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Dual Radiator question

J

JLangevin

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Apr 13, 2007
Messages
1,181
I ordered an XSPC EX240 today as a second radiator for my loop. I currently have a Swiftech MCR320-XT which wasnt dissepating as much heat as I had hoped. I read on here that you want to avoid making the pump push against gravity as much as possible, which makes perfect sense, but with my setup and my case (Switch 810), have the 3x120 up top and no choice but to mount the 2x120 on the bottom.

With that said, it is inevitable that I will have the fluid traveling from the bottom of the case, to the top a few times. Current loop is:

Pump>Radiator>CPU>GPU>Res>Pump

I am considering;

Pump>Top Radiator 3x120>CPU>Bottom Radiator 2x120>GPU>Res>Pump

By doing this, the coolant will climb from the pump (mounted near the bottom of the case) to the top rad, down to the cpu, down to the bottom radiator on the bottom of the case, back up to the gpu, up to the res (mounted about 1/3 of the way up the case.

The reason Im asking if this is ok, is because I also read that to make full use of the radiator, that I shouldnt have the radiators one after another in the loop... is this true?

I need some mounting suggestions, the 2nd radiator will be here Friday.

Current Loop. I am open to moving the res and or the pump, but keep in mind that I do not have any 90* barbs, so must stay within the bend capability of the hose, which is actually quite flexable without kinking.

comp4.jpg
 
Essentially, loop order doesn't matter as long as the res is before the pump, but the less tubing you use the better. Also, assuming you have either a ddc or d5 pump the gravity thing is a non-factor.
 
I am using the EK 4.0 - I have had great success with it in other builds. It is 800lph or 3.5gpm with great head pressure.
 
That pump will probably be able to handle the job as well. I honestly wouldn't worry about it.
 
The specs are as follows:

DC12v (obviously)
18w
1.8amp
800l/hour
H-Max of 4m

If im understanding the H-Max thats the head pressure of 4 meters or 12 feet?

Specs to price on the pump are awesome, and Ive used one before but not for dual rads.
 
Ok so here is what I'm hearing.

1. Dual rads will work fine whether they are series one after another, and don't need to be split in the loop

2. My pump has more than enough power and not to worry about about gravity.

Thanks guys. Looking forward to before and after temps.
 
I might be crazy, but I don't think head matters in a closed loop- energy spent pushing water up is (mostly) recovered on the downhill side of the loop. But even if I am crazy, I have seen that pump push through multiple blocks and rads, with what I was sure was way to much tube... Still kept good temps.
 
That makes perfect sense to me, so we can both be crazy together. lol... I'm not very versed on hydrolic physics though, so I wont pretend to know any better.

This pump surprised the hell out of me. Even with the triple rad, GPU and CPU, when filling my system, fluid SHOT through it way faster than I ever expected. When purging and bleeding, the bubble move through the system so fast they are a blur, so I know that this pump can handle the added radiator.... if not, Ill just buy another... at $50, I can afford a dual pump setup :)
 
Head matters because of restriction caused by rads, blocks, fittings, tubing, etc. It's not the end-all, be-all, though.
 
You have a great case for two radiators.

I recommend flushing the dyed water out and going with straight distilled water so your system doesn't gum up. Use PT Nuke or a silver coil to kill bacteria.

Your pump is plenty good. Here is my setup with two rads in it to give you an idea for an alternate setup. It would require a new reservoir though.



I
 
I will take some simple pictures of my simple loop as soon as I get a chance for you. I run Dual rads a triple fan and a quad fan and one pump and one res and one loop.

Also be careful with PT nuke (Copper sulfide - deadly toxic) and Silver coils (can cause reaction between metals causing your water blocks to lose nickel coating if they have one).

Why not use a pre-mix coolant that is clear like fluidXP or something. I have no problems with my loop getting gummy or dirty or growth. Plus if you spring a leak with most pre-mixes due to the non-conductivity you will not fry your multi thousand dollar setup.
 
This EK coolant I am using is pretty thin when it comes to the viscosity, so Im not worried about it gumming up. I plan on keeping an eye on it though and checking for any changes in the thickness of it.

I ran Fluid XP in a build in 2008 and it is still running strong on the same coolant with the green UV dye and it hasnt gummed up one bit. Im a sucker for the red so I will see how well it lasts. This is my first time using EK Fluid so I will give it a chance before I change it out.
 
Thats the most common misconception of water cooling... most people dont realize that even non conductive coolant will become conductive due to the metal elements of the loop "contaminating" the fluid.
 
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