which reservoir?

[alex paik]

i was looking at those acrylic reservoirs for th 5.25" bay but i would rather have a reservoir that is not visible from the front.. i was wondering if the reservoir that DD has, highdensity polyetheline reservoir, can be mounted into a 5.25 bay and still keep the lid for the 5.25 bay..

this is what it looks like..

but i want the front to have the lid on the 5.25 bay like this..

is the DD reservoir mountable inside a 5.25 and still have enough room so i could cover it up? thanks!

 

[madmat]

Read this thread and you'll have the answer you need.

 

[alex paik]

thank you very much..

 

[madmat]

I'd bow but my back's shot...so...You're welcome.

 

[condac]

Why not save some $£€ on having a t-line if you are not going to show of you tank?

 

[alex paik]

what's a t-line? and dont you need a reservoir tank?

 

[madmat]

A T-line is a T fitting placed before the pump inlet with the horizontal plane of the T hooked into the pump's inlet line and the vertical leg hooked to a line that runs up and has a removable cap or a DD fillport.

To use one you pull the cap, stick a funnel in it, pour water into it until you cant get any more in then fire up the pump for a second (less really) and repeat.

Personally I think the whole thing is up to your own taste but a reservoir does add water which in turn increases your complete loop's capacity to hold heat in the water but the differences could be so small that you might not notice it, then again, by doubling the water your loop carries it will take twice as long for the water in your loop to gain 1 degree C, this is why the debate still continues.

As to cost, a res will run you just a few dollars more than a T fitting and a fillport so it's hardly a major savings but should you just go with a T and a plug, that might net you a better savings at the cost of some looks.

 

[wwparrish]

what's a t-line? and dont you need a reservoir tank?

madmat covered the tee line pretty well so I will just comment on the second part.

Short answer, no.

(it will become apparent I am a closed loop, no res, keep it simple type person, other people like them, I dont know why but below is why I dont, someone will probally post as to why you absolutely must have one, read it all and make up your own mind. )

The debate is over imo, a res is very nice for getting the air out of the system on the initial fill and thats about it. Yes the additional water in the loop will cause a minor delay due just to to waters mass in the system coming up to operating temp. However unless your res has built in heat dissapating/chilling features, which the plastic tanks you are looking at do not, it will not affect your temps in any meaningfull way. Once the entire mass of water, large or small, comes up to working temp thats the temps you will get. I look at it as wasted space adding more possible leakage points, more hose and flow restriction, source of coolant contamination etc. etc. I used to run a res, took it out a long time ago. My temps actually went down about 1/2 deg C due to my particular setup however as this is probally well within the error of the sensors so it might be my imagination. Bottom line it made no difference in temps after the computer has been on for 5 minutes. Downside it can be a chore to get the air out of the system. This ususally involves tipping the computer or putting it upside down for a bit to move the trapped air around to the T line and cycling the pump off and on several times. There are some fancy fill schemes using valves that remove even this minor annoyance but I dont like the flow restrictions, possible points of leakage etc. with them either.

 

[alex paik]

interesting. the thing i would worry about is that the water would evaporate so often causing air bubbles to be in the tubing most likely daily.. how is it with air bubbles? how often do you have to get the air out and refill the tline?

 

[madmat]

After you've bled the system you top the upper leg of the T up over halfway and cap it securely, after that there is no evaporation.

That's why the fillport is nice, you cut a 1" hole in the top of your case and mount the fillport in it and then you've got a clean externaly accessible fill spot with a o-ringed threaded plug.

 

[Vertigo Acid]

That's why the fillport is nice, you cut a 1" hole in the top of your case and mount the fillport in it and then you've got a clean externaly accessible fill spot with a o-ringed threaded plug.

As long as you don't fuck up like me and let the drill bit skip across the top of your brushed aluminum case

 

[Top Nurse]

Well another thought is to use a reservoir that is meant to go in the front, top, bottom, or even inside your case. Have you looked at the Aquatube or Fass-O-Matic reservoirs? These reservoirs are meant to be seen and add a lot of good looks to your case and of course all you have to do is to look to verify your flow.

 

[wwparrish]

interesting. the thing i would worry about is that the water would evaporate so often causing air bubbles to be in the tubing most likely daily.. how is it with air bubbles? how often do you have to get the air out and refill the tline?

er, evaporation doesnt cause air bubbles.

Basically never, its a sealed system and even with a res (as long as it has a top on it and plug for the fill hole) its a semi-sealed system. Over the course of a year you might loose a teaspoon of water from it by water , damn cant think of the word, "working" its way through the hose material. Now this is not a leak, you will never see this water its just that tiny tiny amounts of water, permeate ? that might be the proper word, (water molecules slowly work their way) through the hosing. Its kinda like evaporation but many many times slower. This will happen to any system res or no res. Also during the first year the water level will drop very slightly as the dissolved air in the water works its way out. This dissolved air is not in bubble form but is oxygen atoms that are trapped in the water. All water has this. Its kinda like the way socks disappear in the laundry.

So every once in a blue moon you open the fill port or the res and put an eyedropper full of distilled water in if you notice the water level has dropped. with a 6 inch fill line you could proba;;y go for several years before the water level dropped enough to get air in the system. Its really not a problem and after the first week of operation you dont even need to worry about it. The old computer in my sig has been running mainly 18 hours x 7 days week x 365 days year for last 2 years and I havent touched the cooling system other than to brush the dust off the fans, oil them, and use a can of compressed air to blow out the radiator.

So for the first month you keep an eye on the water level (mark the rad or the hose in the tee line with a shapie marker) and add a tad if it goes down. After that you will automatically check it every time you open your case. Even if its a year till you open the case, it wont be a problem. If some air does get into the closed loop system its not like everything instantly melts. You will hear it as the bubbles hit the pump and get shot around the system. A swishing sound that tells you that you didnt do a good job on getting the air out when you filled the system. If your tee line is at the top of the system as it should be, the bubbles will soon collect at the tee line and the problem goes away. With a res even faster. That is the one good thing with a res, air bubbles instantly make one trip around the loop and get caught by the res. Closed loop you listen to the swishing for a couple of hours before it goes away but enjoy the extra storage space of the hard drive you could install. I guess watching water slosh in a box also has entertainment value.

Minor amouts of air in the system is not a huge deal. You do want to get it out, but if you res / t-line is installed properly and you have a decent pump it will quickly work its own way out.

hmm only time I had any problem with air was a slightly loose fitting on the suction side of my pump. It was sucking air into the loop due to the strong action of the pump. Leak was so small water did not drip but once the swishing sound started, I got to looking and finally with a flashlight in a dim room I saw a tiny trail of bubbles. 1/4 turn of screwdriver, problem solved and about an hour later the air had worked its way to my fill tube. I use quck disconnects from the beverage industry so to remove air/top off my system I just remove the side panel and I have a 10 inch piece of tubing with a quick connect on it filled with water. I just "click" this on the mating connector at the top of my fill T and the air goes out, water as needed goes in and I disconnect the leak free fitting. takes longer to type the procedure than to do it.