water cooling

[BlackAdder]

Hay guys, is anyone out there up on water cooling?? I have a Aquagate Mini with the large radiator, I want to change the coolant out as it has been running 2 years with no maintenance other than greasing the fan's shaft ... how do I know how much coolant to use?? Do I just fill it up, burp it and remove a small amount for expansion, if so how much ?? I've sent Cooler Master tech support an e-mail saying what I said here and posted the same thing on the Danger Den forums but I don't know if anyone will answer... can anyone help...Thanx

[AMDave]

I think mitchellds and gatekeeper53 are up on that.
They should be passing through later and may have some words of advice.

In there absence, I did a quick google for advice and there's not really much there. I'd use the first install instruction sheet as a guide if you still have that buried in your desk drawer somewhere.

But I am sure that mitchellds has gone through the procedure several times and would have some insights to offer.

[BlackAdder]

Thanks Dave, I've got the entire box and the stuff that came with it, they don't recommend refilling these, but I read that it is filled through the barb that is capped off on the pump and they apply a slight vacuum at the factory to help it prime.I'm really not complaining about it's performance,I have a OC'ed opteron 180 (2521mhz) and I'm getting 54c from it now(at 100%) and the room is hot that it is in. I don't think the temp is bad at all from this inexpensive system, but I've read that other people get their water cooled systems a bit cooler...non OC'ed it runs 48 to 49c at 100% running the F@H SMP client.
Can anyone comment on the temps???? high, low, indifferent?
Thanx...

[gatekeeper53]

Not me I have Peltier coolers. But, Mitch and Poorboy have the ones you speak of. Someone told me once that "If it works DON'T screw with it" lol

[BlackAdder]

You may be right about the if it works don't screw with it part....I am checking E-bay for a conventional cooler to have in the drawer for when this cooler stops working...I don't have any backup that can cool a Opteron or my X2 at the moment...just stuff like a Thermaltaki Volcano9 for XP3200 use...

[PoorBoy]

Not me I have Peltier coolers. But, Mitch and Poorboy have the ones you speak of. Someone told me once that "If it works DON'T screw with it" lol

Most of mine are Peltier Coolers too, but I do have have 1 with a AquaGate on it, their not the best thing to have but with a better Fan like a Tornado on them they do okay. The Tornado can lower the Temps by 20c or more over he Stock Fan. But if you use a Tornado use a adjustable speed control because they can be loud if not controlled.

I'm under the Theory if it's working then leave it alone too, but if you were to refill or change the fluid then I would get a Reserve Tank and hook it up some how to the AquaGate, it would make it a lot easier to refill and keep filled too ...

[mitchellds]

Hi BlackAdder,

I agree with Poorboy, although a reserve tank is usually fluff in a water cooling loop, it does make fluid adds and initial fills easy and less messy. Most people just use them to add fancy looks. (I have a cool machined Aluminum one with aircraft fins). Stupid, because I'm the only one that looks at it. If you didnt want to leave that puppy in the loop permanent, you could get a valve arrangement added in line so that you could remove the reserve tank after you filled it to your liking.

[Steve Lux]

I've tried two different water cooling rigs from reputable manufacturers - the pumps on both died within months. Consequently I don't do water cooling. That said, I imagine that much like in a car you don't want to put more than 50% coolant in the mixture. The coolant is more for pump lubricity and corrosion resistance than heat dissipation. The water is much better at moving heat than the glycol. This is a mistake many motorists with their automobiles - they keep re-filling with antifreeze and wonder why their engine overheats. Probably why in the last several years manufacturers have come out with pre-mixed 50/50% solutions - some people seem unable to read directions.

[mitchellds]

These are the pumps I use for 1/2 inch tube custom kits. They flow great, are real quiet, and are very reliable.

[Steve Lux]

What, no hyperlinks? Or were you referring to your black hole avatar as a heat sink? It fits the description; flow is great, no noise in space and very reliable. Although I'd think containment and mass would be issues.