Removing a Water-cooling System?

Herring · 27 Nov 2009 at 09:16

Hi. A friend has had the cooling system on his PC die, and I'm going to give him a hand replacing it. It turns out it's a Watercooled system cooling the CPU only.

I've got a replacement air-cooler (the system isn't OC'd so it should be ok) but while I've built many PC's in the past, I don't have much experience with Watercooling.

I've not seen the system yet, but it sounds like there's a cooling fan on Watercooling system that isn't turning. Either it's failed or (more likely I think) the whole pump is dead.

How do I safely remove it?

Thanks for any help,

Bubo · 27 Nov 2009 at 09:45

If you think its not worth trying to get the water cooling going again, almost certainly a pump replacement if it is causing his pc to shutdown, then the first thing you will have to deal with is to safely drain the loop. If there is no drain valve then you will have to pull a tube off a barb. Just choose whichever gives the least risk to getting water on the mobo. Once you've got as much water out as possible then getting the cpu block off is no difference to an air cooler, and removing everything else is just undoing screws.

If on the other hand if it is a self contained self system like a H50, then just take the system out as you would, it's sealed so no risk of water leaking. Just undo the block and remove.

Herring · 27 Nov 2009 at 10:05

Cheers

Thanks for the help. Don't know too much about it (will see when he brings it round) except where he got it from (online vendor) it's a couple of years old and that it's a cooler that goes to the CPU.

And it's bust

Ducky Spud · 27 Nov 2009 at 10:29

Really could do with knowing what watercooling system it is. Like Bubo says, if its something like a H50 or similar all in one system it should be easy enough.

Draining the system while its in is always an option, but you may be able to just unscrew everything and remove all the watercooling then drain it in the sink or wherever, well away from the PC.

good luck, let us know how it goes

JonJ678 · 27 Nov 2009 at 17:08

A third option if there's no drainage valve is to pull a piece of the tubing outside of the case, hold it over a container and slash a hole in it. This way the hole is further from the components than if you pull it off a barb.

I also think you should just get the loop running again. I'm a little concerned that your friend was running water cooling with no knowledge of it though, so perhaps air would be better in this case.

bifday2k · 27 Nov 2009 at 17:15

I allways remove every last component from my pc when removing my loop,so that just the watercooling gear is left in, then i just take the case over to the sink, cut a tube and voila waters out, then its a lot easier to remove the rest.

Takes more time and effort though, but id rather do it that way and to make sure mobo,psu and the rest is safe.

Phunky Phish · 28 Nov 2009 at 11:05

If its about 2 years old I would dobt its a self contained cooling system like the H20, their quite new.

So I would see if its the fan not working which is easy peasy to swap or if its the pump, and you got an air cooler, just split the tube on the 'best sense' place (so many people lack 'common sense!') and let the water drain out, then remove everything.

If you do get water onto any component, take it out, dab it dry with some kitchen roll then leave to dry overnight in an airing cupboard or somewhere warm.