3/8" Vs 1/2"

[gas-man]

Greetings all,

I've got a water pump with 1/2" output, but it came with a 3/8" adapter. It's rated on the box at 384GPH, but I think that would be with the 1/2" output....

Would there be a cooling performance increase if I went from 3/8" tubing up to 1/2" tubing?

Also, does anyone know of any water blocks that have the actual channels drilled out 1/2" thick?

Thanks

[[EG]~NaTz~]

you can get the danger den maze 3 for half inch. if you have a high flow block like a maze 3 1/2 inch will be better than 3/8 becaus more heat can be caried in the larger tubing than in the smaller tubing. its that whole surface area thing you could prolly also get better flow through a heater core with the half inch. but you will have a lower psi and probably a little less pump head.

[gas-man]

Hmm...do you think if I went for a Maze3, with 1/2" tubing all around, that my pump would perform better? I mean, with the 3/8" adapter on the pump, aren't I limiting it a lot of the flow? Question is, is it substantial?

[JFettig]

well... with 1/2 fittings the ID of them are 3/8 and with 3/8 fittings the ID is 1/4... so what you should do is get 5/8 fittings and use 1/2 tygon or silicone for best results, but the maze 3 wouldnt be able to do that

or just use 1/2 fittings and 3/8 tygon or silicone...

[Garrett_thief2]

My temps are good with 3/8" tubing....the insocket thermistor is usually at 33-40 degrees C. I am moving to a bigger pump with 1/2" tubing, and much less of it.I noticed when i changed to a cube type rad my flow dropped off alot.I'm switching to a Camaro heatercore, and i'm thinking of a custom high flow block.I'll let you know if it makes a difference....

[tseongsun]

The Spir@l block has pretty thick channels... don't know if it's 1/2" though. No matter what, 1/2" tubing will offer less resistance in your overall circuit, even though it goes down to 3/8" when the water hits the 1/2" barbs.

It's kind of like a 4 lane freeway and there's an accident that blocks off one lane. Traffic slows down around that one spot but it's sure better than having it be 3 lanes the entire time.

[gas-man]

Thanks guys. Would the Maze 3 be a better block than what I'm using right now? What I've got is basically 3 horizontal lines, 1 goes over the core, and I think they are 3/8" ID at the most.

I think I am limiting the output of the pump by using the 3/8" adapter.

The Maze 3 - is 1/2" the ID or OD of the barbs?

[frodoski]

Originally posted by gas-man
Thanks guys. Would the Maze 3 be a better block than what I'm using right now? What I've got is basically 3 horizontal lines, 1 goes over the core, and I think they are 3/8" ID at the most.

I think I am limiting the output of the pump by using the 3/8" adapter.

The Maze 3 - is 1/2" the ID or OD of the barbs?

The barbs on the Maze-3 are 1/2" OD with a 1/4 NPT (National Pipe Tread) thread into the top of the block.