Evaporation????

[timesavage]

Hey Group. I do a lot of gaming and some moderate overclocking with bench marking. I understand that evaporation will occur, but wouldn't the water reconstitute itself back into the system? I need to refill about a 1/2 inch of liquid in a 150 res, about every two weeks. Is this normal? And if so, can this evaporation start to effect connections, motherboard, gpu, or anything for that matter. My USB ports in my storm trooper have seemed to go bye bye, and I was wondering if this might be the issue??? Any ideas? Thanks

 

[EarthDog]

That seems like a a lot to me...

Though I would imagine there is no way it would affect connections and such seeing as how the air is whisked right out of the case...

 

[idkfa]

Maybe you should check your fittings etc., although there are no leaks vaporized water still can leave the system, you won't be able to seal it a 100%.
I don't know how mich your system contains and how much 1/2 inch is, but I'm sure compared to the humiditiy in your room it is negligible. I'd agree with earthdog and say it's impossible to have any effect on any of your parts.

 

[Valk]

Tubing allows a very small amount to evap through.

 

[RnRollie]

*some* evaporation is normal... but THAT much probably points towards a very tiny (air)leak OR an underdimensioned system runnign waaay too hot.

 

[JeremyCT]

*some* evaporation is normal... but THAT much probably points towards a very tiny (air)leak OR an underdimensioned system runnign waaay too hot.

That's what I was thinking as I read his post as well.

 

[Supertrucker]

A half inch every 2 weeks in a tube res is almost certainly a leak or a massive air pocket that was missed during initial setup. My system doesn't lose a half inch of water a year after initial bleed.

 

[timesavage]

Thanks for the feedback. An half inch might be a slight exaggeration, but none the less I need to replenish the water every two weeks. I think my storm trooper case was trouble out of the box when I got it a year ago. I could not find any leaks, all air pockets have been addressed, I think it is just basic evaporation.

 

[EarthDog]

That is some 'basic evaporation'. I think what we all have said is that seems to be more than just 'basic' evaporation' as none of us, so far, have ever had to top off nearly that frequently.

 

[Tvol]

Could a leak near a fan that's evaporating before it can cause any noticeable dampness be a possibility?

 

[Supertrucker]

Easily. I've had o-rings that got a little too dry/worn out that made a fitting sweat little droplets of water. Never enough to drip, just enough to see a slightly damp patch around the fitting that would evaporate before it dripped because it only happened when the system was on.

I've seen similar very slow leaks from metal hose clamps that were slightly out of round not quite seating the fitting right.

It's slow leaks like that that make some of us do 12-24 hour leak tests instead of quick 30-60 minute tests.

 

[JeremyCT]

I replace all o-rings when I do a full teardown, including the pump ones. Cheap insurance!

 

[timesavage]

There is no visible leaking anywhere. If it is leaking even a little bit, I feel either I would see it, or stuff is going to start shutting down. So the top of my res might be the culprit, and sits right underneath my storm trooper on board usb ports. So if this is the area of the evaporation, could this be effecting my usb ports? And maybe it is the o ring on my res that is the culprit? the rest of the system is buttoned up

 

[timesavage]

Here are pics

 

[EarthDog]

There is no visible leaking anywhere. If it is leaking even a little bit, I feel either I would see it, or stuff is going to start shutting down. So the top of my res might be the culprit, and sits right underneath my storm trooper on board usb ports. So if this is the area of the evaporation, could this be effecting my usb ports? And maybe it is the o ring on my res that is the culprit? the rest of the system is buttoned up

...Though I would imagine there is no way it would affect connections and such seeing as how the air is whisked right out of the case...

 

[GTXJackBauer]

*some* evaporation is normal... but THAT much probably points towards a very tiny (air)leak OR an underdimensioned system runnign waaay too hot.

My thoughts exactly.

I would add a cloth that won't be on bare hot components and let it sit there for a week or so and check the fittings for dampness. Bubbles could also be a possibility.

Tell us your what your whole loop consists of. What are you Ambient, Water, Delta, CPU/GPU temps etc?

Every 2 weeks for almost a year now is my understanding. Is this correct?

I think the USB issue is irrelevant in this case. I would ask for a replacement if the case is still under warranty.

 

[jr1]

i would find a really good flashlight and do a dang good inspection again
the water will leave some kind of staining if a leak has been going on for some time
check everything from fittings to even the rad itselve

@ idkfa
1/2 inch is roughly 1,3 cm
1 inch is 2,53 cm

 

[idkfa]

@ idkfa
1/2 inch is roughly 1,3 cm
1 inch is 2,53 cm

Thanks But I meant without the diameter of the reservoir I couldn't estimate which volume 1/2 inch is equal to

 

[madcratebuilder]

i would find a really good flashlight and do a dang good inspection again
the water will leave some kind of staining if a leak has been going on for some time
check everything from fittings to even the rad itselve

@ idkfa
1/2 inch is roughly 1,3 cm
1 inch is 2,53 cm

This is a good plan, a leak of that magnitude should leave evidence. A leak in the rad core can be very hard to find, look at the tank seams, the core and at the G1/4 fittings. Some loss is expected in the first few weeks but after 30 days a sealed system should not have a evaporation issue.

Replacing all the O rings at every tear down is good preventive maintenance, they are cheap, .10 in bulk packs.

 

[JeremyCT]

Some loss is expected in the first few weeks but after 30 days a sealed system should not have a evaporation issue.

Most of the tubing used in watercooling allows some evaporation through the tubing. It's difficult to make a 100% sealed system, so a small amount of fluid loss over time is normal. His losses are too high to be considered normal though.