I cannot get my loop to fill. Ive done everything i know to do.

[nothingworks]

I'm at this point begging for help. I've tore down my loop 4 different times, bought a new gpu water block, 2 different pumps, cleaned my waterblocks, rad and res, and nothing is working for me. Ive got the pump on setting 5 which is the highest, and i dont know if it's air getting stuck, i dont know if its a part that isnt working, i dont know what I'M doing wrong, I just cannot fix it. It's to the point I will literally pay someone to help me fix it. I have no one personally that can help me fix it because they know nothing about watercooling, noone in my area that i know of messes with watercooling, and I am at my ends with who to ask for help. Air keeps getting trapped in my line, and even at the highest setting on the pump, it cant make it over the curve from one line to the next. I have a d5 pump which many have told me it should be able to handle these lines. Even when i started from scratch for the second time, when i unplugged the rad port it flowed to the pump and that had air bubbles in. I have no idea how because the res was to the brim full. I've tilted this thing in ever possible direction there is to tilt it, left res port open on top, cleaned everything out to where its literally a fresh clean loop and i still cant get it.

If anyone could please, please help me I would appreciate it more than you know.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

Do you have a bleed point at the top of your loop that you can fill fluid in from there instead of from the res?

 

[notarat]

Just a personal observation before me trying to help...you seem to really, really like 180° bends...these aren't the best solution and I personally only use them when absolutely necessary...because they cause issues like this.

Assumptions I'm operating under because I can't really see a detailed schematic of the various connections and fill port:

I'm assuming your fill port is on the top of the reservoir.

Okay...do the following:

0 - Disconnect everything but the pump from your PSU (this is why modular PSUs are the bee's knees) and put your power jumper connector (or jumper wire) in the ATX connector so the PSU powers on only the pump when you turn the PSU on.

1 - Reduce the amount of coolant in the reservoir by 2-3". (You will add it back later...)

2 - Looking at your case from the pics, I see the radiator to reservoir return line is disconnected but I'm assuming that was taken during troubleshooting (because if it wasn't, there's your problem )

3 - Once that connection is secured again, tilt your case about 45° to the left, or as far as you can without coolant coming out the top fill port, and power on the PSU/pump. This allows air to bleed out the fill port and allows the reservoir to feed the pump to get over the first 180° bend to the GPU, and it also lessens the height it needs to push the coolant to get over the second 180° bend heading into the CPU block.

4 - Let it pull coolant from the reservoir and push it through the two 180 bends I mentioned, while you're adding coolant to the reservoir. If it pulls all the coolant from the serservoir, power off immediately.

5 - Stand it back upright and let things settle

6 - Do the same thing again but tilt it to the right 45° or as close as you can get without coolant coming out the fill port on the reservoir, and add coolant to the reservoir, letting any air bleed out the fill port

7 - Repeat steps 3, 4, 5 until you can't get any more air out.

8 - Tilt the computer towards the back 45° and repeat steps 3, 4, 5 until you can't get any more air out.

9 - Tilt the computer forwards 45° and repeat steps 3, 4, 5 until you can't get any more air out.

10 - Repeat 9 again, but tilt the case onto the right, rear corner

11 - Do step 10 again but tilt it to the front left corner

12 - Do 3,4,5 again, tilting it on the left rear corner

13 - Do 3,4,5 again, tilting it on the right front corner

Repeat steps 3-13

More observations:

Your loop is a little odd. (not a judgement...just an observation)

I note you have a drain but I didn't see a fill port (as near the top of the loop as you can get it is best) so I'm assuming yours is on the top of the reservoir...

I have a dual rad setup (on top and on bottom, with the pump about midway between the two.) Filling mine would seem to be a PITA, but it isn't because of the way the loop is designed. It takes me about 5 minutes to fill and bleed mine.

 

[Blaylock]

I've had this same problem more times than I care to admit. As other have mentioned, for me it was always because I was filling from a height that was not the highest point of my loop. In my previous set-up it was necessary to add an air bleeder/fill port at the top of the loop. I couldn't fill entirely from that point because it wasn't feeding my res until there was enough air out so I needed to partial fill at the res and fill port. Run it for a few seconds and kill it once the res emptied. I repeated this until water was finally returning to the res. from there I was able to tilt and turn and rotate the case to get all the air out and top it off from the top fill port. To say the least it a royal pain in the tuchus.

My current water cooled build, and likely you next one, has a top fill and bottom drain. It's really just the best way.

 

[Nebulous]

I remember the very first time i was setting up my 1st loop. Dam crazy 180 bends drove me crazy with the dam air pockets. I had to tear everything down and re-loop without the 180 bends. I managed using a few 90's and used 2 bleed points (one on top, one on the bottom). OP you'll never be able to fill your loop with those bends. Too many air pockets.

 

[godevskii]

I think the main problem here is simple, the pump is running dry because its miles away from the res for the 1st full cycle. Once the pump is fully primed you maybe able to work with that spacing but until then it will be a pain, or you may even not be able to fully prime the pump. If that is the case you need to move your pump to a better location.

Edit: try to bypass the flow meter sensor to see if it helps, and try to tilt the case towards the i/o side to prime the pump until full circulation is achieved.

 

[DaPoets]

If you were using a rez/pump combo you wouldn't have an issue, but yeah the way your bends are it will be close to impossible to get this going right.

 

[InsertNameHere]

I'm at this point begging for help. I've tore down my loop 4 different times, bought a new gpu water block, 2 different pumps, cleaned my waterblocks, rad and res, and nothing is working for me. Ive got the pump on setting 5 which is the highest, and i dont know if it's air getting stuck, i dont know if its a part that isnt working, i dont know what I'M doing wrong, I just cannot fix it. It's to the point I will literally pay someone to help me fix it. I have no one personally that can help me fix it because they know nothing about watercooling, noone in my area that i know of messes with watercooling, and I am at my ends with who to ask for help. Air keeps getting trapped in my line, and even at the highest setting on the pump, it cant make it over the curve from one line to the next. I have a d5 pump which many have told me it should be able to handle these lines. Even when i started from scratch for the second time, when i unplugged the rad port it flowed to the pump and that had air bubbles in. I have no idea how because the res was to the brim full. I've tilted this thing in ever possible direction there is to tilt it, left res port open on top, cleaned everything out to where its literally a fresh clean loop and i still cant get it.

If anyone could please, please help me I would appreciate it more than you know.

I had this happen to me in the last build I did. I had the line from the reservoir that feeds the pump go up, round and over the gpu

You usually want your reservoir to gravity feed your pump.

I would first try and move the case around to encourage the fluid into the pump from the reservoir.

If not I usually hook up a second pump and reservoir and use that to fill/prime the loop.

Because of the layout of my loop that didn’t work. I actually had to prime the loop with my mouth. Blowing air into the reservoir so it pushed the fluid to the pump. It is not something I would recommend. But it worked.