I was just wondering, when you have a water cooling system in a computer, do you have to take caution when transporting the computer? Does the computer have to stay in the upright position at all times or can you lay the computer case on its side or whatever. As long as the everything is screwed down including reservoir and pump and caps on reservoirs and such are water tight, can you not worry about anything happening?
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Transporting a water cooling system
- Thread starter Dutt1113
- Start date
I would worry about air getting into the system if you flip it upside down. The air bubble at the top of your res / t-line would go where it shouldn't be, and you would then have to bleed it again, but that shouldn't cause a huge problem. I would be kind of worried about the cap on your res and/or t-line, because it hasn't necessarily been leak tested along with the rest of the system.
Personally, I always keep mine upright when I transport it and check for leaks when I arrive just to be safe.
Personally, I always keep mine upright when I transport it and check for leaks when I arrive just to be safe.
Erasmus354
[H]F Junkie
- Joined
- Mar 12, 2004
- Messages
- 9,450
I transport my watercooled system a lot to and from school, here are my tips on things to do.
1) Make sure everything is secured well. If you dont use hose clamps I would advise getting some, the worm drive clamps from mcmastercarr are awesome.
2) Remove the harddrives if they are easily accessible (trays or a removable cage). I say this because in the unfortunate event a leak does occur, these are the only things that cant be cleaned off and be good to go. Well, perhaps the DVD drive, but that is cheap to replace, data is priceless.
3) You can situate the case any way you want, just make sure it is as secure as possible so it doesn't get unnecessarily jostled. I keep my case in the original retail packaging and securely pack that in my trunk (only place it fits) lying flat.
4) When you arrive open the case and look for any apparent leaks. Then unplug all power connectors from every device except the pump. Short the PSU and run a quick leak test, this time can also serve to bleed out any air introduced back into the system. I would leak test for at least a couple hours, you dont have to do 24 hours though. Your just testing that nothing came loose in transit.
5) Reinstall the HDD's and plug back in the power connectors, and your good to go.
I have never had any leaks occur and I have moved it back and forth nearly a dozen times and probably over 2000 miles traveled. If you do get a spill, remove all the components that were affected and clean them thoroughly with the highest proof isopropyl alcohol you can find. Let everything dry for longer than you think it needs (better safe then sorry). You should be ok because no power was running through anything so as long as you clean all the stuff well it will still work good as new.
Hope that helps.
1) Make sure everything is secured well. If you dont use hose clamps I would advise getting some, the worm drive clamps from mcmastercarr are awesome.
2) Remove the harddrives if they are easily accessible (trays or a removable cage). I say this because in the unfortunate event a leak does occur, these are the only things that cant be cleaned off and be good to go. Well, perhaps the DVD drive, but that is cheap to replace, data is priceless.
3) You can situate the case any way you want, just make sure it is as secure as possible so it doesn't get unnecessarily jostled. I keep my case in the original retail packaging and securely pack that in my trunk (only place it fits) lying flat.
4) When you arrive open the case and look for any apparent leaks. Then unplug all power connectors from every device except the pump. Short the PSU and run a quick leak test, this time can also serve to bleed out any air introduced back into the system. I would leak test for at least a couple hours, you dont have to do 24 hours though. Your just testing that nothing came loose in transit.
5) Reinstall the HDD's and plug back in the power connectors, and your good to go.
I have never had any leaks occur and I have moved it back and forth nearly a dozen times and probably over 2000 miles traveled. If you do get a spill, remove all the components that were affected and clean them thoroughly with the highest proof isopropyl alcohol you can find. Let everything dry for longer than you think it needs (better safe then sorry). You should be ok because no power was running through anything so as long as you clean all the stuff well it will still work good as new.
Hope that helps.
although those suggestions are great, I transport mine a few times a month, I just keep it basically upright to keep air out of the loop, and I've never had an issue. I look for leaks upon arrival, but it's never been an issue. All my components are tight and secured though.
EvilTwinSkippy
Gawd
- Joined
- Sep 7, 2006
- Messages
- 680
It's a closed loop, and it doesn't have an inner ear so your WC system has no idea which way is up. Yes, air may move to another point in your loop but it's air that was already there (you didn't add air if you didn't open your loop) so it will move back pretty quickly to where it was before. The thing to double check if you're not planning on transporting it upright is to make sure any introduction points (res caps, T Line plugs and fillports, etc.) are secured.
Erasmus354
[H]F Junkie
- Joined
- Mar 12, 2004
- Messages
- 9,450
It's a closed loop, and it doesn't have an inner ear so your WC system has no idea which way is up. Yes, air may move to another point in your loop but it's air that was already there (you didn't add air if you didn't open your loop) so it will move back pretty quickly to where it was before. The thing to double check if you're not planning on transporting it upright is to make sure any introduction points (res caps, T Line plugs and fillports, etc.) are secured.
not entirely true. Air at the top of the T-line or the res, while still a part of the closed loop, is not in the flow path. Introducing that air back into the flow path, or even worse back into one of the little pockets in the radiator, means you have to bleed the loop all over again. Depending upon how much air this is it can take 20 minutes or a couple of hours. Just 2 days ago it took my loop 4 hours + to bleed the air out that was put back in from travelling, and it wasn't a whole lot either.
EvilTwinSkippy
Gawd
- Joined
- Sep 7, 2006
- Messages
- 680
. Introducing that air back into the flow path, or even worse back into one of the little pockets in the radiator, means you have to bleed the loop all over again. .
Point taken, and noted. If the system was properly bled before transit, it's not likely that such a small amount of air would be detrimental, but it is possible that it could be due to just such a circumstance. However, if air was not introduced into the system I don't see how re-bleeding would be necessary since there isn't any more air to bleed out than what was there before. The air that was in the system just needs to be moved back the where it was, and it should do that on its own.