bay reservoir = leak

batboy · Dec 11, 2007

I've been running a bay reservoir for a couple of years now. I've heard lots of folks bad mouth them because they claim they crack and leak. Well, they were right. My bay reservoir cracked where the barbs screw in and leaked. Fortunately, I caught it in time before it took out the whole system. It did leak into one of my optical drives and fried it, but that's the only other damage. I replaced it with a Swiftech Microres and I'm back up and running again.

Jas · Dec 11, 2007

DOH!

At least it was only an optical drive. I just ditched a DD bay res i had in my last build and went back to a T line. I had some issues with one of the barbs not sealing well.

Drinkyoghurt · Dec 11, 2007

Jas said:
DOH!

At least it was only an optical drive. I just ditched a DD bay res i had in my last build and went back to a T line. I had some issues with one of the barbs not sealing well.

same here, watercooling has fried way too many stuff, and one of them was my drive bay res's fault

Optical drive
Motherboard
7800gt
8800gts

CGR · Dec 11, 2007

Yikes.. could have been much much worse...

Thats exactly why I use T-lines.

Its not just bays either. I had a WW block with a poly top. After a year or so of running I noticed an anti-freeze odor. Opened my machine to find a pile of cooked liquid on the back of my vid card. Smelled really bad.

Apparently a crack developed where the screws hold the top on. It slowly dripped and cooked on the back of my card.

So yea, bays and poly tops = bad...

Clockwork_Apple · Dec 11, 2007

I'm currently using a DD BayRes, waiting to ditch it for a Micro RES or a Mountain Mods Circular res.

gangaskan · Dec 11, 2007

are the mcres better than the normal res? i wondered

voigts · Dec 11, 2007

I don't know how many times I have discouraged bay reservoirs on here only to be rebuffed. I think they really are a poor design and don't work that well either.

The res I made is out of 1/4" acrylic, not the measly 1/8" or less that you see too often, and I pressure tested it to about 50psi. It is as solid as it is going to get.

The Swiftech microres, and EK's res seem both to be very well built and work well. There may be others out there, but I would have no hesitation recommending either of these.

I still prefer the ease of filling and bleeding that a res affords over a t-line. The problem is not the concept of using a res, you just have to have a res that is well made, which goes for any watercooling parts.

mewisemagic2 · Dec 11, 2007

my swiftech bay res leaked on me. leak formed where the mounting screws were and thats when i made my home made res and mounted it outside the case

batboy · Dec 11, 2007

gangaskan said:
are the mcres better than the normal res? i wondered

I think most people agree, if you are gonna do a reservoir, then the Swifty micro is one of the better choices.

Flip-Mode · Dec 12, 2007

Convinced me not to use a res

gangaskan · Dec 12, 2007

batboy said:
I think most people agree, if you are gonna do a reservoir, then the Swifty micro is one of the better choices.

yeah i have one

just making sure lol. i'll link my loop when i get a chance, but its scary a little

lol. (i dont know how i did some bends with my pump

)

Jas · Dec 12, 2007

mewisemagic2 said:
my swiftech bay res leaked on me. leak formed where the mounting screws were and thats when i made my home made res and mounted it outside the case

This is a common problem with just about everything that is acrylic based. For instance the Danger Den acrylic topped blocks, I noticed that after a couple rebuilds, My old TDX needed to be tightened etra hard to make a good seal.

I think the threads in acrylic based products just eventually wear out, and eventually will allow a barb to loosen. The use of Plumbers tape can help, but it still remains a problem.

gangaskan · Dec 12, 2007

then again, the hardness of an acrylic thread is nowhere near the hardness of an stainless steel, brass, etc thread .... am i correct? i want to say i am.

i guess it also depends on what you have mounted in your system (ie acrylic threads and plastic barbs vs metal barbs and acrylic threads or vise versa)

CGR · Dec 12, 2007

Jas said:
This is a common problem with just about everything that is acrylic based. For instance the Danger Den acrylic topped blocks, I noticed that after a couple rebuilds, My old TDX needed to be tightened etra hard to make a good seal.

I think the threads in acrylic based products just eventually wear out, and eventually will allow a barb to loosen. The use of Plumbers tape can help, but it still remains a problem.

Not to mention develop a crack where the screws hold the poly top on.

Jas · Dec 12, 2007

CGR said:
Not to mention develop a crack where the screws hold the poly top on.

Acrylic makes for some nice looks, but I won't be using anythign built using acrylic for my WCing again.

voigts · Dec 12, 2007

I think acrylic for CPU tops is just not a good match. Acrylic needs plastic barbs, not metal ones as metal doesn't give like acrylic does, and acrylic can spider if it can't expand/contract right. I have used nothing but plastic barbs in the reservoirs I have made and have yet to have a single issue.

Acrylic is a good material, but you have to use it within its strengths/weaknesses.

Jas · Dec 12, 2007

voigts said:
I think acrylic for CPU tops is just not a good match. Acrylic needs plastic barbs, not metal ones as metal doesn't give like acrylic does, and acrylic can spider if it can't expand/contract right. I have used nothing but plastic barbs in the reservoirs I have made and have yet to have a single issue.

Acrylic is a good material, but you have to use it within its strengths/weaknesses.

I love the Danger Den hose barbs, but those big metal bards were the likely culprits in the demise of my bay res.

Mycobacteria · Dec 13, 2007

I have a bay res with no leaks and no problems.

Does your bay res have rubber o rings? If you get the o rings and some teflon tape for the threads it should seal it all up water tight.

The thread on acrylic ony wears out if your screwing a barb on that doesnt have a perfectly matching thread.

Because acrylic is soft if you over tighten the barb like a gorilla you can spoil the thread, ie next time you tighten it you have to tighten it even more to make it water tight.

As for acrylic and metal barbs, danger den mix acrylic with metal barbs and I havent had a problem with my danger den GPU water blocks.

You would have to be a gorilla to tighten a metal barb so tight that it cracks the acrylic or strip the thread off.

batboy · Dec 13, 2007

Yeah, I used to say the same thing, "I have a bay res with no leaks and no problems." I think my bay res that leaked was poly plastic though. My new Swiftech mcres is acrylic and seems to be better (but it's not a bay res).

gangaskan · Dec 13, 2007

they just dont make them like they used too.

the one i had was solid, it wasnt transparent poly carb or anything. and i was happy with it, till i wanted something small and easy to use hence the MCRes

bay reservoir = leak

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