Water cooling and potential level drops.
Water cooling and potential level drops.
I just put the Alphacool NexXxoS Cool Answer 240 D5/UT kit into my computer. I haven’t noticed any leaks or issues during its operation over the past few days. I used an extra hose with a cap at the end to fill the system and remove air bubbles. The reservoir is full, and all the air appears to have escaped (I shake it more and it seems likely to break). I placed a couple of marks on the hose that go straight up from the radiator to monitor the fluid level. I noticed a large bubble but haven’t seen any. The level has dropped slightly over the past few days compared to when I last bled out the air—about half an inch since I removed most of it. No leaks have been detected so far. I understand that the fluid will expand and contract with temperature changes, so I’m wondering how much it should drop before I become concerned. The system runs well, reaching up to 40°C on the CPU under load while playing MWO, and the pump is running at less than half power. Most of the time (daily tasks), it stays around 23°C (usually about 10°C).
It may require several days for the radiator to release all the air, depending on its position, etc. Additionally, over time some components are likely to evaporate. If you need to add more coolant after a week or two, I would check your fittings/blocks again.
I spent two hours after posting and checking everything, and it still feels tight. The only part that isn’t sealed tightly is the fill hose at the top. I’m not sure if there’s enough looseness to let fluid vapor escape at the rate it’s happening. But I can’t find any leaks—paper towels are now placed at every joint.
I am hoping so but I still notice it dropping (slower now). There is a line that goes up about 4ft on the side of my desk, which I used like a fuel gauge to monitor it. I discovered there are no washers in the brass fittings causing the leak. So I’m wondering if water is just evaporating through the day/night because the air is dry inside the house. I’m starting to think the fluid might be escaping as it dropped a bit yesterday (the computer was off all day). I think there are evaporation problems, so I might need to order a fitting for this end since the brass one isn’t sealed as I thought. I don’t want this to become my drain and fill line for the computer, which is why I installed it.