My system leaking?...or is it?

Gautam · Aug 25, 2003

I redid my system completely about two weeks ago, and it seemed to be running without a hitch. Today, I happened to hear my pump making some unusual sounds. I opened my case, and to my horror, there were bubbles throughout the tubing, like a white foam. I thought that this could mean only one thing; that my system sprung a major leak. But my t-line was filled to the brim, just as it had been two weeks ago, and everything 100% dry on the outside, no leaks whatsoever, at least none that I could find. I've had just about every part in the book leak on me at least once in my lifetime, but this is ridiculous. Anyone have a clue what the heck is going on? If there's no way for the water to leave, there mustn't be any way for the air to enter, so where did it come from?

Temps are great anyways, 36°C under full load.

Diggrr · Aug 25, 2003

Just because water isn't leaking out, does not necessarily mean that air can't get in.
Do you have a hose clamp on the pump's inlet (or the fitting before that)? My Danner sucked air there before, but would not leak water no matter how long I left it off.
Bubbles may not effect your temps right now, but it sure will effect your pump's longevity.

FizzledFiend · Aug 25, 2003

is the water pump your using internal or external? if it is external check to see if there is a hole that has been plugged in the exhaust tube...thats a hole for a venturi air injection when used in aquariums...it might be sucking a bit of air and would more than likley never leak. rember air is thinner than water so the only real way to test for such a leak (airleak) is to pressurize the cooling system. you could T into the loop and use an automotive Vacume/pressure tester and actually presurize the system...if water start pusshing out from someplace you could possibly suck air in @ that location

Gautam · Aug 25, 2003

My pump comes with a threaded inlet and outlet. I'm using FPT to HB adapters for each, with plumber's tape in between the pump and the fittings. I'm not using hose clamps, as I thought that teeth would be more than enough to stop leaks, and as such, I'm only using hose clamps for my rad and CPU waterblock. Could this be a problem?

Enyo · Aug 25, 2003

bad bad bad bad.. im getting foam too.. but thats mostlilkley due to my pump and low water level in the res.

ive got every single barb clamped with worm drive hose clips (metal)

no leaks
no air is getting in

simple and effective,

also check all conections. by touching it with your finger when my system leaked the area around the leak got slightly damp. this may indicated where you need to use some silicon sealent or somthing similar.

Soja · Aug 25, 2003

My via didn't leak but air would still get in causing more bubbles while bleeding until I sealed it up with goop. I found this out when I submerged it (but not running it submerged) and the system bled properly.

RJ · Aug 26, 2003

If ur losing water...what kind of hose are you using?if you are using silicone theres ur prob....silicone is porous even tho you cant see any signs of water leaking, it evaperates too fast..I went threw the same thing then switched to tygon hose pc's been running for 6 months now with no water loss...

Gautam · Aug 26, 2003

I'm using Clearflex60. I'm probably going to try adding some hose clamps real soon. Thanks for your assistance, all.

cack01 · Aug 26, 2003

I once had a leak so small, that I did not notice when the exact same thing happened. Your probably wondering where the water is going. In my case, the water was dripping onto my video card, and then would evaporate almost on impact b/c of the heat of the card so I never knew I had a leak untill it was too late. The T line was full though, b/c the leak caused some type of negative pressure, in that the water would not replace the air pockets untill I unscrewed the top of the T's tube. When I check for leaks now, I use klenex to go over all conections, as it can soak up water that normally I can not touch/feel.

Gautam · Sep 19, 2003

I resurrected this, because whatever was happening is happening again. I seemed to have resolved the problem by putting hose clamps on every single connection, but it still seems air is getting in somehow. I am positive that there are no leaks. I don't see what the **** could be going on, but it sure is irritating me to the point where I'm considering ditching water.

Someone please help me. There is nothing else I can think of.

LtBlue14 · Sep 19, 2003

are you seeing water loss over time?
if so, that means there IS a leak, if not, that means the air bubbles are just being recirculated and weren't bled properly. based on that, i'd either look harder for a leak or bleed the system of air some more

Gautam · Sep 19, 2003

The T-line level remains constant, it seems, except there are tons of air bubbles. I tried bleeding it about an hour ago, and now it seems like the system is unable to bleed. No matter how many bubbles go, it always seems like there are more. I've thought of every single possible thing. :bang head

: I can't take this noise; pumps are quiet, but not when they've got half a trillion air bubbles running through them.

Diggrr · Sep 19, 2003

Are you sure that the waterline in the T isn't getting low and letting the pump suck air there?
Try to get as much water as possible into the T tube while the system is off. Once you add that many bubbles, the waterline will look much higher than actual.

What kind of pump are you using (aha, QO 1200)? Does it have a removable impeller housing? Maybe it's sucking air there, especially if the tubing is pulling on the pump there. It's pretty easy to deform that little plastic piece just enough to let air in.
Just a thought.

Also, what material did you use to seal the barb threads? Silicone? Teflon tape? Maybe you used too much teflon tape, 2-3 wraps is all that it needs (I did it once, leaked like crazy).

cack01 · Sep 19, 2003

very strange, It could be what diggrr sugested, but you did state the water line was constant in the T valve.

Have you tried shaking your rad or heater core. Those things have a lot of curves, and this could just be air that has been trapt inside overtime and has come lose. Why its not bleeding is beyond me. It may just need time.

zexmarquies01 · Sep 20, 2003

if you want to see if its leaking or not, take some UV liquid stuff, add it to your water, then have it run for a while, then use the UV light......if there are leaks, you should be able to see if it is leaking, where the drops are going, and the spot where its leaking from.

Could never hurt to test man. better to test test test, instead of a single water droplet frying a ( possibly ) 400+ dollar video card, or taking down the mobo, cpu, or everything at once.

not sure about airbubbles......i'm only half awake at the moment......no suggetions on that.....listen to everyone else.

Gautam · Sep 21, 2003

Thanks for your help, everyone. It turned out that the impeller housing was ever so slightly cracked, so that it sucked in air whilst not leaking water, just like you guys said. Luckily enough, nothing's hurt, and my pump is well within warranty.

DarkDraco · Sep 21, 2003

i had bubble probs but the reason for mine is the water pours into the res, it causes bubble and the pump sucks the water with the air bubbles before the air reaches the surface.

LtBlue14 · Sep 21, 2003

awesome, glad you found the problem

koontz946 · Sep 22, 2003

DarkDraco said:
i had bubble probs but the reason for mine is the water pours into the res, it causes bubble and the pump sucks the water with the air bubbles before the air reaches the surface.

i would say this: either fill up ur reservoir more, or put the outlet hose pointing away from the inlet hose

that is, if its still an issue

My system leaking?...or is it?

Gautam

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