Do I have a hidden leak?

[Zarathustra[H]]

So I just refilled my reservoir last week, and now I am starting to worry that I might have a slow leak somewhere.

I have checked all my fittings. They all seem dry, but even today, a week after my refill there are still bubbles rising in the reservoir (labeit tiny ones slowly) and the res is still dropping the level:

I put an old webcam in the case to better monitor it:


Day of fill: (note, no level drop in res)



2 days after: (note sliver of visible water level drop)




4 days after (Note even bigger gap)




Today, 1 week after




Is this normal water level drop for a system slowly bleeding out it's remaining air, or should I be worried? As mentioned, I have gone on a leak hunt, armed with paper towels, feeling all the fittings, but cant find anything, and there are no wet spots or puddles anywhere.

Before I took the first pic, I did several rounds of "case gymnastics" leaning the case in all sorts of directions and starting and stopping the pump to get as much as possible of the air out, and then I let it run overnight with paper towels just to make sure but didn't see anything. Then did a final top off before bringing it back to my office again.

I'd appreciate your take on whether this is just normal water levels settling in and air working its way out, or if I should be concerned.

Thanks

 

[Zarathustra[H]]

Oh, and for size reference, here is what the full reservoir looks like:

Those are 140mm fans on the right. So I've only lost a few mm of water level since filling it. But I don't remember this much drop last time. Maybe I'm remembering wrong though.

 

[Rvenger]

All those air pockets in the reservoir do create space, once the air bleeds all out it will lower. The same thing is going to happen again. Also, a little water evaporates through the hoses. I think you're just fine.

 

[thesmokingman]

All those air pockets in the reservoir do create space, once the air bleeds all out it will lower. The same thing is going to happen again. Also, a little water evaporates through the hoses. I think you're just fine.

This, and lordy you have a ton of bubbles trapped in your res and probably thru the rest of the loop. A well bled system should have no bubbles. After some time your loop will get seasoned for lack of a better word and the bubbles will come together, right now... over me. Er something like that and as mentioned it'll look like the water level is dropping.

 

[Zarathustra[H]]

Thanks guys.

This is what I was hoping. I had read all about level drops as the bubbles and trapped air work their way out, but given how much "case gymnastics" I did and how I let it run for 24 hours before "going live" I was surprised at the rate at which it has been dropping and for how long it has been doing so.

Thanks for the sanity check!

 

[Bandalo]

Put a little piece of tape on the res to mark the level, then check it again in a week.

 

[Streiw]

Put a drop or two of Dawn dish soap in your res and watch those bubbles vanish.

 

[Zarathustra[H]]

Put a drop or two of Dawn dish soap in your res and watch those bubbles vanish.

My coolant (EK Ekoolant) already contains a surfactant.

The big bubbles in the big pic are already gone. That pic was from when I first filled it.

Now I just have tiny little micro bubbles slowly rising towards the top while it is running. Presumably these are just air stuck in the loop slowly making its way to the res, but just in case they were indicative of a leak, I wanted to ask

 

[thesmokingman]

My coolant (EK Ekoolant) already contains a surfactant.

The big bubbles in the big pic are already gone. That pic was from when I first filled it.

Now I just have tiny little micro bubbles slowly rising towards the top while it is running. Presumably these are just air stuck in the loop slowly making its way to the res, but just in case they were indicative of a leak, I wanted to ask

Bleeding is the hardest part. This is why I power flush, never have to bleed again! Oh and when I was running thousands of mm rad surface, bleeding all the air out was damn nigh impossible. The more blocks and rads the harder it gets.