Moving a Custom loop PC

Roverno

Roverno

Roverno

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West Sussex
Hi all,

i'm very seriously considering doing myself a custom loop in my 600T, cpu only. Only problem is i have to move my pc 5-6 times a year and obviously i don't want water all over my components. I had a look around at other saying they drain the whole rig before moving.

Would it be a good idea to make any modifications to what would be a 'normal' cpu loop to make it really easy to drain? or would you all not bother draining?

Thanks
 
ok kl, doesn't look like i will have any problem draining then. Would i have to replace with new fluid each time, or just collect the old and put it back in?
 
I suppose it would be wise to drain if you literally are moving it about as often as that but even then I would consider whether draining could be avoided just by ensuring the move is not so violent as to affect fittings. Even laid on its side it should be ok if not thrashed about, it would just need to be re-bled, which you would obviously need to do anyway if draining. However, if you have a res with one of those black plastic fill port plugs then maybe it is a good idea to drain if you have to lay the case flat during transport, as these are not always water tight.
 
Thanks for a detailed response. I haven't purchased any kit yet so if you can recommend a water tight res or res/pump combo that would be great. Im not lazy or anything, i just want my kit to be safe :)
 
I move my watercooled PC at least once a month to my brothers house for LAN's, I just put it in the back seat of the car, put some pillows around it and my mate sits in the back with the PC making sure it doesn't move about too much... Never had a problem and I've been doing it for years...

When I was bleeding the loop I tilted the case in all directions and shook it about a lot, I didn't get any leaks then so a car journey where its not moving much at all will be fine.

I do use high quality EK, Koolance and bitspower fittings though, I wouldn't recommend cheap rotary fittings as they tend to have to much movement in them, also make sure that there isn't to much strain on any of the fittings or tubing.

Res/pump combos will have a seal or O-ring between the Res and Pump to prevent any leakage, Here's a good combo, it offers excellent head pressure and the pump is more than enough for a CPU loop meaning you could add other components into the loop later if you wanted:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=WC-017-XS&groupid=962&catid=2133&subcat=
+
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=WC-047-AC&groupid=962&catid=2141&subcat=2142
 
thanks iB CoMpL3XiTy, do you lay your pc down or keep it stood up in regular position?

plus, do you have any experience with 5.25 bay reservoirs compared to the normal standing ones? just might quite like to try and keep it all hidden as much as possible.

cheers
 
How far do you have to move it? use good quality compressions, like ek or bitspower, and it shouldn't leak, if your adding a drain port then you should avoid mayhems aurora, as the part of the fluid that makes it sparkle tends to like to accumulate in the drain port
 
Roverno said:
thanks iB CoMpL3XiTy, do you lay your pc down or keep it stood up in regular position?

plus, do you have any experience with 5.25 bay reservoirs compared to the normal standing ones? just might quite like to try and keep it all hidden as much as possible.

cheers
Click to expand...

I sit in upright in its normal position then just lean it backwards slightly so its resting on the back of the seat aswell.

I've used both single and dual bay res's, I've found them harder to bleed, in my experience its taken atleast 24Hrs to bleed, where as the combo res/pump I mentioned before took a few hours.

I'm now using a cylindrical res mounted horizontally, its been the easiest to bleed taking only a few minutes to get most of the air out of the system.
 
KiiYzOo said:
How far do you have to move it? use good quality compressions, like ek or bitspower, and it shouldn't leak, if your adding a drain port then you should avoid mayhems aurora, as the part of the fluid that makes it sparkle tends to like to accumulate in the drain port
Click to expand...

Its a couple hour drive in a car. I will definitely go for the more expensive fittings, i expect they will look better too? will keep an eye out for ek and bitspower for sure. I dont like the aurora at all so im safe there, going for a plain strong white in my white 600T, LUSH :p
 
iB CoMpL3XiTy said:
I sit in upright in its normal position then just lean it backwards slightly so its resting on the back of the seat aswell.

I've used both single and dual bay res's, I've found them harder to bleed, in my experience its taken atleast 24Hrs to bleed, where as the combo res/pump I mentioned before took a few hours.

I'm now using a cylindrical res mounted horizontally, its been the easiest to bleed taking only a few minutes to get most of the air out of the system.
Click to expand...

Will try and do that where possible then when i move my system. May try tipping it about a little at home before i start a move too. bleeding time is certainly a big difference there, how easy is it to mount the one you linked? im assuming that not all cases have regular holes in the bottom of a the case for a res?
 
for the combo I linked to you don't need any mounting holes in your case (although if your moving your case about then I'd recommend screwing it down)

The res is mounted on top of the pump and then pump comes with a double sided sticky foam pad (helps to reduce vibration noise), the sticky pad is really strong so once in place its not going anywhere, although for added security you may want to use the included screws aswell.

What case are you going to be using? maybe we can suggest possible mounting locations.
 
iB CoMpL3XiTy said:
for the combo I linked to you don't need any mounting holes in your case (although if your moving your case about then I'd recommend screwing it down)

The res is mounted on top of the pump and then pump comes with a double sided sticky foam pad (helps to reduce vibration noise), the sticky pad is really strong so once in place its not going anywhere, although for added security you may want to use the included screws aswell.

What case are you going to be using? maybe we can suggest possible mounting locations.
Click to expand...

Im using the Corsair 600T white (not that the colour matters) Mounting suggests certainly useful. Id would rater use only the screws and try and find some rubber grommets or something because i don't really want to stick stuff permanently in my case if i can avoid it.

I may end up changing my case in the next few months anyway.
 
The res iB CoMpL3XiTy suggests is actually one of the ones which have a large plastic fill port plug, usually 20mm diameter. I am basing my opinion on someone who posted in here years ago with that type of fillport plug saying it leaked. I've not actually seen them in the flesh but they look like a simple plastic grub screw as opposed to a proper metal fitting with an O ring. If however they bottom out onto a step with a rubber washer, or have do have an O ring then they should be okay and the one that leaked may have been a bad batch. If someone else could confirm how they seal that would help. Personally wouldn't trust them though. Basically look for a res which has a proper G1/4" screw fitting on the fill port.
 
Bubo said:
Personally wouldn't trust them though. Basically look for a res which has a proper G1/4" screw fitting on the fill port.
Click to expand...

Ok, i suppose people always have different experiences with the same thing. Can you recommend anything specific that you have had good experience with?
 
Sounds like the dude that posted here had a faulty fill port then. I personally use the EK tube reservoirs which have metal blanking plugs for sealing the unused ports. Might also be an idea to stuff the inside of the case with bubble wrap when moving it about to stop the tubes flexing.
 
Ok thats great guys, thanks for all your help.

Look like wither of the reservoirs will be fine in the end, just gotta make a decision and spend the £200 or so for the full setup, im rather excited :D. Good to clear my my worries about moving it about too, thought i was gonna have to settle with an h100 for a moment.
 
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