Watercooling help!

shadowake · 5 Oct 2009

OK my systems finally all up and running, no leaks (thank god). However there are loads of tiny air bubbles in the loop. They are stationary not moving? Also the flow meter on my reservoir (EK Spin) is completely stationary, but you can see the waterfall on the front so it must be flowing?

How can you tell if the water is moving or not? Also are the small stationary bubbles normal?

I've been running the loop with the res top off for 4 hours or so and the bubbles just wont shift, I've tried tilting the case and even shaking it a bit.

I havn't powered the system yet, just the loop as I'm worried if the flow is crap it could damage it?

FYI It's a CPU/GPU loop with one D5 pump and 2 rads (1 x 120 & 1 x 360), with feser one coolant.

shadowscotland · 5 Oct 2009

Try flicking the tube/blocks that sometimes helps move static bubbles.
A few start/stop cycles also helps -
D5 vario or standard, if vario adjusting the speed can also dislodge the bubbles.

The spiner not rotating is a bigger issue.
Is it new or secondhand, but the 'waterfall' also shows flow.
Did you change the impella?
have you got the tubes the right way round?
Have you tryied turning it upside down?
Have a look at the many youtube vid's of the res in action.
big thread of this in XS too

twist3d0n3 · 5 Oct 2009

when you run the loop for the 1st time, run it for a few hours and the bubbles will shift (keep the res cap off during this time) - flick the pipes as well will help them if they seem stuck

shadowake · 5 Oct 2009

shadowscotland said:
D5 vario or standard, if vario adjusting the speed can also dislodge the bubbles.

The spiner not rotating is a bigger issue.
Is it new or secondhand, but the 'waterfall' also shows flow.
Did you change the impella?
have you got the tubes the right way round?
Have you tryied turning it upside down?
Have a look at the many youtube vid's of the res in action.
big thread of this in XS too

Yeah it's a vario (D5 second hand off MM) set to full (5). The res is new and it spun with me just blowing air in to test it when I got it. It seems wierd the waterfall happens as it has to get past the spinner to do it? Very confused. Just to check, the top of the D5 is outlet (with arrow pointing up).

JonJ678 · 5 Oct 2009

I'm guessing here, but

Any flow should cause the waterfall effect, but it'll have to be above a certain threshold for the spinner to rotate. So I'd be looking for kinks in the tubing, you've probably plumbed things together correctly (exactly two holes in most parts, hard to get wrong really). Low flow rate as a result of kinks would also explain bubbles persisting.

That said, I use black tubing and have no idea when and where there are bubbles, so I don't know how long they normally last. It's noisy as hell when I go to sleep and silent in the morning.

(note to avoid the potential wrath of shadow, 'silent' insofar as the bubbles can't be heard over the pump, nor the pump over the psu fan

)

shadowscotland · 5 Oct 2009

If the vario is at 5 - it 'may' be pinning the spinner to the res wall.
and that arrow is very helpfull - loop to res to central inlet - 'top' outlet to loop
How fast is the 'waterfall' - linky
And can you list the full loop - that way I can use martin's flow tables to get an appoximate 'expected' flowrate

@JonJ lol - I'm not THAT bad - am I? but thanks for the foot note

I just champion the word 'inaudible' that all - not like I do forum searches on silent... (jk)

shadowake · 5 Oct 2009

shadowscotland said:
If the vario is at 5 - it 'may' be pinning the spinner to the res wall.
How fast is the 'waterfall' - linky

The waterfall is slow compared to vids on you tube. There are definately no kinks in any of the tubing. Could I have been sold a duff pump?

JonJ678 · 5 Oct 2009

Ah mate, you know I agree with you on people using silent to mean 'can't hear it over the road outside'

You might have been sold a dodgy one, it probably happens. This is not a good idea as such, but...

Get a bucket full of water, Two tubes on the ddc, one leading into the bucket, the other pointed into the air. Turn on the pump. It has a rated head pressure. I can't seem to find it on google, but it's less than the ddc and that's only 3m. So if you have a vertical tube about a meter and a half long, the D5 should throw water out of the top of it.

Failing that, could always actually use a manometer

I'm probably not the only person who aimed a ddc out of a window when he first got it. I wasn't that impressed, bu it sounds like water will barely trickle out of your pump if this is the issue

shadowake · 5 Oct 2009

shadowscotland said:
And can you list the full loop - that way I can use martin's flow tables to get an appoximate 'expected' flowrate

No problem, full loop in order is:

EK Spin Bay Reservoir
D5 Vario Pump
Zern.at PQ+ 775 CPU Block
XSPC 4870x2 Block Acetal
Feser 120.1 Rad
Aquacomputer XT 360mm Rad

Then back to res. All with 7/16 ID tubing and 1/2" high flow barbs. Feser One coolant.

shadowscotland · 5 Oct 2009

This may sound silly - but are you sure it on 5?
It may be on 2 - as the guage on the back is not obvious.
the indent is the base of the arrow - rotate fully clockwise pump should sound like a dentist drill next door at full power.

Flow should be around 1.5gpm @ 5
Edit: about 0.5gpm @ 2

shadowake · 5 Oct 2009

shadowscotland said:
This may sound silly - but are you sure it on 5?
It may be on 2 - as the guage on the back is not obvious.
the indent is the base of the arrow - rotate fully clockwise pump should sound like a dentist drill next door at full power.

Flow should be around 1.5gpm @ 5
Edit: about 0.5gpm @ 2

Will check when get home but I tried it turned both ways, it's louder the way it is now, but not massively loud?

shadowscotland · 5 Oct 2009

2 is near silent (even by my standards) so it's most likely on 5 as you say.
Could just be a sticky spinner - try a few start/stop cycles when you get home.

shadowake · 6 Oct 2009

shadowscotland said:
2 is near silent (even by my standards) so it's most likely on 5 as you say.
Could just be a sticky spinner - try a few start/stop cycles when you get home.

All fixed, gave the res a good whack (was getting anoyed with it) and out shot a massive bubble from the spinner (not that you could see one) and it started spinning! Proves the good old if it isn't working, hit it, theory!

shadowscotland · 6 Oct 2009

I'm guessing that the waterfall is also faster now to

Thanks for letting us know you got it working - bubble removal is not a gently-gently task

PaulyD · 6 Oct 2009

shadowake said:
All fixed, gave the res a good whack (was getting anoyed with it) and out shot a massive bubble from the spinner (not that you could see one) and it started spinning! Proves the good old if it isn't working, hit it, theory!

I do like that fix!

MikeTimbers · 6 Oct 2009

Reminds me of the old story of the computer expert who charged a fortune to come out and look at a problem and after looking at it for a while he just gave it an almighty slap on the side. Service was immediately resumed.

When he asked for £1000 in payment, they asked why they should pay £1000 for merely hitting it on the side. He replied that only £1 was for hitting it. £999 was for knowing where to hit it!

JonJ678 · 6 Oct 2009

Makes me happy when hitting things fixes them

setter · 6 Oct 2009

Ive been hitting my workmates for years, they still dont work.

Sayso · 6 Oct 2009

move the case so it sits on all axis to get rid of air pockets

just make sur nothing is going to fall out

MikeTimbers · 7 Oct 2009

and don't forget to align the tubing with ley lines.