A few last questions before I start up...

[Barber]

Hey Guys Happy Equinox,

I've recently come to acquire some used W/C parts, all in working order (I saw them all running fine). The set-up is:

D-Tek Fuzion CPU block
Swiftech MCRES Reservoir.
DB-1 12V Pump (thought it was a DB-5 but I was wrong)
Thermochill 120.2 Rad

The rest of my specs (if required) are:
E8400
Asus Maximus II Formula
2x 2GB Mushkin PC-8500
PC & C 750W Silencer Black
9800 GX2
1 36gb raptor, 2x storage drives
1 Optical Drive

It came with all appropriate barbs for a 1/2 inch tubing.

I am fitting this into my Antec 1200 case, although many suggested I keep the Lian-Li, I really like the appearance of the Antec 1200, and it's easier to find a buyer for the Lian-Li...

I'm pretty strapped for cash after the new upgrade so I went and got tubing from Canadian Tire, simple vinyl tubing that fits. I also bought worm drive hose clamps that fit.

I bought a bottle of De-Ionized water from Auto Parts extra and now I'm ready to start trying this all out(I think... I'm worried), but I've got a few questions...

1) The guy before me was using Thermaltake CL-W0044 Bigwater UV Sensitive Coolant, should I rinse out the system before I use my distilled water?? It's been sitting dry for about a week now... If so, how do I do this??

2) Where are the optimal places for the Pump and Res inside my case?? Does anyone have an Antec 1200, and have suggestions??

3) Do I need anything to add to the Deionized water?? If so where do I get it??

4) How do I run the pump without running the entire system for leak testing, I've read something about some paper clip trick but I can't find out how exactly to do it...

5) Do I need to rinse out the tubing and if so, do I have to use the Deionized water or can I use tap water??

I've read the HWC guide on all this and some of my questions are answered in there, however I'm looking for some clarification and opinions on most of them. I'd also love links to other guides to help me learn more about this stuff, I've been researching it for a while now, but always would love more info!!

Thanks everyone!!!!

[sswilson]

4) How do I run the pump without running the entire system for leak testing, I've read something about some paper clip trick but I can't find out how exactly to do it...

On your PSU main motherboard connector you jumper the Green wire with one of the black ones beside it. This will make the PSU "live" so you'll need to either use the PSU power switch to control it, or if your PSU doesn't have a switch, use a power bar for control.

As far as flushing out the system goes.... I used that thermaltake stuff for a while and it can get sticky if left outside of a loop so I suspect it should be flushed out. If it were me, I'd just use hot tap water to flush, and then do a quick flush with distilled water. (you mentioned de-ionized.... is it also distilled?).

[Barber]

Isn't de-ionized and distilled the same thing??

I'll probably flush it with hot water then run the water through to make sure. I'll run it through the tubes since they are new and I don't want tiny particles in my system.

Can I put this stuff in my system?? It will prevent algae build up, and it's blue (I want my loop to be blue!!!)

Canadian Tire

Cheers!

[MpG]

Originally Posted by Barber

1) The guy before me was using Thermaltake CL-W0044 Bigwater UV Sensitive Coolant, should I rinse out the system before I use my distilled water?? It's been sitting dry for about a week now... If so, how do I do this??

2) Where are the optimal places for the Pump and Res inside my case?? Does anyone have an Antec 1200, and have suggestions??

3) Do I need anything to add to the Deionized water?? If so where do I get it??

4) How do I run the pump without running the entire system for leak testing, I've read something about some paper clip trick but I can't find out how exactly to do it...

5) Do I need to rinse out the tubing and if so, do I have to use the Deionized water or can I use tap water??

1) Rinse out the Thermaltake coolant if you want, although there shouldn't be any issues, aside from tinges of colour showing up in your water before long. Warm water is your best bet, although for the parts that DON'T have any acrylic, you can try isopropyl alcohol which may work better. But thoroughly rinse afterwards with water, since that'll do nasty things to acrylic (i.e. your micro-res).

2) Any place is fine, technically. Having the reservoir above the pump, so that gravity feeds the pump, makes for much easier filling and bleeding, however. Beyond that, whatever's easiest.

3) You'll want some sort of biocide. A favourite among watercoolers is PT_Nuke, although NCIX is presently out of stock on it. Aquarium stores will likely sell something similar, but make sure that it's copper based, and doesn't have iodine in it. And use only what's needed - many biocides will try to turn the coolant acidic, which doesn't help anything.

4) You'll be wanting to jump-start your PSU to get the pump running at first. What you're looking for on the power supply is the 24-pin motherboard plug. One of the 24 wires will be green - that's the wire you're looking for. Using a paper-clip/short piece of wire, you want to connect that wire to any of the black ones on the same cable. Cross them, and the power supply is active.

5) Use distilled water if possible for all rinsing, as tap water can leave behind mineral residue once it dries. Technically, you don't need to rinse out the tubing, although you might find that it has a white powdery coating along the inside (culprit: Thermochill rad). This won't hurt anything, but it wouldn't hurt to try and rinse some of it out with hot water. Giving the radiator a rinse with hot water won't hurt either. (And speaking of the rad, double-check that the bleeder screw on the radiator is tight before you start filling the system)

[3.0charlie]

PSU jump start guide: How To: Jump Start A Power Supply (PSU) / Test A Power Supply And Components - Overclock.net - Overclocking.net

Some PSU don't like low power draw. You may need to connect a fan or two to the PSU.

[sswilson]

Oh, and don't forget the pictures......... :)

[MpG]

I wouldn't expect that algaecide to be what you're looking for - by the time you added enough to make the water blue, you'd have a severe over-concentration of it in your system.

And no, deionized and distilled aren't the same thing. Technically speaking, deionized water WILL re-ionize over time no matter what. The important thing is that there's nothing else in the water - minerals, for example, and that's the point of using distilled.

[Barber]

Okay so I'm going to put all the stuff in my system now, cut all the tubing. Then de-mount the rad and cpu block and wash out the rad pump tubes etc. with Turbo Power (thats the brand) de-ionized water (I cannot find distilled water, I went to two auto parts stores, this stuff is meant for like car rads and w/e, I'm hoping it will work).

After that I'm going to re-mount all the stuff, res higher then pump (works good in this case) and then short the psu with the green to black pin like the guide there. I'm going to hook up a bunch of fans to ensure it's drawing enough volts.

My Loop will be Res>Pump>CPU>Rad>Res, I've heard this is fine.

Once I'm going to wrap each joint in paper towel to test for leaks, if they all come out dry after about a 4 hour test I'm going to consider them pretty leak free. Is that enough?

I'll go buy some algaecide at a local pet store, they will have some for fish tanks, should work. Whats the best thing to dye the water blue??

Thanks everyone!!!

[MpG]

For the record, you can usually get distilled water pretty easily at a drug store or a Walmart, a couple bucks a gallon.

Not sure what to suggest for blue dye. Algaecides and plain dyes don't always play nicely together. There are combination dye/anti-corrosive/anti-algae treatments you can get, but NCIX seems to be out of stock, and you'd be stuck ordering them from some US store, which is real pita for just a little dye. Honestly, looking a little more long-term, I'd probably suggest you just invest in some coloured tubing down the road.

[Realityshift]

On the same topic kind of, how often does one with treated distilled water in their loop have to flush and refill/clean the loop? Im thinking about setting up a loop for myself soon and im curious as to what it takes to maintain a loop long term. I dont want something i have to flush every few months.