Resevoire Vs T-Line?

taken from the wc thread sticky:

Reservoirs

Reses are very simple. They are containers of water, with an inlet and and outlet. The advantege of them is, there is a screw cap on the top, so filling is a matter of opening it and putting in water. Also, it is felt they are easier to bleed (get all the bubbles out of a water system) because the water hangs around in the container, and the bubbles rise out of the water. The downside is, they take up space, and cost money. The alternative to a res is having a T-line. A T-line is a T you put in the path of your system, usually right before the pump. The inlet goes on the left, the outlet on the right, and the bottom part sticks up, with a hose. You use a funnel to pour water into the system. This saves a lot of space and some people prefer this (myself being one of them).

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=759705

for me adding a reservoir lowed my temp by 1-2 degrees. also the water action inside the reservior was a bonus for me.
 
Ya im probavly going t-line, firstly because I can save a few bucks buy not buying a resevoir, secondly it will make the inside of my case a little more attractive looking
 
Only if you can keep the reservoir in a mini fridge/freezer next to your rig that would be awesome.. :D Or is this even possible?
 
thewhiteguy said:
You can't beat a PVC res, it's safer and easier than using a T-line.
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i can agree to 'easier' as far as bleeding/filling, but 'safer' is only true because there is 1 less connection to connect... i've used both various times in the past, and reses have always given me a bit of trouble.. that's probably because i custom-make them, though.

I've had lower temps in the same system besides a T-line. I PREFER reses because they are easy to bleed/fill, but IMO they are a pain in the ass. It's a love hate relationship that doesn't really make sense to me either. Don't ask :(
 
diredesire said:
i can agree to 'easier' as far as bleeding/filling, but 'safer' is only true because there is 1 less connection to connect
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I think it's safer because
1 - It is a place where anything bad like metal would collect instead of screwing up the pump.
2 - It's a nice place to put a drain for draining out the loop easily.
3 - You can fill your system without running you pump dry so much.
4 - If for some reason your loop leaks or sweats, you'd have to be a retard to let the level get low enough to burn out the pump from running it dry.
 
thewhiteguy said:
I think it's safer because
1 - It is a place where anything bad like metal would collect instead of screwing up the pump.
2 - It's a nice place to put a drain for draining out the loop easily.
3 - You can fill your system without running you pump dry so much.
4 - If for some reason your loop leaks or sweats, you'd have to be a retard to let the level get low enough to burn out the pump from running it dry.
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1. Depends on the layout of your res and barb placement, and pumps are designed for various applications like aquariums and pumping chemicals (in some cases). Also: you should flush the system for a while if you're safe anyways
2. Most reses (pre-fab) do not have drains, but i agree, the one i made was moutned on the back of my case and had a drain.
3. if you run completely close looped, you can fill the system without ever having to run your pump (i.e. submerging etc). IMO this is a pain in the ass, but some people do it (no t-line even required :O) but i more or less agree, just giving another view point.
4. i agree, but only on the premises that "if for some reason". I think for anyone fairly experienced, this is a moot point, although i whole heartedly agree that people make mistakes.

Another addition: It depends on the method of fill and location of the res. Reses like bay reses etc are hard to access/fill depending on design. If you have a res in the middle of your case and is easily accessible, then they're just GREAT, but not everyone can accomodate one. I've always had to cram my w/c setups in smaller spaces...
 
Anyone who wants to see what a reservoir should be needs to take a look at my thread ;) Reservoirs, when done correctly, kick major ass IMO.
 
Iv'e done the res thang and T-lines, and much prefer T-lines. Far simpler to set up, take less space, and no, a res will not lower your temps. Unless that is, you are using a fish aquarium for a res.. :p

But really, it's what you prefer that matters...
 
T-lines may take up less total volume in your case, but the space they do take up is wasted and doesn't look very good :p
 
I think it looks nicer with a t-line, if it's done correctly, like making a small hole in the top of the case, where the imput valve thing is. then hide the long tube, you could make it look like you dont have a resevoir or a t-line at all...
 
a resevoir can lower temps over a T-line, depending on the size of the T-line you were using previously, a 1/2" T-line is like sticking a piece of 3/8" tubing into your system, it is a source of restriction. Now the gains from taking this out will arguably be very minimal...and you could just get a slightly oversized T-Line to take the restriction down to almost nothing.
 
Erasmus354 said:
a resevoir can lower temps over a T-line, depending on the size of the T-line you were using previously, a 1/2" T-line is like sticking a piece of 3/8" tubing into your system, it is a source of restriction. Now the gains from taking this out will arguably be very minimal...and you could just get a slightly oversized T-Line to take the restriction down to almost nothing.
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depending on the design of the res, it's probably WORSE than a t-line... in general (in my experience)... considering there are barbs on a res, too.
 
I merely skimmed the resonces....but there is my take...

A res makes filling and bleading alot easier...thats it. Thats its only benifit really. Mine, under a UV cathode, is nice looking, so I kept it. I don't like the look of t-lines, with a hose leading to nowhere. About it being safer, not really. I view if form the perspective or if there is a leak, its alot more water thats gunna get emptied. Also, it does not help temps, it can actually hurt then. The reason for this is with a T-line, the system is constantly flowing, making your pumps job easier. With a res, your pump needs to accelerate still water out of your pumps. I havnt done any tests, but that could cause a 1C or so temp difference.

If its your first endevor into watercooling, I woudl reccomend a res simply for the convienance of filling and bleeding, but if you know what your doing, just go with a t-line.
 
T-lines are easy to bleed -it happens automatically in less than an hour of just running the pump. Reses cost money and are noisy UNLESS you can get ALL the air out. Many designs today prevent that from happening (DD pvc for example). Been there and done that.
 
I don't know about you but that half hour is the first part of my leak test anyways. I never have to bleed again. T-Lines all the way. I got enough junk in my computer. I'll admit I'm a bit jaded. I had the DD cylindrical res and it cracked, probably the water flowing through those barbs in part. I had twisted in the barbs cute hard and that that ended up stressing the area around it. After a month or two it cracked. No res for me anymore.
 
texuspete00 said:
I don't know about you but that half hour is the first part of my leak test anyways. I never have to bleed again. T-Lines all the way. I got enough junk in my computer. I'll admit I'm a bit jaded. I had the DD cylindrical res and it cracked, probably the water flowing through those barbs in part. I had twisted in the barbs cute hard and that that ended up stressing the area around it. After a month or two it cracked. No res for me anymore.
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I'd be the same is my res cracked. And I agree with the whole time issue, it doesnt matter whether it takes a minute of a half hour to bleed it, because that should be the first part of your 24-hour leaktest anyways.
 
#1 reason for having a reservoir is to make sure the pump has a constant amount of juice to squirt.

#2 reason is it allows for custom setups where you want to run multiple loops off the same pump.

#3 reason is that it usually looks cool.
 
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