Draining system for relocation

[kaispeth]

Hello everyone,

I am currently building my first WC rig. I am pretty excited and I hope it gives me the results I hope for.

the dilema is that I will be relocating, moving countries...in 4-6 weeks, and my PC might be stuck in a container for a period of 4-8 weeks.

Here my questions:
1. I like to complete my PC now, fill it and check it all, I just can't wait.
In addition this will allow me to return stuff in case I have faulty hardware. Once in a new country it will get difficult with returns.

How do I best drain a system? I think it is impossible to remove every waterdroplet in the entire loop.

How do I best prepare for this extended "dry" period and relocation?
How long does it take to drain a system? My specs listed below.

Will it be OK to let it sit there "empty" before I can get it back and fill it up again. I am worried about corrosion, bacteria, algae etc.

Obviously I could just not fill it up now and test and just ship it before it ever sees any water......but that's no fun.

Any advice is welcome and appreciated.

My specs:
Lian Li Armorsuite PC-P80 case
Thermochill P120.3 rad (mounted vertically behind drive bays)
D-tek Fuzion
EK NB Block
2 Danger Den 8800 GTX blocks
EK 150mm Res with Danger Den fillport connection
Aquacomputers Aquastream XT Ultra Pump

Asus Striker II Extreme
E8500 CPU

[Ben333]

Just don't fill it up? If you must then drain everything (takes a minute - just disconnect the lowest hose) and let it dry. Shake the radaitor to get the last drops of water out also.

[Perseus]

Well, assembling the loop for fit and function, and disassembling and drying it out before you pack it away for shipping seems like the best idea, if you don't want to wait. 4-8 weeks of just sitting there, with stagnating coolant (what you can't drain) seems like a LONG time to me. Your rig will probably ship with less chance of damage if the parts are individually packed too.

[kaispeth]

Well, assembling the loop for fit and function, and disassembling and drying it out before you pack it away for shipping seems like the best idea, if you don't want to wait. 4-8 weeks of just sitting there, with stagnating coolant (what you can't drain) seems like a LONG time to me. Your rig will probably ship with less chance of damage if the parts are individually packed too.

thanks,
I certainly would drain the system before packing and shipping. I won't need to disassemble the parts. I installed everything really neat and tight, screwed down etc. Once at my new destination I will check connections, do another 24hr leak test, fill it up and good to go.

I was just wondering, if I fill now, test and play with it, then drain and pack it, I am sure there is still going to be some moisture somewhere in the loop, maybe in the CPU block, or in the pump.....IS THIS GOING TO BE A PROBLEM?

I could put a lot more HydraX into the system now, so when I drain it for the relocation I could be certain that this protects the components? what do you think?

[Spawn-Inc]

i would only fill it with water for now, test for leaks, use like normal then 2-3 days before shipping drain the system and leave the system open to the air so the water can evaporate.

use distilled water BTW so it won't leave crap behind.

and i second taking apart the pc, at least take out the video cards, sound card, and cpu heatsink out so there is no stress on the mobo.

[SkiBum1207]

I third taking out the vid/sound card but leave the waterblock on.

As for remaining water...I would personally be worried that in the 4-8 weeks just sitting you may grow a nice colony of green goo somewhere in your loop. corrosion wont be too much of an issue, as long as no two metals or minerals (from water etc.) are touching. Granted, oxygen does rapidly accelerate this process so I would strongly recommend not filling your loop

[Spawn-Inc]

oh right its a water block on the cpu not a heatsink.

once your done messing with it maybe dump a cup of isopropyl alcohol in there then drain it? not sure if that would damage anything but i don't think so .

[voigts]

I don't see being able to dry the loop out completely as a viable option. If you use a good dose of fish aquarium algaecide in the loop when you initially leaktest it, then when you drain it, the algaecide should be dissolved into any water that remains once you drain it and should prevent any growth. Anyway, algae needs light to grow so if it is going to be boxed up in the dark, you shouldn't have algae problems. I wouldn't rely on Hydrax to do anything for you.

I would use distilled water with some fish algaecide and about 7-8 drops of alcohol free povidone iodine to do your initial leaktest, and then when you drain and ship, you should be fine.

[saxile]

also, blowing thru a line helps force more water out of the system, I mean blowing hard, disconnect pump inlet and outlet and blow thru the out line.

[Conumdrum]

Make sure you please heed taking out the GPU card and any other card. They are heavy. Don't know if you have seen pics posted of inside a PC after it was dropped during shipping. The Mobo and GPU card was ruined when the GPU card was ripped out of it's socket. Wrap them in something, put it all in the Case. I suggest you take newspaper and ball it up tightly and fill every nook and cranny in the case to help absorb the shock. Remove the HD and carry it, if the Case gets lost or damaged at least you still have your HD with all your stuff.

My 2 cents.....

[QuietIce]

I don't see being able to dry the loop out completely as a viable option. If you use a good dose of fish aquarium algaecide in the loop when you initially leaktest it, then when you drain it, the algaecide should be dissolved into any water that remains once you drain it and should prevent any growth. Anyway, algae needs light to grow so if it is going to be boxed up in the dark, you shouldn't have algae problems. I wouldn't rely on Hydrax to do anything for you.

I would use distilled water with some fish algaecide and about 7-8 drops of alcohol free povidone iodine to do your initial leaktest, and then when you drain and ship, you should be fine. I couldn't agree more with this opinion! Just drain the loop and tilt the case around a little to help it drain. After that re-seal the loop, the iodine and algaecide should protect everything in a sealed (but almost waterless) system. What water vapor you will have inside the loop will be from evaporation of the coolant, not from outside the system carrying who-knows-what with it. I would not recommend blowing into the loop, the mouth is one of the dirtiest places on earth!

Removing the cards and packing newspaper/bubble-wrap/packing material (not foam peanuts!) inside the case is a very good idea. The DVD, PSU, and other bolted peripherals should be OK with good packing. If you happen to have the case's original shipping box & foam inserts I'd use them.

I would also carry the HDD instead of shipping it if you value your data. In any event I'd still consider backing up the data you want to keep onto optical storage considering some of the scanners in use today. If you don't care that much about the data or don't mind restoring the data the physical HDD should survive OK in the case since it's also bolted down.


Good luck on the WC build and the move ...!

[SkiBum1207]

Make sure you please heed taking out the GPU card and any other card. They are heavy. Don't know if you have seen pics posted of inside a PC after it was dropped during shipping. The Mobo and GPU card was ruined when the GPU card was ripped out of it's socket. Wrap them in something, put it all in the Case. I suggest you take newspaper and ball it up tightly and fill every nook and cranny in the case to help absorb the shock. Remove the HD and carry it, if the Case gets lost or damaged at least you still have your HD with all your stuff.

My 2 cents.....

Brilliant idea about the HD, never thought about that b4....