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How to test the new setup...?

S

Seufari

Gawd
Joined
Sep 7, 2005
Messages
871
Hey,

I plan on assembling my new water cooling setup this weekend and needed a few tips from you guys.

After measuring at cutting the tube, do you assemble outside of your case to test and check for leaks or in its natural environment inside the case?
How do you get power to the pump to test it? Do you have to jump the PSU? I am unsure of how this is done, any insight is helpful.
When in the setup process do you actually seat the blocks and put it in your case?
How long do you test it before calling it good?

My biggest question is how to get the system going without powering on the rest of the system, I appreciate any help and insight you guys have to give.

Thanks
 
Assuming you have a DC pump you just jump the green wire to any black wire and the PSU will go on. Obviously you can't have the power to the MB on so the pump works and you do your leak test. If everything is okay then you put the pedal to the metal and go. :)
 
What do you use to jump the wires? I assume it would kinda need to be semi-permanant to allow for a fairly long test?
 
For cheap and easy, just use a length of 16 awg wire... it'll stay in place well enough, just don't shake it :)
 
Remove anything that is not being watercooled from the case (Disc Drives, Hard Drives, Sound Cards, RAM). Leave in the Motherboard and the CPU, and the Video Card if you are cooling the GPU. Dry mount all of the blocks (no paste) for the leak testing. Everything should be how it will be setup in the final config.

Make sure the PSU is either above the watercooling loop, or if it is in the bottom like it is in the P180, remove it from the case as well. You dont want to have a leak get into the PSU. Make sure that no power leads from the PSU are plugged into anything but the pump. With nothing plugged in, if you have a leak it wont short (no plug = no current = no short). Then you jump the supply from the green wire to any black wire as already stated. A nice and easy solution is to just use a paper clip.

Run the leak test for 24 hours, with paper towels to catch any leaks. I would pay attention for the first hour or so (just looking at it often). After that check occasionally to make sure the paper towels are still dry and you cant see any water anywhere. If you do happen to get a leak, find where it is and fix it. Take the CPU and GPU out and make sure no water leaked into the sockets. Clean anything that got wet with some Isopropyl alcohol and let it dry completely before going again.
 
xhx said:
For cheap and easy, just use a length of 16 awg wire... it'll stay in place well enough, just don't shake it :)
Click to expand...

Paperclip + tape. Ghettoness ftw.
 
Erasmus354 said:
Remove anything that is not being watercooled from the case (Disc Drives, Hard Drives, Sound Cards, RAM). Leave in the Motherboard and the CPU, and the Video Card if you are cooling the GPU. Dry mount all of the blocks (no paste) for the leak testing. Everything should be how it will be setup in the final config.

Make sure the PSU is either above the watercooling loop, or if it is in the bottom like it is in the P180, remove it from the case as well. You dont want to have a leak get into the PSU. Make sure that no power leads from the PSU are plugged into anything but the pump. With nothing plugged in, if you have a leak it wont short (no plug = no current = no short). Then you jump the supply from the green wire to any black wire as already stated. A nice and easy solution is to just use a paper clip.

Run the leak test for 24 hours, with paper towels to catch any leaks. I would pay attention for the first hour or so (just looking at it often). After that check occasionally to make sure the paper towels are still dry and you cant see any water anywhere. If you do happen to get a leak, find where it is and fix it. Take the CPU and GPU out and make sure no water leaked into the sockets. Clean anything that got wet with some Isopropyl alcohol and let it dry completely before going again.
Click to expand...


I second this....But for added security.... You could dry mount your blocks, route, measure and cut the tubing, USE CLAMPS ON YOUR FITTINGS and make sure they are nice and tight. Then remove the blocks from your mobo and cards (depends on what your cooling). Then remove all your hardware, mobo, graphics cards..etc. And power up and leak test your loop. This way takes longer but at least you have no hardware anywhere near your leak test. If your a bit paranoid you can use this approach (I didn't) but it gives added peace of mind in case of a leak at first.

Hope it helps...good fortune and cheers on your new w/c setup. Welcome to the elite ;)
 
Thanks for all of the input...

I plan on using hose clamps everywhere and hope nothing leaks...
 
"green wire to any black wire as already stated"

what do you mean where are this wires?
 
On the 20 or 24 pin power supply connector that plugs into your motherboard.
 
Top Nurse said:
What do you use the tape for?
Click to expand...

I'm not THAT ghetto. Even though parts of my car are held on by duct tape (namely, exhaust), my Desk is a door on $10 ikea table legs ($10 for the set), and coupons are my best friend, I don't wanna die via Psu.
 
elyrly said:
"green wire to any black wire as already stated"

what do you mean where are this wires?
Click to expand...

Main ATX cable. The big rectangle plug with tons of wiring. Find the only green wire, and hook it up to any black wire.
 
Bbq said:
Paperclip + tape. Ghettoness ftw.
Click to expand...


qft .. i take a paper clip and cut the a bent end off with needle nose pliers then just stick it in the green wire hole and any black wire hole .. it stays with no tape just fine...

mal
 
img01314td.jpg
 
Why would you Dry mount? Whats wrong with setting it up sans power to the mb and video card if required and testing, so that when it's done its ready to go? I assume the TIM soaks up the fluid or makes it harder to tell or something like that being the reason.
 
So hey guys, this question posted was awesome because I'm wondering the same things.

So basically, setup everything (obviously) dry mount without any artic silver or your favourite thermal paste. The only thing I was wondering is how to jump the PSU as well. Does the Swiftech kits come with any jumper pin? If not, do I just do the paperclip ghetto technique, jump the wires and they'll just power the pump?

What else should I unplug? What relies on these connections?
 
Dr.House said:
Why would you Dry mount? Whats wrong with setting it up sans power to the mb and video card if required and testing, so that when it's done its ready to go? I assume the TIM soaks up the fluid or makes it harder to tell or something like that being the reason.
Click to expand...

The TIM wont cause any harm. If you were to get a leak however you will probably be disassembling the system. This means that you wasted perfectly good thermal paste. If there is no leak you simply take the block off and hold it up far enough away for you to squeeze a dab of paste on there, then remount the block. (I would do another short leak test after this to make sure nothing came loose from removing/remounting the block)
 
Erasmus354 said:
The TIM wont cause any harm. If you were to get a leak however you will probably be disassembling the system. This means that you wasted perfectly good thermal paste. If there is no leak you simply take the block off and hold it up far enough away for you to squeeze a dab of paste on there, then remount the block. (I would do another short leak test after this to make sure nothing came loose from removing/remounting the block)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply. I figure why be pesemistic about it? If you get it tubed and clamped properly, the only place to expect leaks are from the components themselves and if thats the case, your going to have to dismantle and get replacements anyway.

I was going to tube the blocks with an adequate excess of tubing prior to installing, get everything in there and bolted down with TIM where appropriate, then cut the end of the tubing to fit in the non delicate parts(anything that wouldn't crush a core) of the loop like the rad/res. Getting all that clamped down, then do the water test, this maybe not as safe as doing it outside of the case or what have you but I think most veterans would do it this way, no?
 
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