leak test?

So whats your thoughts of how long you should leak test your cooling system before you start useing it?

I usually just let it run about 24 hours before installing it on my rig.

Thats what I was thinking. But I still want to fire this baby up and see what she can do!
Thanks for the input.

You could risk a short power on test but be ready to shut it off fast. Not via Start menu or power button but rather unplug the power cord. If the water leak while your system is running, it can damage the hardware. And if your PSU is mounted bottom, you're talking major fireworks here!

Better safe than sorry, run the pump only and check for leaks in few hours or so.

Well I don't think its that extreme... I've spilled a mix of antifreeze and distilled water on a running motherboard and the system didn't skip a beat while I ran to get a towel. Also you'd need a lot of water in the PSU to even make a spark I think. Most of the time when the PSU is in the bottom of the case the intake fan is on the bottom of the PSU anyway - pretty hard to get a good amount of water in there.

My PSU is mounted with the intake fan on top as there's no air hole on the bottom, and the supporting frame would have blocked about 1/3 of the intake fan.

Even if the fan isn't on top or bottom, most PSU has vent slots around the PSU and water can still seep in.

Spilling water won't cause China Syndrome but worst case is you get fireworks and magic smoke escaping from your PC. And yes a few users on this form had hose completely come off (or nozzle broke off) while the pump was running, that would create a worst case scenario.

4GHZ_or_bust said:

And yes a few users on this form had hose completely come off (or nozzle broke off) while the pump was running, that would create a worst case scenario.

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The reason I only use metal or thick plastic barbs with metal hose clamps

nah man, psu's blow up off like a drop of water, i found it out the hard way at work. was barely spitting with rain and it blew up :S and teh bad thing is it blows up as you plug teh power cord in so your head is usually really close and it freaks you out lol.

ya i would wait. and i would also remove the loop to test. i never did and i was very lucky that when a barb broke on my rad the water went on the desk not my pc.

i just throw it straight on my rig, i check the connections to make sure everything is ok. i run it without connecction to actual power supply for a while

I suggest doing it like Elluzion said. Leak test in your system with the PSU hooked up only to your pump (and fans if needed to start PSU). Do not supply power to MB. If you leak test out of your case, you might loosen something when you move it back.

I keep paper towels under all my connections for a couple of days. Check occasionally for the next couple of weeks. I've had a couple of slow drips from barbs that were worked loose from twisted tubes and tubes that didn't make a good seal. I've been lucky though and no hardware has been damaged.

I agree - leak test in the case! Install the loop 100% then power up the pump and let it run for at least an hour or two. I tie off small pieces of TP around each connection, it's sure to absorb any water and let you know there's a problem. If the TP is still dry in 2 hours it's good to go ...

Another vote for 100% installed and then leak testing. Otherwise it is pointless, You could have put enough strain on some part to create a leak while installing it in your case. As for a leak indicator... I find most anything works so long as it is not ON the connections but put UNDER them instead. If it is on the connections it will wick away the leak and allow it to evaporate, leaving little evidence.

00chevy00 said:

So whats your thoughts of how long you should leak test your cooling system before you start useing it?

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I keep a spare PSU with the jumpered ATX connection. When I finish all the tubing connections and fill the water loop, I just connect the pump to the spare PSU's Molex connector and run it overnight. Only the pump gets power so if any leaks were to occur nothing would short out.

vaccume cleaner

loop in negative pressure

All the joins all the barbs check if water can be sucked in.

im gonna play it safe and leak test outside of my case, i dont have te money to get a new system if this one gets fry'd.

You will not fry your system if you leak test in your case provided you don't apply power to components. It is impossible to short a circuit if there is no power being sent through it. You can leak test outside of your system, but you should still leak test INSIDE your system before you connect your motherboard to the PSU. You might be leak free out of your system, but when you put it inside, the tubing bends and puts different stress on the connections. This can cause leaks.

Paper towels under all connections will prevent anything important from getting soaked (at least for a small leak). If you do get a leak, use a hair dryer and let it sit for 24 hours or more before you apply power. Don't forget to fix the leak too.

You can take a bath with your whole computer . . . like you were best buddies . Take it swimming with you and jump in some puddles. It would be ok if you dry every drop of water from it before you apply power. If water gets into hard to reach places, submerge the affected component in 95% alcohol. Again use a hair dyer and let it sit for a long time in a dry place. I've even heard of people putting motherboards in the oven .The alcohol will mix with the water and facilitate evaporation.

BTW. I was just kidding about the swimming part. Baths are ok, but no swimming with your computer.

Rickpatbrown said:

Baths are ok, but no swimming with your computer.

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Not even with floaties? What if the board has floaties too?

Leak testing ouside the case, then applying new stresses on a loop afterr re-installing is asking for a zapped system IMO...

Ive run a whole computer (minus hdds) through a dishwasher, mostly because I could, and it still works to this day. The key point, as Rickpatbrown said is to make sure everything is dry before you plug the components in.
And as said before, leak test after you put everything together, Ive had a gasket leak on me on my video card because it bent a little in the case. Luckily it was the lowest thing in the case, and nothing got wet besides the case.