why must res be at highest point in loop?

[kipling100]

How important really is it to ensure that the reservoir is at the highest point in the loop? I'm getting a res top for my ddc, and I generally put the pump lower in the case. Is that going to be a prob for bleeding? Or not so much?

Thanks!

 

[TehQuick]

Main reason - to make sure that pump is never starved for water. Bleeding air is the second reason.

 

[flogge]

Besides never letting air get to your pump, there are a couple other resons, all of which have to do with keeping air out of the system.

Lets say for instance you have a bay res that is lower than a radiator in the top of your case. When you turn off the system, if the level in the res is below the inlet, there will likely be air bubbles leak up into the radiator. Those bubbles will have to be bled back out when the system is restarted. If the water level always stays well above the inlet, you should be ok, but if the res is as high or higher than every other component then you don't have to worry about the level as much.

 

[DeathFromBelow]

I generally put the pump lower in the case. Is that going to be a prob for bleeding? Or not so much?

Thanks!

Can you lay the case on its side and lift the res up while you fill/bleed? As long as you get the air out when you fill the loop you'll be fine.

 

[sok0]

The res DOES NOT need to be at the highest point in the system, it just needs to be before the pump in the loop order. As for bleeding with the res top, you just take the bleed screw off the top, and tilt the case a couple different ways, and then leave it for a day or 2, and you will be good to go.

 

[spine]

After over a decade of PC watercooling I can safely say that you can ignore many 'rules' of watercooling.


• Put the res just infront of the pump. This should be obvious.

• Height means nothing; air won't 'find' it's way to the top necessarily, you'll have bubbles trapped all over the place initially. Over time air will naturally nest in the res where ever you place it.

• There is no pump/block/rad order; it's a loop !

• Expect to have to turn the system on and turn off as you fill up the res and the pump sucks all the water away and runs dry. Filling up my system from nothing takes about 5-7 restarts of this process till there's enough water to leave the pump chugging away till I can fill the system completely.

• Running a pump dry isn't anywhere NEAR as bad as people seem to make out. Anyone actually killed a pump running it dry? I never have and I've put my pumps through hell and back (Eheim 1046, Eheim 1250, Laing DDC Ultra).

 

[Cerulean]

After over a decade of PC watercooling I can safely say that you can ignore many 'rules' of watercooling.


• Put the res just infront of the pump. This should be obvious.

• Height means nothing; air won't 'find' it's way to the top necessarily, you'll have bubbles trapped all over the place initially. Over time air will naturally nest in the res where ever you place it.

• There is no pump/block/rad order; it's a loop !

• Expect to have to turn the system on and turn off as you fill up the res and the pump sucks all the water away and runs dry. Filling up my system from nothing takes about 5-7 restarts of this process till there's enough water to leave the pump chugging away till I can fill the system completely.

• Running a pump dry isn't anywhere NEAR as bad as people seem to make out. Anyone actually killed a pump running it dry? I never have and I've put my pumps through hell and back (Eheim 1046, Eheim 1250, Laing DDC Ultra).

+1

And that the pressure within a loop is static.

 

[Kaldskryke]

• Running a pump dry isn't anywhere NEAR as bad as people seem to make out. Anyone actually killed a pump running it dry? I never have and I've put my pumps through hell and back (Eheim 1046, Eheim 1250, Laing DDC Ultra).

While I've never killed a pump myself, the reason why it's not a good idea to run a pump dry is because centrifugal pumps rely on the fluid for both lubrication and heat removal. Running dry will often cause a pump to overheat and seize, but not always immediately.

If you're filling a loop, it's not the end of the world if the pump sucks your res dry for a few seconds in the process. Just don't think that you can leave the pump running dry for a prolonged period of time without risking damage.

 

[nsx241]

After over a decade of PC watercooling I can safely say that you can ignore many 'rules' of watercooling.


• Put the res just infront of the pump. This should be obvious.

• Height means nothing; air won't 'find' it's way to the top necessarily, you'll have bubbles trapped all over the place initially. Over time air will naturally nest in the res where ever you place it.

• There is no pump/block/rad order; it's a loop !

• Expect to have to turn the system on and turn off as you fill up the res and the pump sucks all the water away and runs dry. Filling up my system from nothing takes about 5-7 restarts of this process till there's enough water to leave the pump chugging away till I can fill the system completely.

• Running a pump dry isn't anywhere NEAR as bad as people seem to make out. Anyone actually killed a pump running it dry? I never have and I've put my pumps through hell and back (Eheim 1046, Eheim 1250, Laing DDC Ultra).

Sticky this. These questions get asked over and over and over ...

 

[kipling100]

thanks for the help! I think someone should make a WC mythbusters thread or something to that effect.