Attaching a Fitting to a Through-Hole?

Zarathustra[H]

Zarathustra[H]

Extremely [H]
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Hey all,

Back in the day it was fairly commonplace to repurpose and DIY parts to use in water loops, but this really isn't the case anymore.

For an upcoming potential project I am considering DIY:ing my own reservoir out of a glass container.

The container has a small hole near the bottom large enough for the purpose. How would I go about attaching a fitting to the hole?

I've seen many so called "bulkhead fittings" but they don't seem to be designed to form a water-tight barrier around the hole in which they are inserted, just to be attached panel mount style and have a G1/4 BSP thread on either side.

Would it be a good idea to use one of these bulkhead fittings and my own 3rd party rubber o-ring to make a seal and create the reservoir, or are there better solutions out there?

Appreciate any suggestions!
 
I always assumed if one did this you would be using an epoxy resin of some kind to glue and seal the fitting.
 
H2R2P2 said:
The biggest concern I would have is the fact you are using glass. How thick is it?

I used to work on air planes and we used bulkhead fittings between pressurized and non-pressurized areas, so there are definitely ones that will seal. Here are several from grainger:
https://www.grainger.com/category/b...-tubing-and-fittings/plumbing/ecatalog/N-150d
Click to expand...


The glass is pretty thick. I'm planning on using a small "beverage dispenser" and removing the spout.

I wanted to use PC cooling parts as much as possible in order to avoid the need for adapters, and to avoid metal compatibility issues. Stainless steel may lead to galvanic corrosion in a loop with copper.

pendragon1 said:
xspc has a bulkhead that is sealed on both sides that might work. otherwise look for a "weldless" bulkhead and maybe an adapter depending on desired size. home brewery stores might have something too.
http://www.performance-pcs.com/xspc-g1-4-to-g1-4-bulkhead-fitting-chrome-finish.html#Details
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Thr...9cd0-49b0-a25d-3aec33ecb0e7&priceBeautifyAB=0
Click to expand...


That one looks pretty nice, the 16.5mm hole size, and max extension of 12.5mm may be a problem as the glass may be too thick, and I think the hole is 3/4" wide. I can make a hole larger (dremel grinding tip works on glass, right?), but it is pretty difficult to make a hole smaller.


Alphacool sells this one which has a rubber o-ring on one side:

https://www.performance-pcs.com/alphacool-bulkhead-connector-short-version-g1-4-chrome.html

It looks like the thread would be too short for me though. They call this the "short version" which suggests there would be a long version as well, but the only long version I can find is this one, and it looks to be of a different design.

https://www.amazon.com/Alphacool-Bulkhead-Fitting-Deep-Black/dp/B004X7ZUK6

I can't seem to tell if there are any o-rings on there as its so dark in the image. It looks long enough though, and firs a 19-5mm to 22.5mm hole. 3/4" is approximately 19mm, so if I just kiss the inside of the hole with my dremel, it should become large enough for this one.

If there aren't o-rings, I wonder if I could just add my own. Not sure if that would seal tightly.
 
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Zarathustra[H] said:
Alphacool sells this one which has a rubber o-ring on one side:

https://www.performance-pcs.com/alphacool-bulkhead-connector-short-version-g1-4-chrome.html

It looks like the thread would be too short for me though. They call this the "short version" which suggests there would be a long version as well, but the only long version I can find is this one, and it looks to be of a different design.

https://www.amazon.com/Alphacool-Bulkhead-Fitting-Deep-Black/dp/B004X7ZUK6

I can't seem to tell if there are any o-rings on there as its so dark in the image. It looks long enough though, and firs a 19-5mm to 22.5mm hole. 3/4" is approximately 19mm, so if I just kiss the inside of the hole with my dremel, it should become large enough for this one.

If there aren't o-rings, I wonder if I could just add my own. Not sure if that would seal tightly.
Click to expand...
That looks identical to the Barrow bulkhead fittings I ordered for my external rad ITX build and they aren't meant to seal just tighten down.
 
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Zarathustra[H] said:
The glass is pretty thick. I'm planning on using a small "beverage dispenser" and removing the spout.

I wanted to use PC cooling parts as much as possible in order to avoid the need for adapters, and to avoid metal compatibility issues. Stainless steel may lead to galvanic corrosion in a loop with copper.




That one looks pretty nice, the 16.5mm hole size, and max extension of 12.5mm may be a problem as the glass may be too thick, and I think the hole is 3/4" wide. I can make a hole larger (dremel grinding tip works on glass, right?), but it is pretty difficult to make a hole smaller.


Alphacool sells this one which has a rubber o-ring on one side:

https://www.performance-pcs.com/alphacool-bulkhead-connector-short-version-g1-4-chrome.html

It looks like the thread would be too short for me though. They call this the "short version" which suggests there would be a long version as well, but the only long version I can find is this one, and it looks to be of a different design.

https://www.amazon.com/Alphacool-Bulkhead-Fitting-Deep-Black/dp/B004X7ZUK6

I can't seem to tell if there are any o-rings on there as its so dark in the image. It looks long enough though, and firs a 19-5mm to 22.5mm hole. 3/4" is approximately 19mm, so if I just kiss the inside of the hole with my dremel, it should become large enough for this one.

If there aren't o-rings, I wonder if I could just add my own. Not sure if that would seal tightly.
Click to expand...
doesn't look like there are orings on the deep one. you could epoxy that one in place and the screw on pieces will cover it. otherwise there needs to be a big gasket to seal it, not sure a single little oring would be good enough.
 
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Zarathustra[H] said:
The glass is pretty thick. I'm planning on using a small "beverage dispenser" and removing the spout.

I wanted to use PC cooling parts as much as possible in order to avoid the need for adapters, and to avoid metal compatibility issues. Stainless steel may lead to galvanic corrosion in a loop with copper.




That one looks pretty nice, the 16.5mm hole size, and max extension of 12.5mm may be a problem as the glass may be too thick, and I think the hole is 3/4" wide. I can make a hole larger (dremel grinding tip works on glass, right?), but it is pretty difficult to make a hole smaller.


Alphacool sells this one which has a rubber o-ring on one side:

https://www.performance-pcs.com/alphacool-bulkhead-connector-short-version-g1-4-chrome.html

It looks like the thread would be too short for me though. They call this the "short version" which suggests there would be a long version as well, but the only long version I can find is this one, and it looks to be of a different design.

https://www.amazon.com/Alphacool-Bulkhead-Fitting-Deep-Black/dp/B004X7ZUK6

I can't seem to tell if there are any o-rings on there as its so dark in the image. It looks long enough though, and firs a 19-5mm to 22.5mm hole. 3/4" is approximately 19mm, so if I just kiss the inside of the hole with my dremel, it should become large enough for this one.

If there aren't o-rings, I wonder if I could just add my own. Not sure if that would seal tightly.
Click to expand...


There will not be any galvanic reaction between copper and stainless steel.

I have never seen a water cooling specific water tight bulkhead fitting that was tailored to water cooling. They are always designed for passing through a case wall or whatever, using the oring on the fittings to provide the water proofing.

You "may" be able to use a longer watercooling specific bulkhead fitting and sandwich washers and orings between them to form a seal.

Bulkhead flange - > SS washer - > Oring - > glass jar wall - > oring -> SS washer - > bulkhead screw ring.

You may be able to epoxy one side, but glass is unforgiving with adhesives, so your joint would be extremely fragile, and a small bump could pop the epoxy off of the glass.

The bulkhead threaded outside diameter would need to be just smaller then the hole it needs to pass through though. The "no weld" kettle bulkheads for home brewing beer work the exact same way.

You stated that your passthrough hole is 3/4 and the XSPC bulkhead has a 16.5mm hole requirements so you may be ok, as the hole you already have is only about 3mm to big.

Personally I would find another container.
 
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termite said:
There will not be any galvanic reaction between copper and stainless steel.

I have never seen a water cooling specific water tight bulkhead fitting that was tailored to water cooling. They are always designed for passing through a case wall or whatever, using the oring on the fittings to provide the water proofing.

You "may" be able to use a longer watercooling specific bulkhead fitting and sandwich washers and orings between them to form a seal.

Bulkhead flange - > SS washer - > Oring - > glass jar wall - > oring -> SS washer - > bulkhead screw ring.

You may be able to epoxy one side, but glass is unforgiving with adhesives, so your joint would be extremely fragile, and a small bump could pop the epoxy off of the glass.

The bulkhead threaded outside diameter would need to be just smaller then the hole it needs to pass through though. The "no weld" kettle bulkheads for home brewing beer work the exact same way.

You stated that your passthrough hole is 3/4 and the XSPC bulkhead has a 16.5mm hole requirements so you may be ok, as the hole you already have is only about 3mm to big.

Personally I would find another container.
Click to expand...


I appreciate the response.

Unfortunately I've had to kill off this project before it even started.

I was planning on running tubing down to the basement, and putting water chillers down there for a completely silent office, but something has come up, and now I'm going to have to move sooner than I expected, so it makes no sense to do any custom setups in this house.

It's a shame, but it is what it is.
 
You most likely have an o-ring on the waterblock and one on the pump, I don't see why you couldn't use one on the reservoir. With careful planning and assembly I think making one yourself is possible.
 
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