Leak anyone?

[Quattro]

Hello there,

I should have the parts to my first w/c setup tommorow, and I was just wondering, how often do leaks occur?

What precautions/maintence should I take to ensure no leaks?

Please share your experiences with leaks and how you fixed them, what part leaks etc.

I am a w/c n00b, so don't flame if I say something dumb.. Please.

[crimedog]

you're going to get leaks from two places

-threads. sometimes parts come new with leaks from the threads, you want plumber's tape or silicon to seal it with

-fittings. not clamped down tight enough. if you use fresh tubing of the proper size and a worm drive clamp you won't have a problem.

[joelkyr]

and dont forget to leak test your set-up before installing it, ived only had one incident of leaking, it was my VC block but no harm done:clap: :cool:

[ZachM]

Leaks, where? I have never had a leak outside of leak testing. That's what it is there for. ;) As long as you don't use a poly top, and leak test everything outside of the computer for at least 24 hours you shouldn't have to worry about leaks. Periodic inspections help catch something if it starts to work loose over time.

[torin3]

Hello there,

I should have the parts to my first w/c setup tommorow, and I was just wondering, how often do leaks occur?.

Well in a year and a half of watercooling, I've had 2 leaks. Both of them happened when leak checking the system.

What precautions/maintence should I take to ensure no leaks?

Please share your experiences with leaks and how you fixed them, what part leaks etc.

I am a w/c n00b, so don't flame if I say something dumb.. Please.

Key thing: Leak check with your w/c loop running and your computer off for at least 24 hours.

My first leak was from using a crappy reservoir that cracked when screwing the lid on (Aahnix Iceberg II kit). Fixed by replacing reservoir with one from Danger Den.

Second leak was when I was adding a TEC and heatercore to my w/c loop. Appearently, the heat from my ViaAqua 1300 warped part of the intake barb/seal on the pump, and when putting it back together, it no longer sealed. Fixed it with silicone, though that is temporary. I'll be replacing the pump in a few months.

My suggestion, not knowing the equipment you are using, is to leak test, and check how your stuff looks frequently to see if there is any degredation of of plastics/seals.

[Jas]

I've had one leak, which was caused by a clamp getting loose. It happened on the inlet barb over the CPU Waterblock. The leak happened while installing a new PSU. Nothing big, maybe a teaspoon of coolant. It dripped onto the Vid Card. I simply removed the Vid card, cleaned it off, let it dry and everything was fine.

Make sure you use distilled water. Your additives may have some conductive properties, but no sense in adding fuel to a possible fire by using water which may contain substrates in suspension that may be conductive as well.

Some advice.

Run the system for a good 24 hours liek everyone says. If it isn't resonable to test it outside your case, AT LEAST run it without power to the rest of the computer. Remove as many components as you can to be safe. Depending on your case and how your loop is being built and the components in it, it simply may not be viable to build it first outside your case. BUT TEST IT!

If you do get a leak DON'T PANIC! Especially if the computer is not on. Remove the components that had spillage, clean them. (generally speaking some paper towels, Q-Tips, and some rubbing alcohol will do the job just fine), let them dry. When you have the leak taken care of, and the components are cleaned up, put it back together. If you experience any problems, you may want to soak the affected components in a rubbing alcohol bath. Soak them over night, clean them again, let dry, put them back in your system.

If you are performing any maintenance on your computer, or adding/replacing hardware, be sure to check any hose clamps you may have, you may want to wrap some paper towels around any hose connections to be extra safe. While the hoses are nice and flexible, do not over stress them.

Do not route any hoses in such a way that they contact any sharp or hot objects.

Use common sense and just take your time when doing any thing hardware related to your machine either when installing the water cooling or once it is in. Rushing things is the best way to make mistakes and have bad things happen.

[Quattro]

Cool thanks for the advice guys.

I've got it testing in a spare case on a socket A mobo right now, the rad is leaking very slightly, apart from that it all seems good.

I'm using normal tap water though, would it be best that I put distilled water in it when I put it on my main machine when I turn it on?

[Sneaky]

if you use tap water, it will stain the tubes a milky white color, and you will find mineral deposits in the block(s), pump, and radiator

always use distilled water - no matter if you're leak testing or using it in the final loop - always distilled water - heck, its only .89 cents for a gallon or sodium-free distilled water (in WI atleast)


my precautions - i use stainless steel worm drive clamps - they apply strong and even pressure to the fittings, so you don't have a bad seal

i also add the UV dye when i leak test, and then lay a white towel on the floor where my setup is leak testing, so that any leaks can be easily detected (its hard to not notice lime green on a white towel :p)

i also use excessive amounts of teflon tape on all of my fittings, and applied silicone caulk around the fittings on my whitewater block

[Jas]

I would suggest using some Teflon tape on the inlets to the RAD (Assuming it is threaded). And yeah, some silicon sealant certainly can't hurt. If you happen to have some lighting in your case, there is this gasket silicon maker sealant stuff (the Brand escapes me at the momment) that is a nice blue color that looks pretty good under light. You should be able to find it in any automotive store.

[Ripper1]

TEFLON TAPE! The only leak that happened in my system was because I didn't have enough teflon tape around my pump threads. I fixed that but now it wont bleed!

[Quattro]

Teflon Tape? What is it exactly, a sort of sticky tape but can be used for water?

[Ripper1]

Oh it's the same thing as PTFE tape or whatever, I might have the letters in the wrong order. It's also called plumber's tape. It's a white tape that you wrap around the threads of your stuff. It seals water. Basically what was happening on my pump was that VERY small amounts of water, like every half a hour a drop would form were coming out of the holes of my pump. I took apart my system and then took the barbs out of the pump and wrapped them in so much tape that each barb stuck out a little but it worked. Absolutely no leak. Everything in my loop had been sealed with tape and right now no leaks at all and I don't think any will form as I don't have any of those clear tops. But I hope that helps.

[Quattro]

Oh yeah I know what you mean, I shall get some of that stuff then!

[Jas]

Teflon tape is mainly used for plumbing. It is non sticky.

Essentially it is a plastic tape that is coated with teflon. If is very plyable. It is almost like a putty, just in a thin tap eliek form. If that makes any kind of sense.

You use it by wrapping the threading with it in the direction of the threads.

That means if you had a screw

this is our screw <-------------
you would follow a clock wise motion wrapping around the threads tightly starting from the right side (assuming the screw has traditional threading)


you inlet barbs woudl be no different'

if this is our inlet barb


/--______

\_--------


you would do the same thing, starting at teh right side, you would wrap clock wise tightly aroudn the threads.

What this does is the teflon tape will form a seal in the threading, air tight and water tight.

[Quattro]

wow.. Great post Jas.

Thanks a lot man!