump running), so a little more pressure doesn't mean much. A bigger issue is water gradually evaporating out through the tubing if its a sealed loop, but this doesn't seem to matter much either.

Most people use a reservoir or a t line, which neatly solves both concerns. It also makes filling it far easier, immersing part of the loop in a bucket full of deionised water sucks.

James Manns · 11 Dec 2009 at 19:31

well i was going to put a "Y" in at the bottom for draining ect.

so wot does the de ionised water do to it then??

JonJ678 · 11 Dec 2009 at 19:43

It's the only means of filling a loop (with deionised water) that doesn't have a T line or a reservoir that I've managed to come up with. Pump inlet goes to bucket, pump then drives water around the loop and out into the bucket. This runs for ages, eventually there's no air left in the system and you reach into the bucket and connect the two lines together. It's messy, not worth the hassle over a T line.

A drain line is a really good idea. Wish I'd put one in right from the start.

James Manns · 11 Dec 2009 at 20:09

ooh i s that for if you dont want a res? because i am planning to have one anyway