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Help low flow rate error and don't know why :S

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c.ruel

Registered
Joined
Feb 21, 2012
Hi I just recently watercooled my cpu ... it's a very simple loop with only a single 120mm rad, aquastream pump, EK ltx block and bitspower cylinder reservoir, I did it more to give watercooling a go. For the most part I have been very pleased with my temperatures (it is an old phenom II cpu so nothing hot).

But my aquastream xt pump is throwing up an error saying "flow rate: too low". According to the software it only throws up this error if flowrate is below like 0.1gpm ... so my flowrate is desperately low.

I have checked my tubing there is no kinks in it. So the only explanation is the loop order I have done since it is such a small loop it can't be the number of blocks.

The only 3 places I could have gone wrong with the tubing is the radiator, reservoir or block. So let's get the simple one out of the way first, it doesn't matter which barb port you use on the cpu block for inlet or outlet right? Surely it is the same for the radiator right, it doesn't matter which port you use for inlet or outlet as well? As for the Reservoir I wasn't sure which way up it went, here is the reservoir and i put it vertically with the 3 ports at the top and the one at the bottom which then connects to the inlet on the pump (and I definatley got that the right way round!).

The final thing it might be is I put a drain port in. It is just a bit of tubing connected to the bottom port of the radiator with a seal plug to facilitate draining.

Sorry for long post but I really need some help with this, the way I connected it up seemed most logical and I can't understand why I would have such an insanely low flowrate unless it is a pump error.
 
Does your pump or Astream controller have a flow reate pulses per minute you need to set?

What pump? Exactly..... A link would be best Aqua isn't really big in the US, so many of us will ???? till you tell us..

Don't know why a simple Auqa pump would even have a flow rate device.

More info please,
 
Some water blocks require flow to go a certain way. Maybe that's your problem? Or it could be you pump or the software not reading it right! If temps haven't changed I would put money on bad sensor or software. More info would surely help us!
 
Yea I will give you guys some more info tomorrow, I have taken aload of photos but right now I am so depressed by the whole thing that I am just gonna wait. Thanks for the help, with regard to the block I double checked the instruction manual and it says it doesn't matter which port you use.

Also just to clarify this thing is saying my flow rate is <0.1 gpm. I can run prime95 with a vcore of 1.5 and an overclock to 3.6ghz fine for hours. Is it theoretically possible that I could have a flowrate that diabolical and still be able to run prime with a chip chucking out 150watts on a single 120mm rad?

I have checked my tube routing like 6 times there is no reason for my flowrate to be tanking it. Do you think it is a sensor error?

Decided to upload the pictures anyway. I also did a hardware reset on the pump to put it to factory settings. No in the main page it doesn't display the error because my default the tickbox to do so is unticked but in the other software menus i can see the lower than 0.1 GPM error.

http://s1051.photobucket.com/albums/s438/felix913/?action=view&current=DSC00112.jpg

There is the best photo you can scroll along the top to browse the others.
 
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What are you using to monitor flow? You didn't mention a flow meter or anything like that unless it's built into your pump.

You got one of those AS pumps with all the odd connectors?

http://watercooled-pcs.co.uk/en/pum...aquastream-xt-usb-12v-pump-ultra-version.html

"and flow meter connectors"

You must have a flow rate meter connected to the pump to measure flow rate..................................... and you don't have one....................................
 
It has an inbuilt temp sensor so since it was telling me my flowrate was low I assumed it had an inbuilt flow meter ... maybe it is as simple as that. Didn't think of that :facepalm: thanks conundrum.

The aquasuite software thing is very counter intuitive sometimes, I have posted the question on there forums as well. I'll post up the answer on here as well so if anyone else gets the same error message they can google it and get an answer.
 
Yea, I tried at that site. I know.

BTW, only trust your CPU temps using a program we all use. Not sure of your build, after a few posts you can make a sig. AMD is Coretemp, Intel I like HW Monitor, never trust the mobo software.
 
AMD is Coretemp, Intel I like HW Monitor, never trust the mobo software.


That's interesting you say that. Why do you say coretemp for AMD instead of HW Monitor? I ask cause I'm using HW Monitor for my girlfriends computer and it's reading 7-10C (lol) at idle. Is there a known problem between the two? Cause this whole time I just thought it was a bad sensor.
 
AMD can be odd, maybe BD got it right.

It's the way it works. Coretemp has always been the best AMD one, no questions asked. It works. Intel works with all of them. AMD is different eh?
 
With AMD the temperature monitoring is pretty bad. The temperature monitoring in the bios should be correct, so i sometimes stress the chip then quickly restart into bios to get a ballpark figure. I have been going based on the temperature of the water in my loop which is never over 40 on full load so can't be worse than 75 as a worst case scenario. I have heard that coretemp is good like conumdrum said.

Thanks for the help guys ... sorry for being retarded, first time watercooling so paniced when i saw a false warning :D.

Also just for anyone that runs the aquasuite software another problem I had that i fixed was the fan switching off and not spinning up sometimes. You have to tick the box "hold minimum fan speed" to prevent this ... baffled me for hours just thought I would add that in case some with aquastream problems finds this thread :D.
 
Using the BIOS is fully whacked to monitor real world temps. CPU's drop easily 10C when load/vs no load. Also, the bios temps from a mobo temp sensor is totally worthless, it's not the chip temp.

Use coretemp if you want to monitor temps on an AMD. Only way.

My mobo sensor is 10C at least lower than my CPU temp, if not more.
 
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