XSPC D5 Dual Bay Reservoir V1 Disaster!

[Nebulous]

Nahh, not really a disaster, but I needed a catchy title. Good one right?


In all seriousness, my res did spring a leak. It was so subtle that I didn't see the water, but the cat did. I noticed she was tapping a spot near the rig and I saw her kinda lick it, so I went to investigate, and sure enough, water. Got paper towels, take the side panel off and with my trusty flashlight found the spot. It was leaking from the top lid of the res.

Shut rig down, and start checking to see if the water got onto my drives..nope. Got lucky as the bottom of the 5.25 bay is tilted ever so slightly to the front downward, so when the res started leaking, the water was diverted away from the drives and towards the front of the case, where I did find alittle water.

I did repair the res when I first got it. Previous owner told me it was the 1st version, so a critical spot was overlooked and there is a gap between the top lid and housing. This is the spot of why so many was recalled and replaced with the 2nd version addressing the issue. I couldn't swap mine as I didn't have an invoice, so i had to make due with what I got. The way I sealed it was to torque down the screws good, and use Flex Seal to seal the gap. Worked great for a decade. Bone dry up to that point.

So I took the res apart, clean it and the top. I used a thin bead of Flex Seal Glue over the original rubber "O"-ring and slap the top down. Then I squeezed some glue into the faulty gap. Waited 6 hours for it to set, then I sprayed that entire area with Flex Seal to triple seal it. I left it for 36 hours to cure. You'll see the white band around the res between the housing and top.

Reinstall the res, play the fill-n-bleed game and I'm back up and running. So far no leaks and bone dry. I have a chromebook, so I was still able to get online for minimal tasks. Man I was going though withdrawls

 

[Robert17]

Good that your cat caught it before it caused magic smoke. Mayhaps you can start a new service where you take your cat on house calls to check for leaks. You'll need a catchy name for the service. I'll start: Cat Calls. Leak Cat-cher.

Next.

 

[JLK03F150]

I did a little internet sleuthing & found a picture of Neb!

Spoiler

 

[EarthDog]

But wait...there's more!

 

[Nebulous]

Leak sealed!. Had the rig running overnight to be sure. Laugh & joke all you want, but Flex Seal is some good stuff. Had I did the 1st repair like I did this one, I would bet the res would still have been sealed tight.

 

[JLK03F150]

Okay Phil, whatever you say.

Personally, I'm joking about the salesman rather than the products. He's like the next gen Ron Popeil, very much a showman. I've used a couple of Flex Seal products, & yes, they work fine.
Glad you got that rez sealed up!

 

[Robert17]

Yes, Flexseal is o.k. for light repair. For more robust needs I use some Permatex rubber compound; comes in a tube, dispenses like toothpaste and is much easier to apply (I last applied it using an artist-size paint brush to get it only where I wanted it and not make a mess). Got it at an auto parts store, $10.

For grins, I met Ron Popeil playing pool one night in the '70's. He had just started to enjoy success but was working on his next big thing after the pocket fishing pole, a billiard stick that was three pieces that screwed together, obviously easy to break down for keeping in your car or such. JLK03F150, this was when I was living in Marietta near Dobbins. He may still be from around that area, don't know at this point in time.

 

[Nebulous]

Okay Phil, whatever you say.

Personally, I'm joking about the salesman rather than the products. He's like the next gen Ron Popeil, very much a showman. I've used a couple of Flex Seal products, & yes, they work fine.
Glad you got that rez sealed up!

Yeah the sales guy is a nutcase, but yeah, this rubber stuff is pretty good. When I first used it a decade ago, the fumes stunk like hell, but worked like it weas supposed to. It did last 10 years tho.

Yes, Flexseal is o.k. for light repair. For more robust needs I use some Permatex rubber compound; comes in a tube, dispenses like toothpaste and is much easier to apply (I last applied it using an artist-size paint brush to get it only where I wanted it and not make a mess). Got it at an auto parts store, $10.

For grins, I met Ron Popeil playing pool one night in the '70's. He had just started to enjoy success but was working on his next big thing after the pocket fishing pole, a billiard stick that was three pieces that screwed together, obviously easy to break down for keeping in your car or such. JLK03F150, this was when I was living in Marietta near Dobbins. He may still be from around that area, don't know at this point in time.

Rob I have several different products from Permatex. I used it for every gasket sealing job on engines. That would have been wayy too much for a simple job like the pc res. I was going to use some regular silicone, but instead I wanted to try this stuff again.

 

[JLK03F150]

Yes, Flexseal is o.k. for light repair. For more robust needs I use some Permatex rubber compound; comes in a tube, dispenses like toothpaste and is much easier to apply (I last applied it using an artist-size paint brush to get it only where I wanted it and not make a mess). Got it at an auto parts store, $10.

For grins, I met Ron Popeil playing pool one night in the '70's. He had just started to enjoy success but was working on his next big thing after the pocket fishing pole, a billiard stick that was three pieces that screwed together, obviously easy to break down for keeping in your car or such. JLK03F150, this was when I was living in Marietta near Dobbins. He may still be from around that area, don't know at this point in time.

I have a bunch of (probably dried up) Permatex products in the garage. I don't work on the cars as much as I used to. Now I have a 2nd house at the lake, a dock & a boat so there is always a tube of 3M 5200 Marine Adhesive around. Last time I used it was to patch holes in a gangway float. Stupid beavers!

Pretty cool story about Ron. I don't remember hearing about him being a local, so not too sure how long he may have been in Atl. I just google him & he passed away a year ago at 86.

 

[ihrsetrdr]

My favorite TV sales pitch-man was Billy Mays. I was truly sad upon hearing of his passing.

 

[Nebulous]

Well after the problem I had with this reservoir, decided to get a replacement. I got a Monsoon Series Two D5 Premium reservoir. My lowara D5 pump has had a long a fruitful life with me. I think I've had this particular pump for over a decade and I purchased it used from Hardass. All the other D5 pumps I bought either died or ingested something that turned them into squealing monkeys. For the life of me I tried fixing those, but nothing worked, so I donated to our local dump site.

The RPM on the Lowara is not being displayed like before, so I think it's the RPM cable. That little connection from the wire to the pin might have broke. I can still adjust the speed in the bios, so I keep it at 50%. At 100% this sucker sure makes a racket. Even with rubbers (get your head out of the gutter!, lol) washers, the whole case vibrates, so 50% is a nice happy medium. Dam pump is over a decade old with me. It's one reliable mofo. I'll save it for back-up duty.

Genuine Lowara pumps are hard to find now, so I snagged an XSPC labeled D5. https://www.ebay.com/itm/4023675027...d=&campid=5338738134&toolid=10001&mpt=2155655
Hopefully it'll be as reliable as the original Lowara


I like the look of the Monsoon res. Has a "mechanized" look. I really like that it has those rubber "shock absorber" installation pots that prevent the vibration to travel though out the case. Larger front window panel too. Me thinks it comes with 2 silver slug/plugs for biocide.

And yes I will update with pictures! I gave my word to someone I'll post pics ( You know who you are *wink wink*)

 

[Nebulous]

Got the Monsoon res today! Next up will be the new pump