discussion Noob question about water cooling

[Jokester]

That's what I'm concern about as well. I'm getting conflicting info online regarding car anti-freeze. Thanks for pointing to Jokester's thread but I'm interested in a 240mm rad. Also trying to lower my price as much as possible and either Borrow or Bykski fit the bill. I'm not overclocking here, just need to cool a semi-free 1080TI with an EK block since no one got a FE / OEM cooler to sell me and seem like a waste to toss the EK block. Might follow up with another member here that said he has a Rajintek cooler but need to do some digging.

I actually probably have some 240 rads, send me a PM with a list and I can go through my stuff. I should get rid of... allot

 

[JD]

After doing some research about the Barrow pump + radiator, it seems to be not a good idea as it seems impossible to service with it in the tower.

Since you're doing soft tubing anyways, I don't see why you couldn't unbolt the radiator from the case and pull the card out of the PCIe slot to service it. It will effectively be the same as the AIO cards they sell.

If I'm understanding correctly, you have a 1080 Ti with an EK block on it already, so this loop is just exclusively for that? I'd say get the Barrow Rad+Pump combo, 4 fittings, couple feet of 3/8" ID 5/8" OD tubing since it won't kink as easily, and some watercooling coolant. Cheap, simple, easy?

Wouldn't really bother with all the accessories you have listed.

• Don't need a drain for such a small loop, just yank a tube off over a bucket.
• Don't need a pressure test device, just run this outside your case to test for leaks.
• Don't need any flushing agents, run some boiling hot water through it, give the radiator a good shake, maybe repeat a couple times if you notice anything comes out. If the GPU block is dirty, unscrew the top cover and scrub it with a soft toothbrush or such.
• Fill bottle is debatable, a funnel would likely suffice, but the squeezy bottles can be handy.

If you are planning to include your CPU in this loop, then I'd probably go the standalone pump/res setup instead.

 

[clshades]

I would recommend a proper coolant like Koolance or DP Ultra. Spending money on a custom loop and then cheaping out on coolant never made sense to me.

Fernox protector. Commercial grade inhibitor. At the end of the day the stuff you're buying online is just inhibitor marked up massively. Algae only grows when water lies dormant for long periods of time. My old server hasn't been turned on in 5 years. I used Canadian Tire glycol mixed with water. It still has no growth. Never had an issue. I should fire it up and see if it still works.

My last custom water loop had nothing added but it ran 24/7 and never grew anything either.

The fernox is about 80 bucks for 500ml and would do your next 20 loops with tap water.

Inhibitors & Protectors Archives - Fernox UK

Corrosion inhibitors, otherwise known as Corrosion Protectors or central heating inhibitors, safeguard central heating systems against the formation of sludge and scale build–up. The damaging effects of corrosion debris can cause boiler noise, radiator or pipework blockages and boiler breakdown...

fernox.com

 

[moocow]

Going with the Barrow combo unit saves me the effort of figuring out how to mount a res. However, it would involve extra work of removing both the rad and card to drain and refill. At $150 USD before shipping, it's tempting. Running a custom loop with rad, res + pump is only $50 cheaper (not counting fittings and hose). I'm pretty much having a Pysduck moment here.

EDIT: I don't really understand how another Barrow owner on Reddit said it took them 2 days to bleed / burp the system. I thought the pump would just push the air bubble along until it reach back to the open filler port and then the fluid level drops. At that point you refill and do it again. Unless because there's no res so there's a chance it keep sucking air in?

 

[Valkyrie]

There are always little pockets in a system that can trap air, and they will. There is air dissolved in your coolant and it will come out over time and collect in these pockets. The simpler your system is, the easier it is to purge these trapped air pockets. The arrangement of components can help minimize the pockets and place the "res" (which could be a high spot on one end of the rad,) at the top of the system where the air wants to be.

 

[Jokester]

Fernox protector. Commercial grade inhibitor. At the end of the day the stuff you're buying online is just inhibitor marked up massively. Algae only grows when water lies dormant for long periods of time. My old server hasn't been turned on in 5 years. I used Canadian Tire glycol mixed with water. It still has no growth. Never had an issue. I should fire it up and see if it still works.

My last custom water loop had nothing added but it ran 24/7 and never grew anything either.

The fernox is about 80 bucks for 500ml and would do your next 20 loops with tap water.

Inhibitors & Protectors Archives - Fernox UK

Corrosion inhibitors, otherwise known as Corrosion Protectors or central heating inhibitors, safeguard central heating systems against the formation of sludge and scale build–up. The damaging effects of corrosion debris can cause boiler noise, radiator or pipework blockages and boiler breakdown...

fernox.com

Thats great. But you aren't just buying coolants for their safety. They also come in an assortment of colours and styles. But you do you. My loops don't look like a industrial pool system either.

 

[JD]

EDIT: I don't really understand how another Barrow owner on Reddit said it took them 2 days to bleed / burp the system.

In your scenario, I think it can all be done outside of the case before hand, you can shake/rotate/etc until the air bleeds out. I can understand it being difficult when its all inside the case and includes a CPU + GPU as the reservoir is tiny.

 

[clshades]

Thats great. But you aren't just buying coolants for their safety. They also come in an assortment of colours and styles. But you do you. My loops don't look like a industrial pool system either.

View attachment 36701

If someone is colouring the liquid I guess that's a different deal. If not I don't see the point spending 10x the price for coolant. It is a massive rip off imo. I've smelled the expensive brand name stuff and it's smells exactly like treated boiler water.

I wouldn't know if the inhibitor I posted above would react badly to dye. I suppose I could test it and find out. Straight water is base zero for heating and cooling so anything added to it typically goes down.

IE: glycol would make it 0.9 or worse causing the temps to be slightly higher than straight water. Not really an issue unless going for an extreme overclock.

Nice setup man looks awesome!

 

[gingerbee]

In your scenario, I think it can all be done outside of the case before hand, you can shake/rotate/etc until the air bleeds out. I can understand it being difficult when its all inside the case and includes a CPU + GPU as the reservoir is tiny.

that's what I said earlier with soft tubing you can put all your gear in the case build your loop so everything lines up all nice then pull it all out in one piece and fill it up and test for any leaks, it's pretty much what I do when using soft tubing which I prefer. its also easier imho for a first-time loop builder, it also makes you feel safer to know your loop has run for however long you want to test it for leaks

 

[clshades]

that's what I said earlier with soft tubing you can put all your gear in the case build your loop so everything lines up all nice then pull it all out in one piece and fill it up and test for any leaks, it's pretty much what I do when using soft tubing which I prefer. its also easier imho for a first-time loop builder, it also makes you feel safer to know your loop has run for however long you want to test it for leaks

There is a plug adapter for power supplies that jumpers the PSU to run without being plugged into a mobo. Saves having to rotate everything around etc. I'd do this for 24 hours or so and let the air come out on it's own. If it's a variable speed pump just crank it.