What if it leaks!!??

i have always run on air (megahalems) on my i7-920, and have always wanted to go into water cooling,

but one thing is stopping me, not the cost, but what if it leaks? ...
ok so i can leak test it for a day
but what if 1 month down the road it leaks...and kills....everything?

so if it does leak, can it affect every single component- like if the motherboard gets wet, will it take the gpu and cpu with it...i am not rich...so dont have the money to replace an i7 rig if something does leak...i need convincing that it is safe...

(i was thinking XSPC dual res + pump 750 + MCR320 rad + Delta V3 block....is this better than an i7 on megahalems?)

If its dont leak during the leak testing then it wont leak overtime?...Well that could happen if u got CHEAP clamps-
Ur Cpu Wont die. because the water will leak onto the GPU / Mobo Pci-e Slot. Only risk with the cpu is overheating.
From My Experience
I had a (a big leak) leak during my *leak* Testing and It Killed my mobo dont know why nothing was pluged in. I had over 5inche of paper towels and it was stil flooding over my Loved gtx 280. Hopefully She Didint Died.
And I could Rma my mobo with a basic excuse lol

Btw is something leak make sure everycomponent are dry. before running them again. I would suggest to wait 2-3days somewhere that produce some heat.

Good clamp/tubing/fittings paired with a decent leak testing and you are about sure to never have a leak.

WC is more risky VS air cooling but once you WC ... you will never come back to AIR !

anyone who waters cools takes the chance that something could break or leak there is no getting around it.

you can however make sure you do your best so there is far less chance of such a leak happening. then it's down to parts failing, which doesn't happen that often. depending on what parts and the quality you choose of course.


on my very first attempt at water cooling a barb snapped in half and fell away from the case draining over my desk. but since i didn't have anything powered accept the pump, there was no damage to my motherboard or any parts. and the way i had my pump placed it always had water in it.


few things i can tell you
0. READ!
1. never run your pump(s) dry as it will damage them and could fail later on.
2. never leak test over night (what i did the first time).
3. power up only the pump, don't have anything else plugged into your power supply. i personally have a testing power supply i use.
4. put paper towel over each joint so you can see if things are leaking and it shouldn't leak all over if they do depending on the amount.
5. once bleed of air, leak test for about 6 hours after that it should be good to go.
6. READ lots of guides, like the ones posted below.
7. make sure your barbs are tight and have the correct o-rings in place (they will ship with the proper o-rings, but it seems new bitspower fittings have smaller o-rings they normal)
8. use proper clamps if your going the barb route. gear/worm clamps or herbie clips, or double zip ties in opposite directions pulled tight with pilers. gear/worm clamps work best.
9. READ! thats the best thing you can do when it comes to water cooling. it took me about 3 months or so of reading threads and guides and reviews to learn half of what i know now.


http://overclockerstech.com/index.p...s&catid=40:overclocking-and-cooling&Itemid=88

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/253958-29-watercooling-guide

http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=631501 - though i personally take my blocks apart to inspect for anything.

+1. ^^

Also, I use a supposed non conductive liquid and when it did leak (my fault for puncturing the rad with screws), there was a small puddle of the liquid sitting on my GPU with the machine powered on. Nothing happened except for my heart skipping a beat. Once that liquid gets contaminated, its conductive though.

During leak tests I have had pools of distilled water sitting on my components (turned off) and I have never lost anything. Just dried it and cleaned it with rubbing alcohol and everything is fine. I have also found that using the 7/16" tygon tubing on 1/2" barbs prevents all leaks at that joint (I don't even use hose clamps anymore).

Edit: Also, getting the proper compression on your O-rings is key. I used to have some problems with that before I figured out that hand tight is about perfect.

UBERCOOL said:

I have also found that using the 7/16" tygon tubing on 1/2" barbs prevents all leaks at that joint (I don't even use hose clamps anymore).

Click to expand...

drastically reduces the chance of leaks, but there is always a chance.

something to assauge the OP..

you have to consider a few things about the leaks themselves .
most people are scared to death of them needlessly.
there is some very small potential for danger but its not nearly as bad as you think.
the number 1 danger is of coolant getting into a power supply that is at the bottom of a case. if this does not apply to you then great.

see the boards themselves used in mobo sound and video cards arnt always bothered by water especially in small ammounts. thier biggest weekness is at joints that go through the mobo to exposed electrodes or soldier points and even then MOST parts on your board have a very thin coating that semi proofs them. this obviously isnt so for pci slots and ram etc etc but dripping a few drops of water on the board generally wont cause an automatic reaction. your video card runs the biggest risk in this department.
now if you are very unlucky and a catastrophic event where to happen the water would still need to hit certain areas just right .
there have been members here that have had lots of leaks and all they did was clean the board with alch. and then dry card and board and a day later start right back up.
on the other side of the coin if your power supply is at the bottom of your case then a fire could start.
but in the end as many leaks as i hear about maybe 5% of them result in damage and leaks only happen to a small % of people and mostly to those that rush in without doing reading and research.

The most important thing I think is to use plain distilled water with maybe a little algaecide and if something gets wet dry it, clean it well, and make sure it is dry before you power on. I stay away from any additives now (3-4 years ago I used antifreeze and the heater core used turns my water green even now) overall it is less expensive, less messy, and it offers the best performance.

If you are really nervous you can try it on an old computer if you have one. The only thing is that you might have to invest an extra $20 in a different waterblock or mounting plate but the rad and pump are definitely reusable.

Everyone has their own procedure so reading is key. You will probably spring a leak or two in leak testing the first few times but you will develop your own procedure that works for you. I know some people who build the loop outside of the case and then fit it in. I personally build it inside, check for major leaks right away and then wrap every joint in a paper towel. Check after 15, 30, 45, 60 minutes and see if any of the paper towel is wet. If you find something moist here you know you have a minor leak and you can start troubleshooting it but nothing ever got wet.

Catastphic leaks are terrible. Minor leaks from leaktesting happen but are caught hopefully during a smart build with uber care. Your first build is always scary. As you learn and add/rebuild it gets easier.

It's something we have to accept since we are all a bit crazy putting water on a $500 x2 GPU. And CPU.

Just be uber slow and careful. There is a sticky up top with a decent "once it's in your door now what".

The result is worth the risk.

Not a single member can argue that.

As long as you take the necessary precautions, KNOW what your doing through extended study of guides, reviews, and lots of forum threads. If you can become confident in your knowledge to do it, and plan ahead effectively, then the risk is minimised to something of a mere niggling feeling on your first power up for leak testing.

I had a big leak when I first powered up the pump. One of the barbs on the rad mounted on the top of my case had a broken O-ring that I overlooked, ****ed out like a racing horse, but it was a jet stream of distilled water that shot straight out of my case into my face. TALK ABOUT LUCKY! nothing got wet, and after a long period of time, carefully inspecting EVERY component to make sure it was dry before fixing the problem and moving on.

That is a big lesson in that anecdote: CHECK EVERYTHING as you put them in, including the fittings. If I had of noticed that O-ring was broken, my heart would not have stopped for that few minutes before I declared nothing to be harmed by the leak.

Check everything when you're laying out your bits to be assembled, check them as you put them together, then check them once they are together.

The reason it is mentioned above not to leak test overnight is because it is a VERY good idea to be alert and watching carefully for the first few minutes, then checking on it regularly over the next few hours. leave it overnight and if a leak forms, it can wet EVERYTHING inside your case before you get up to check it.

But remember, once you get over the first day of worry, 2 days if you really take your time putting it together (Which isn't such a bad idea), the rewards are well worth it.

You will have the most badass looking system, that cools amazingly and in some cases is quieter than air, although sometimes not depending on your fan setup

UBERCOOL said:

During leak tests I have had pools of distilled water sitting on my components (turned off) and I have never lost anything. Just dried it and cleaned it with rubbing alcohol and everything is fine. I have also found that using the 7/16" tygon tubing on 1/2" barbs prevents all leaks at that joint (I don't even use hose clamps anymore).

Edit: Also, getting the proper compression on your O-rings is key. I used to have some problems with that before I figured out that hand tight is about perfect.

Click to expand...

You bring up a good point. Proper compression of the O-rings makes me think about that. After reading your response I thought well, how tight is finger tight? Some people have more strength than others. Now you have found what works best for you but what about other people? I am concerned because I am just getting ready to seat all on my fittings on my first build. I am using compression fittings throughout the build. If I was to thread the fitting into it's inlet just until the O-ring touches the surface, using a wrench how much further should these fitting be tightened? 1/2 turn, more? Once you have hand tightened your fittings how much would you say beyond when the O-ring and surface just touch are you tightening your fittings? I am using Bitspower fittings.
Thanks

leak test the most important part......
my first wc attempt was a pia to say the least, i used a cheap "kit" compact 220
took bout a week to get it to NOT leak....
my second much easier and better bought all very good quality parts,,,,didnt have a problem 1.....same with my 3rd attempt a breeze.....

antipesto93 said:

i have always run on air (megahalems) on my i7-920, and have always wanted to go into water cooling,

but one thing is stopping me, not the cost, but what if it leaks? ...
ok so i can leak test it for a day
but what if 1 month down the road it leaks...and kills....everything?

Click to expand...

Umm... Believe it or not... WE'VE ALREADY THOUGHT OF THAT!

First off there's a reason you use distilled water: It's non-conductive.

So technically a leak with just that shouldn't kill anything unless the water that's in there has been in for a long time and has taken the properties of the system it's flowing through.

Second: it's called LEAK TESTING.

You should expect leaks BEFORE you install the water cooling into your system. You find where the leaks are... and you fix them all before it ever goes into your system. If you do this correctly... there will be no leaks.

I have the most makeshift, handyman kind of water cooling system available... (well no actually... I've seen what some of the people around here have done...) And mine has been going strong for about three years now.

The pump used to leak like crazy (but this only went on the bottom of the case so I didn't really care) until I put a towel under it and put it in a bowl to catch the water... oddly enough... it just stopped leaking as soon as I did that. The bowl was never filled and the towel was never wet.

My clamps have never failed and my hoses have never leaked.

It's absolutely no different from the hoses in a car.
If the anti-freeze hose in your car leaked and started to spray all over the engine... you'd be in a world of trouble. But people drive because THAT DOESN'T USUALLY HAPPEN.

I say get over it and go water.

Grosjambon said:

If its dont leak during the leak testing then it wont leak overtime

Click to expand...

Well not exactly. I have built more than a few WC rigs now so needless to say I'm pretty good at it nowadays. I usually will leak test for 48 hours or so. On my recent build I did my leak test and not a drip anywhere, all was well. I had used the XSPC dual bay-dual pump res and after about 2-3 weeks I did in fact get a leak. The plexi had split inexplicably. I don't use additives that can eat the plexi cement or anything, just plain distilled.My point is if it's going to leak than that's what the WC gods meant to happen. There is ALWAYS a chance of a leak but the rewards outweigh the risks as Jeffery_Paul said. The best advice I see so far in this thread is by Spawn-Inc so good in fact I hope you'll read it again

Spawn-Inc said:

0. READ!
1. never run your pump(s) dry as it will damage them and could fail later on.
2. never leak test over night (what i did the first time).
3. power up only the pump, don't have anything else plugged into your power supply. i personally have a testing power supply i use.
4. put paper towel over each joint so you can see if things are leaking and it shouldn't leak all over if they do depending on the amount.
5. once bleed of air, leak test for about 6 hours after that it should be good to go.
6. READ lots of guides, like the ones posted below.
7. make sure your barbs are tight and have the correct o-rings in place (they will ship with the proper o-rings, but it seems new bitspower fittings have smaller o-rings they normal)
8. use proper clamps if your going the barb route. gear/worm clamps or herbie clips, or double zip ties in opposite directions pulled tight with pilers. gear/worm clamps work best.
9. READ! thats the best thing you can do when it comes to water cooling. it took me about 3 months or so of reading threads and guides and reviews to learn half of what i know now.


http://overclockerstech.com/index.p...s&catid=40:overclocking-and-cooling&Itemid=88

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/253958-29-watercooling-guide

http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=631501 - though i personally take my blocks apart to inspect for anything.

Click to expand...

starrant said:

You bring up a good point. Proper compression of the O-rings makes me think about that. After reading your response I thought well, how tight is finger tight? Some people have more strength than others. Now you have found what works best for you but what about other people? I am concerned because I am just getting ready to seat all on my fittings on my first build. I am using compression fittings throughout the build. If I was to thread the fitting into it's inlet just until the O-ring touches the surface, using a wrench how much further should these fitting be tightened? 1/2 turn, more? Once you have hand tightened your fittings how much would you say beyond when the O-ring and surface just touch are you tightening your fittings? I am using Bitspower fittings.
Thanks

Click to expand...

Do your fittings have a groove on them that the O-ring sits in? A lot of newer fittings have these and it makes it very hard to over-tighten them. I believe the grooves are the correct depth that you should be able to tighten them as hard as you can and not over compress the O-ring.

If you don't have the groove it is a little harder to describe how tight they are. I would say it is similar to how tight you would put a lid on a jar. The best thing to do is make sure you are prepared for leaks until you get the hang of it.

For leak testing I prefer a pressure test, it will find a leak very quickly, 2 or 3 minutes usually. If you add a shut off valve to the loop right before the pump return, when you close the valve with the system charged and pump running you are running a pressure test.

UBERCOOL said:

Do your fittings have a groove on them that the O-ring sits in? A lot of newer fittings have these and it makes it very hard to over-tighten them. I believe the grooves are the correct depth that you should be able to tighten them as hard as you can and not over compress the O-ring.

If you don't have the groove it is a little harder to describe how tight they are. I would say it is similar to how tight you would put a lid on a jar. The best thing to do is make sure you are prepared for leaks until you get the hang of it.

Click to expand...

I am using the Bitspower compression fittings 1/2 X 3/4. I pulled one of the o-rings off and there is a recess there. So it looks like I should not be able to over tighten the fitting.

Thanks

Detale said:

Well not exactly. I have built more than a few WC rigs now so needless to say I'm pretty good at it nowadays. I usually will leak test for 48 hours or so. On my recent build I did my leak test and not a drip anywhere, all was well. I had used the XSPC dual bay-dual pump res and after about 2-3 weeks I did in fact get a leak. The plexi had split inexplicably. I don't use additives that can eat the plexi cement or anything, just plain distilled.My point is if it's going to leak than that's what the WC gods meant to happen. There is ALWAYS a chance of a leak but the rewards outweigh the risks as Jeffery_Paul said. The best advice I see so far in this thread is by Spawn-Inc so good in fact I hope you'll read it again

Click to expand...

I am curious about your incident with the "XSPC dual bay-dual pump res". I just installed one of these and have not yet tested for water leaks. Did you have to replace your res? Not sure what you mean by "plexi". Are you using it now or did you change your setup?
Thanks for the knowledge.

starrant said:

I am using the Bitspower compression fittings 1/2 X 3/4. I pulled one of the o-rings off and there is a recess there. So it looks like I should not be able to over tighten the fitting.

Thanks

Click to expand...

You can overtighten the fitting. It's a metal barb and a plastic thread on the res. It might not show up right away, but in time it will develop stress cracks.

The recess on the barb was put in so when you overtightened the oring wouldn't bulge out. That was a old problem on all fittings.

But you can still ovettighten and crack the plastic. Acrylic and plexi can crack, but delryn can hold up really well.

Just finger tighten and a bit more witha wrench etc. It's not rocket science, you'll figure it out in a flash.