Anyone have a water system leak?

A

AZBOOSTIN

Gawd
Joined
Nov 20, 2005
Messages
890
I am debating going to a water system... But alittle worried about someday maybe it would spring a leak and wipe-out my system... Has this ever happened to you?
 
Not me but others have. You have to take the time to do it right the 1st time.

Preparation is the key
testing
retesting

Measure twice cut once in a sense
 
I have been thinking about getting one of those CoolerMaster Mini Kits witht he pump built into the block... Just worried about the pump taking a crap..
 
Before getting one of those I'd look into a good aircooling system. You'll get the same temps or close to it and only have one moving part to concern yourself with, the fan.
 
distilled water wont damage components. Also using a black light /UV cathode and UV reactive fluid additive will help spot leaks.

When getting your kit together, just make sure all the barbs are smooth and in good condition, use hose clamps on EVERY connection, and yes measure many times before you cut so you dont have tubes being pulled.
 
If you want a leak free system then don't use hose barbs and clamps. Use either push-fits or compression fittings.
 
i bought a kingwin all in one water cooler thing and its worked very well so far. and no leaks. like others said. take your time and let it test outside of the case for at least 24 hours. but if you do get a leak, turn off the pc immediately and check where all teh water leaked to and clean each component thoroughly or replace the soaked part.

but take the proper precautions and everything will be fine.
 
Top Nurse said:
If you want a leak free system then don't use hose barbs and clamps. Use either push-fits or compression fittings.
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I've had nothing but trouble with compression fittings, but I will go out and say that every push-fit I've ever used worked well, as long as you remember to push the tube ALL THE WAY IN.

Barbs and clamps are the old standby, and if you didn't want to spend the money on push fits they are the way to go....just not pretty at all.
 
Top Nurse said:
If you want a leak free system then don't use hose barbs and clamps. Use either push-fits or compression fittings.
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QFT. Ive never had a single leak with these plug n cool fittings, with my roommates 1/2"/clamps and my old 3/8"/zip ties leaks were very uncommon - but they were there.
 
My whole system is push-fit. As long as you push them in all the way and make sure the connection and tubing are dry before pushing them in, i've never had a leak yet. Only had a scare with my own stupidness forgetting there was some liquid still left in my block when I turned it over to inspect my previous AS5 application. Drip on the motherboard, but it was fine once dried out.
 
Heck, righ tnow I'm running 7/16 tube on 1/2" barbs... havn't gotten around to buying the clamps yet, but thats ok, cause I dont have leaks (had to boil the tube jsut to get it to get on). I wouldn't reccomend doing it, but barbs are hardly the leak-prone devils that TN makes them out to be. You just have to be smarter than the barb + water.
 
Punx_Clever said:
Heck, righ tnow I'm running 7/16 tube on 1/2" barbs... havn't gotten around to buying the clamps yet, but thats ok, cause I dont have leaks (had to boil the tube jsut to get it to get on). I wouldn't reccomend doing it, but barbs are hardly the leak-prone devils that TN makes them out to be. You just have to be smarter than the barb + water.
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So why is it that we hear so much about hose barbs leaking? And why be smarter than crappy hardware when you can use well engineered fittings that work without having to be smart? Push-fits also have better flow characteristics than hose barbs...

The only reason I can see for not using a push-fit is if the size of the fitting precludes using it due to clearance problems on the block in question.
 
I also have a question. Why do so many people use MCT-5 rather than just distilled water? I am guessing that there is something more to MCT-5 other than its non conductivity. What's different?
 
Punx_Clever said:
Heck, righ tnow I'm running 7/16 tube on 1/2" barbs... havn't gotten around to buying the clamps yet, but thats ok, cause I dont have leaks (had to boil the tube jsut to get it to get on). I wouldn't reccomend doing it, but barbs are hardly the leak-prone devils that TN makes them out to be. You just have to be smarter than the barb + water.
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Me too. My friend had to literally melt the tygon tubing with a hair dryer before it would fit. Now it's snug as a bug. :cool:
 
Requiem said:
I also have a question. Why do so many people use MCT-5 rather than just distilled water? I am guessing that there is something more to MCT-5 other than its non conductivity. What's different?
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It comes in a bottle from the water cooling store and they are too lazy to go to the grocery store for some distilled H20. ;)
 
Requiem said:
I also have a question. Why do so many people use MCT-5 rather than just distilled water? I am guessing that there is something more to MCT-5 other than its non conductivity. What's different?
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I had a leak.........was using MCT-5.............It got into the CPU socket while running. I was greeted with a BSOD. I immediately looked inside my case and almost $hit my pants. I saw a nice green puddle on top of my Apogee. Hit the power button at warp 9 and tore her down. The CPU pin socket was soaked with MCT-5. After removing the CPU I doused the socket with alcohol, mopped it up good, and dried with compressed air. I was up and running 2 hours later.

The push-in fittings on my MCW-55 are the only ones I don't even think twice about. I use plastic clamps backed up by zip ties. Thinwall really needs good securing.
 
Top Nurse said:
It comes in a bottle from the water cooling store and they are too lazy to go to the grocery store for some distilled H20. ;)
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So, the only differences why I shouldn't save $20 and use distilled water are color and location?
 
another good tip #1: put a teaspoon of bleach in your system every six months to prevent algae and forces trapped bubles to move so you can bleed them out

another good tip #2: put some automotive coolant in your system to get cooler temperatures

Im also planning on eventually getting a water cooling system and learning some precautions an ways to cheaply improve however this idea was put on hold months ago so if anyone could post the best and affordable water cooling system parts I will be thankful for your help
 
Top Nurse said:
If you want a leak free system then don't use hose barbs and clamps. Use either push-fits or compression fittings.
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She always says the same crap, like she doesn't have anything e;se to do ............... :eek:
 
neloangelo said:
Im also planning on eventually getting a water cooling system and learning some precautions an ways to cheaply improve however this idea was put on hold months ago so if anyone could post the best and affordable water cooling system parts I will be thankful for your help
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Check THESE Kits out good entry level price with quality parts.
 
You just have to be smarter than the equipment that you're working with..................... :eek: And I guess some people can't handle the pressure................... :D

That said and out of the way, here's another good one for you all.

Unless a barb physically fails or is damaged before or during the installation process (the same goes for any type fitting) or the tubing physically fails or is damaged, the sole cause for any leak at the said connection, is the end user, plain and simple. Something wasn’t done correctly during the installation in the first place. It’s extremely easy to blame a piece of equipment for human error and most people do so.
 
Bio-Hazard said:
Nope, I'm retired living off the taxes that you pay.
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No problem there as it is money well spent.

So I suppose you would be content to be fired up into space in a tin can rather than ride up in a nice space plane like they do up in Lancaster? Same old same old with you. I bet you drive a clunker from the sixties as well. :p
 
I've got my old red neck pick-up, but the wife drives a couple year old mini van, we have a 3 year old house on 3 acers in the country. Everything is paid for but the house............. :D Just think of it this way, you're paying for my computer and water cooling hobby, I'd say that was money well spent............... :cool:

I suppose I should thank you ................ ;)
 
Honestly if you don't get cheap parts (by that I mean no good quality ones), take your time, quality clamps you shouldn't have any trouble.

I must have built around 10 watercooled systems all with parts I chose in the last few years. I never had one single system leak. I did manage the fist time to get algae in my system after a few months :D but no leaks :p
 
Bio-Hazard said:
I suppose I should thank you ................ ;)
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No thanks needed if your service was to this country as you deserve it. :) However, your still a red neck water cooler. :p
 
Top Nurse said:
No thanks needed if your service was to this country as you deserve it. :)
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to be precise, services. Bio's multiple campaigns in numerous countries.
 
Top Nurse said:
If you want a leak free system then don't use hose barbs and clamps. Use either push-fits or compression fittings.
Click to expand...

Are push-fits better than barbs...probably. Are barbs horrible leak machines? Not in the least. Push fits aren't able to be used in all situations due to their added bulk. If you use your barbs properly with proper clamps they are just as safe as push fits, push fits are just slightly more idiot prone.


This is really analogous to lots of other FUD campains. If I asked you what is your impression of the Ford Pinto, you would say it is a fiery death trap. However, only 27 people died in Pinto's as a result of fire in a rear end collision. Just because the public perception of something tells you something doesn't make it true. In most cases human error is to blame, not machine error. The advantage to certain things over another are not that they are inherently better, but that they do a better job hedging against human error.
 
Erasmus354 said:
Are push-fits better than barbs...probably. Are barbs horrible leak machines? Not in the least. Push fits aren't able to be used in all situations due to their added bulk. If you use your barbs properly with proper clamps they are just as safe as push fits, push fits are just slightly more idiot prone.
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See this post: http://www.hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1028641293&postcount=14
 
Hehe. Might add a GPU block to the loop soon.....Would a single 120 rad be able to handle the load, my CPU is only on stock volts but overclocked.
 
out of the 5 water cooled rigs I have built I only occured one leak.. back in the day when we didnt have fancy 12v pumps or relays -- one of my WONDERFUL family members decided to use my computer without turning on my waterpump -- the lexan top of my dangerden waterblock melted and about 1/2 of my total water spilled out all over my cpu,mobo,and gfx card -- i was using distilled water with a little bit of antifreeze,

after stripping down and cleaning w/ alcohol the only thing i lost was my cpu because it overheated -- even the mobo worked ;) still using the same gfx card 2 years later
 
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