Water-cooling Build Log: Project Red-Chalk This is the log for the water-cooling process of Project Red-Chalk.
Water-cooling Build Log: Project Red-Chalk This is the log for the water-cooling process of Project Red-Chalk.
Damn, fan prices in Australia are insane. Buying a good amount of Corsair SP 120mm fans would cost more than the radiator it would fit in.
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main...s_id=20516
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main...s_id=16710
I managed to refresh the res as much as I could (still a bubble, not nearly as big as before) and the pump noise hasn’t changed much. The XSPC manual includes a FAQ sheet suggesting it might be noisy for the first 24 hours until the air is fully bled from the pump—hard to say what to believe.
Any suggestions to make it quieter?
Some maintenance was done on the loop, water was refilled, and a slightly bent tube was trimmed. I discovered it’s extremely difficult to drain the loop, needing to remove the CPU block which had to be reshaped and repositioned, then all the tubing was pulled off. The process was quite messy and took a long time.
I plan to install a drain valve to simplify future upgrades or maintenance.
Anyone have noticed problems with this drain valve? Here are some links:
- http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main...s_id=18007
- http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main...s_id=12961
- http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main...s_id=19415
The main issue I see is the barb size (1/2") versus my tubing (7/16"), though it might still fit and could be better due to a tighter fit. The valve will be placed between the pump/res and the CPU block, which is the lowest point in the loop. The pump is still quite loud; I’ve tried padding it with cut tubing as a washer for screws and slid some under it, but noise remains a problem. The fill port design means it can never be truly full.
Any advice or should I reach out to XSPC to check if a replacement is possible?
I'm not certain about using the D5 xspc bay combo in that pump; if it remains loud after two months, it might indicate a problem. Have you considered taking it out of the bay to check the noise level?
Small update.
I’m receiving several water-cooling components via email right now, so I’ve chosen to incorporate a T-Line into the loop instead of using a separate drain valve. This approach allows me to fill the loop more easily and eliminates the need for a reservoir. In the future, once I acquire a GPU block and a dedicated pump, I won’t have to place a reservoir anywhere in the case. I also have a concept I’d like to discuss later.
Here are the components arriving in the mail (along with another 8GB of RAM and a sound card):
- Bitspower T-Block
- [Product link 1]
- 3x Bitspower 1/2" Barb
- 4x Koolance Clamps
- Bitspower Sealing Plug
- [Product link 2]
I’m still using plenty of leftover tubing, so I don’t need those items.
My plan is to position the T-Line between the CPU and the pump/reservoir, which aligns with the lowest point in the loop at the moment. This setup should simplify filling as well—just flip the case over, and it becomes ideal for refilling. My idea.
The addition of the T-Line is mainly to support future upgrades. I’m committed to eventually building a complete water loop with GPU blocks, dedicated pumps, external radiators, and more.
However, a T-Line in such a large loop may lose its practicality. I could place one at the bottom near where a future pump would be installed—this would work well for draining—and another at the top, closer to the radiator, which would be perfect for filling since water would flow down the entire loop and fill it generously for the pump to handle.
My suggestion.
Any feedback on this plan would be appreciated. I’ll share new photos once everything arrives.
Great setup! It's also encouraging to see another issue resolved by water cooling, and your proactive approach to improvements is clear.
Tip 1: I noticed you installed the Raystorm and fittings after they were placed, which is fine, but it's better to install them first so everything is secure.
It's simpler to sense the tightness while holding the block in your hand than trying to adjust a hard-mounted block later. This isn't something written in stone, just a lesson I learned myself and shared with ArthurH.
Just a warning: if the fittings aren't snug enough, moving the block afterward might let them slip slightly, leading to leaks beyond the Oring seal.
Tip 2: You had to remove the CPU block for draining and refilling. Remember to cut off the tubing end that was seated on the barb and always reconnect it with a new end—this keeps the seal intact.
Well done and the photos are great!
Look what arrived up in the mail today! Some water-cooling stuff, an ASUS Xonar DGX soundcard and 8GB of G.Skill Ripjaws 1600Mhz RAM.
Ever practical, I tore open the sound card box first to have a look at it. Wasn't as big as I thought it would be, but I guess that doesn't change anything.
A closer look at whats really important. Three Bitspower 1/2" barb fittings, one Bitspower T connector, one Bitspower Sealing plug and four Koolance 5/8 OD clamps.
Everyone has seen RAM before so not gonna show it.
Here is the T-Block with all the barbs screwed in.
Threw the sound card and RAM in first, very much liking the look of the full RAM bank and the layers of PCB from the sound and graphics card. I think I'v hit the point where anything I do to my machine makes it sexier in my eyes :lol:.
With a new RAM kit came another G.Skill sticker. No sticker with the sound card, I had to pry that off my old PC (which ironically doesnt have a single ASUS component in it). Might be somewhat juvenile, but more components need to come with stickers
😀
.
Now to what everyone is here for, the T-line. Holding the T-Block in place to get an idea of how long a line I can have.
Mistake Number 1 has been made.
Anyway, I had to drain my loop. Foolishly I didn't include Thermal Paste in my order, so taking off the CPU block like last time wasn't an option. Instead I used the newly created "Case fallen on face and water drain off table" technique
😀
.
Was a bit nerve wracking when it first went over the edge of the table. The case is fairly top heavy because of the radiator and reservoir, with only the PSU and 5 HDD's in the bottom to balance it out.
The case didnt fall over thankfully and drained most of the way. There was a small bit left in the res and some repositioning got out what was trapped in the radiator.
With the loop drained, I moved onto the T-Line itself. I decided to use the clear tubing that came with the kit here instead of the red because I would need to see the level of the water inside when I was filling. Also possibly setting up some kind of colour coding system for later use, with only red or coloured tubing being used in the main flow.
Top Tip: These particular Koolance clamps are ridiculously hard to open up. I had to use a pair of pliers to get them open and to hold it. Even then they barely fit on the barb!
Top Tip 2: Tubing that you have left in the corner unused for half a year is pretty rigid, make it a bit harder by trying to cram it onto a barb 1/16" bigger than the hole. Hot water is required to soften the tube.
The T-Line held against the tubing to show dimensions. In hindsight I should have made the line longer, but it wasn't prohibitively short so I didnt change it.
So begins Mistake Number 2.
I decided to swap around the tubes going in and out of the res, as that way the T-Line would be on the higher of the two connections and allow filling to be easier. Also it would have the water travelling through the radiator, through the CPU block and back to the res.
Mistake Number 2.5, as now the water goes into the block through the "out" port and leaves through the "in".
Didnt document cutting the tube and installing the T-Line, was too busy fighting with those Koolance clamps. Heres the finished product. Mistake 2.5 is visible.
Temporary filling docking station.
oh god, oh god, oh god!
Nah its all good. Power was disconnected and was well and truly dry before it was re-connected.
Bonus points if anyone can figure out what is wrong with this picture.
For those who know their XSPC Res/Pump combos, they will know that the T-Line is on the pump exhaust.
Mistake Number 1 and 2 collide.
Filling the reservoir was impossible. The water would trickle in to a certain level and then it started creeping back up the line. I couldn't fill the reservoir beyond approximately halfway due to the design of the pump. The pump intakes water from the res on the right hand side of it (relative to the pic above). So once the intake was covered the water stopped going into the res and backed up the tube. Tilting the case yielded some success, but not much. Lying the case down on its back panel didn't work as there must be some kind of U-bend in the pump, as it still wouldn't fill even with the intake not being covered.
Filling the res as far as it would go and power cycling didn't work, after all the T-Line was on the exhaust end so I couldn't add water while it was going for obvious reasons. When I attempted a traditional T-line power cycle (kinda) it didn't work since the water was so low the pump would quickly start sucking air. Attempting to fill from there worked somewhat, but it got to a point where the water was flowing smoothly and the res was only about 2/3 full.
After about an undetermined amount of time I gave up and filled the res through the dedicated port, defeated for today. Though I have a plan to fix this and make it work, but I must wait another day for my patience to build back up (and to grab some more distilled water, I was forced to put a bit of old water back in on this refill).
The plan is to drain it using the "Case fallen on face and water drain off table" technique and swap the res tubes back around (solving Mistake 2.5 in the process). That will put the T-Line on the intake for the res/pump, will put it in the real lowest point of the loop and near the back of the case. To fill from there I will have to put the case on its side (window panel down) and pour water into the T-Line through one of the cable management grommets. Where it should fill up the res (since the intake will be the highest port) and I should just be able to power cycle from there.
If Neptune the God of Water allows, this will all go off without a hitch.
Thanks for reading this far, I know I am fairly long winded and surely all this must be fairly obvious to experienced water-coolers such as yourselves. Forgive a newb for making such an obvious (in hindsight anyway) mistake, it will be fixed soon!