Fill Port - flow issue?

boufdover

boufdover

boufdover

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Joined
26 Feb 2015
Posts
44
Location
Oxford
Hi everyone

At the moment, to fill my custom loop, I just unscrew the plug fitting on the reservoir lid and fill it that way - easy.

I had a thought to use a bulkhead/pass-through fitting on the roof of my case and have tubing run from that, vertically-straight down to the reservoir lid (moving the plug fitting to the roof in the process, of course).

I'd like to avoid installing a ball valve fitting inside my case, and would opt to use a 'T' fitting on the reservoir lid, splitting 1. to the fill port and 2. to the reservoir.

THE QUESTION: Would this affect flow rates adversely?

Please excuse my crude sketch!
XCN5aP.jpg


Thank you in advance! :)
 
I used a similar design for about 10 years, i didnt have a res but just ran a pipe down to the pump, its a pain filling the loop the air has to try and escape from the same place your pouring in the fluid, but i assume theres a spare port on the res you can crack open to let the air and and you wont get that issue. I found it best to have a fitting you can easily unhook at the bottom of the case also at the lowest point, then when i wanted to drain it i just turned the case upside down, opened the fill port and opened a joint at other end of the loop and it all poured out of the fill port.
 
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it will work fine as long as the fill port is sealed when the system is in use your fine. if you open it with the pump on you could pump fluid out
 
ah that's a good point. I have a drain port too, at the lowest point (with a ball valve). It's attached just off the pump in the back of the case. I have a Corsair Carbide 540 Cube case so it's a bit of a bugger to lift when draining - so I went for a drain port. It works really well, as has been mentioned ^ , while allowing the air in through another port.

My main concern was the pressure/flow rate, so it seems it could work. I'll certainly give it a go!

Thanks again, folks.
 
It'll work if you fill it such that the fluid level is always above the horizontal part of the T. If you have the fluid level as shown in the image then every time you switch the system off air will rise up any try to fill that horizontal line, which presumably goes to your rad. You could end up with air trapped in your rad, it will essentially try to bleed itself every time you use the system, but without you being able to tilt and shake as you would do normally when first bleeding.

If you had one of those EK "adavanced" reservoirs with the secondary tube built into the top then it would work as you intend with no risk of air going back up into the rad.
 
dose your res have a tube inside it??, put that tube in the same post that you have your T/ress return tube and you will be fine, it will stop air flowing back.
 
Trapped air was my biggest concern. I think (after all this) I'm going to avoid it for now and maybe come back to it in a future build. With the layout of my case it will be much more difficult for me to pull this off so I might just 'play it safe' this time.

I've got a Bitspower tube on its way and that does have a metal tube inside it, but maybe I might just buy a fill bottle and man up haha.

Thanks again guys - much appreciated
 
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