Plan for draining case Advice Please

GiraffePencils · 4 Mar 2013 at 15:30

Hey,
I was planning on attaching a Quick Disconnect to the inlet of my res so when it comes to draining the system I can take it off while full, connect to a tube to a bucket and run the pump to empty the system.
Is this a bad plan?
does anyone know of any problems I could encounter doing this?

*Rich* · 4 Mar 2013 at 16:25

If you run the pump to empty the system, then the pump will surely run dry, which isn't the best idea.

When i drain, i usually just open the lowest point and let it drain with mavity, when most is out, open a top connection so air can escape and release any fluid left inside.

Hope that's what you mean.....

GiraffePencils · 4 Mar 2013 at 16:35

Yeah, that's what I mean, I kinda thought the running dry would be a problem....
I might use the disconnects but connect it to a longer piece of pipe and let mavity do it's work
I just liked the idea of the disconnects reducing risk of spillage when draining.

*Rich* · 4 Mar 2013 at 16:47

But when you fit the quick fit connections, you'll still have to remove the fitting to drain the fluid.

Maybe add a T piece at the lowest point in your tubing and put a blanking plug in it, then just remove plug to drain.

GiraffePencils · 4 Mar 2013 at 16:49

I was meaning plug the connecter into a long bit of pipe with the female bit on one end and put the other end in a bucket,
but a T-Piece might be cheaper and easier

*Rich* · 4 Mar 2013 at 17:30

Oh i get you now, sorry. Yeah that would work, but those quick disconnect fittings are not exactly on the cheap side.

GiraffePencils · 4 Mar 2013 at 21:51

yeah.... they are looking more than the rest of my fittings put together

gcaster · 4 Mar 2013 at 22:39

I drain by running my pump. It does run dry briefly but never had it lead to any problems. If QDCs weren't so ugly or I could hide them I'd have them in my loop in a flash.

OptimaLnrg · 4 Mar 2013 at 22:42

If my loop was fully internal I would just dismount the cpu block and unscrew the fitting over a bucket

Kyzou · 5 Mar 2013 at 10:26

OptimaLnrg said:
If my loop was fully internal I would just dismount the cpu block and unscrew the fitting over a bucket

This is what I am going to have to do as I didn't leave any slack in the tubes

DavidS14 · 5 Mar 2013 at 10:28

GiraffePencils said:
I was meaning plug the connecter into a long bit of pipe with the female bit on one end and put the other end in a bucket

This is what I do with mine, works well and you get no drips/fluid anywhere, preferred it to the T piece or valve methods

joshcowin · 5 Mar 2013 at 15:23

i would say have a t-piece and tap on it at the lowest point then let it all out.fill res with distilled water and pump round again with tap closed then repeat 3 times so all the old coolant is out.then drain,fill with new coolant as all coolants have distilled water in anyway so it wont make no difference if some distilled water is in the loop

Five.Stars · 7 Mar 2013 at 19:19

GiraffePencils said:
I was meaning plug the connecter into a long bit of pipe with the female bit on one end and put the other end in a bucket,
but a T-Piece might be cheaper and easier

I have a similar set-up to this. Have an external rad with quick disconnects connecting the inlet and outlet, meaning I can disconnect the system from the rad if I need to do any maintenance. I put the qdc's round different ways, then I have a spare bit of tube with a male qdc I can use to to drain both the radiator and the main system.