*******Component Cleaning and Set-Up***************Component Cleaning and Set-Up***************Component Cleaning and Set-Up***************Component Cleaning and Set-Up********

*********************Cleaning*********************************************Cleaning*********************************************Cleaning*********************************************Cleaning************************

While most components may seem clean we like to disassemble them and look for crudin them. Some may have hanging metal shavings. These can be cut off with a razorblade. Some may have loose packing materials in them or other things. Some may stillhave machining oil on the surfaces. As Dryadsoul has pointed out with his pictorial theFuzion O-Ring has a massive amount of molding slag on one of the O- Rings that should beremoved.

Most water blocks have an O-Ring to seal the top and bottom together. Be sure to put thisin a safe place where you wont lose it. Look carefully for any hanging metal shavings if youhave any cut them off with a razor blade. If you have a magnifying glass it doesn't hurt touse it. After you have inspected it and made sure that its clean soak it for a few minutes ina mixture of 90% distilled water and 10% white vinegar. That will help to kill any bacteriathat is in it. Rinse well several times with clean distilled water. I t wouldn't hurt to toss themin a bowl of rubbing alcohol also to make sure if there is any machining oil on it will comeoff also.

Radiator cleaning. I like to fill my rad with the 90% distilled water and 10%white vinegarthat I use to clean the water blocks. Fill your radiator full and let it sit overnight. Shake itseveral times with your thumbs over the barbs. Rinse several times with hot distilledwater. You want to get all the vinegar residue out.

Thats basically it. You may want to rinse your new loop several time with plain distilledwater to make sure its totally clean before you add your coolant.

I drain and flush my loop every three or four months at least. Some guys go longer with noproblems. I run 10% white vinegar and 90% distilled water in it for an hour or two and thendrain and run straight distilled water in it 3 or 4 times to get all the vinegar residue out ofit,you want to make sure you rinse it well vinegar is acidic and could cause corrosion if anyis left. I'm just a little freaky about keeping it clean. I figure if I get slime growing in theblocks it will interfere with thermal transfer.

A drain-line is a great thing to cut into your loop. Just put a T in your lowest lineand put a length of tubing on it. I use a brass Fil-Port on the end of mine but you can plug itwith almost anything. I know I keep mine much cleaner now that it is so easy to drain andrefill. Just take the plug out of the res or T-Line so it will drain. You may have to tilt yourcase around some to get it all out. No need to run your pump to get it all out it will flow rightthrough the pump when its off so there is no reason to risk running your pump dry.

I also remove the rubber O-Rings from my barbs then I use Permatex Red RTV sealant onthe top 2/3's of the barb threads. Clean the threads off well with alcohol to get any oils offthem. You need to screw them down snugly into the blocks or rad and let them cure for acouple of days before you use them .Be careful and don't turn them after it is cured or youwill break the bond. By doing this you you are able to tighten the barbs down fully andlessen the chance of leaks. I snug them down finger tight and wrench them down another1/2-3/4 turn. I just leave the little circle of sealant that comes up around the barb as anextra washer. Be careful doing this in pexi-glass parts as they may crack out on you. Don'tget any down in your blocks or rad either just coat the top 2/3's of the threads to avoidthis. You can get the Permatex Red RTV at any Auto-Store.

******************Loop Order******************************************Loop Order******************************************Loop Order******************************************Loop Order************************

I like to keep my res at the highest point to aid in bleeding. The pump underneath it sothat it will be gravity fed this will help keep you from having dry-starts. Dry-starts will ruinthe longevity of your pump if it doesn't just kill it out right. Always have the res or T-Lineright before the pump. In the case of the res if its not right before the pump you will starveit for water and kill your temp's. In the case of a T-Line it will make filling and bleedingmuch easier.

Res or T-Line?Res or T-Line?Res or T-Line?Res or T-Line?... They both have advantages and dis-advantages. A res will bleed fasterbut may slow down coolant velocity when it hits the res. But when velocity slows the coolantwill give up the small air bubbles also so it bleeds faster.

A T-Line while slower to bleed will not slow down coolant velocity and it takes up muchless room in your comp.

I like to use a bay res. I can put a thick phone book under the front of my case lay the radover on its side and be almost completely bleed in 5 minutes. Doing that keeps water overthe barbs in the back of the res. Just keep adding water as the foam dies down. Fast and

easy. I really like the big 2 ounce syringes they sell at DD. I just stick one in my res andsquirt a little in as needed. They are great for topping off a res.

I run my loop res-pump-rad-cpu-any other blocks. I drop 1.5C-2.5C across my rad in theloop I'm using now. I want the coolest water possible hitting my CPU first. If you have to runseveral extra feet of tubing to get this order just run it however you need to. The extratubing would just cause restriction and higher temp's it would defeat the purpose.

****************Leak Testing***************************************Leak Testing***************************************Leak Testing***************************************Leak Testing***********************

I like to hook up all my components outside of the comp and leak test for at least 24hours before I put it in my case to leak test. I'm not testing the unions for leaks at this stageI'm testing the components themselves for failure. Just cut your tubing 3 or 4 barbs lengthoverlong so you can still use the tubing in your case. If you have a spare PSU to test with itsgreat. If you don't just jump the PSU in your comp to test. I know it sucks not having yourcomp but this is a very important step as far as I'm concerned. Much better safe thensorry. O-Rings in blocks can fail. Seals in pumps can blow out. You res may have a crack init. All you are doing at this stage is pressure testing your components.

After you leak test your components its time to put it all in your case and jump your PSUand leak test again. This time is more for the tube to barb connections. You can lay piecesof paper in the bottom of your case and in other strategic positions to help catch smallerleaks. I always use an UV additive and a 4" cold cathode light to check for leaks. Even thedreaded small weeping leaks will show up under the UV lamp. I do this leak test for at leastanother 24 hours. At least this 24 hours will be productive since you are bleeding yourloop. For this second leak test go ahead and fill it with your coolant mix.

It will take you a while to bleed out your loop. You can tilt your comp around to help getthe air out. Bubbles like to hide in fittings. Tap your finger or something on the tubes to getthe small bubbles off. If your coolant is milky looking you still have a lot of air in it. It will allwork out. A res will bleed faster then a T-Line.

Leave your rad loose until the loop is bleed if possible at all. The majority of air will be inyour rad and if you shake it up and leave it lower it will help to get the air out.

*******************Coolant*********************************************Coolant*********************************************Coolant*********************************************Coolant**************************

If you have a VW or Audi dealership near you Pentosin can be bought pretty cheap. AllPentosin is is VW anti-freeze. I t comes in "VW Red" or VW Blue" add a few drops of "Tracer-Line" UV dye that you can buy at most auto-supply stores and your set for a while. It justtake a few drops of the Tracer-Line for your loop. The Pentosin can be bought on Amazonalso but I would think the shipping would be expensive for a liter and a half of it. Its only$10.00 or so for a liter and a half .The G11 is blue and the G12 is red.

For every 40 ounces of distilled water I add on ounce of glycerin This helps in the thermaltransfer of the water and is a pump lube. I also add 1 or 2 drops of "Dawn" dish-washingliquid this helps to break the surface tension of the water helping temp's some. Then thefollowing.

Pentosin w/UV additive mixed at 4 ounces to 40 ounces of distilled water.Then 2 drops of Petra's Tech "PT Nuke" biocide. It is really a good copper based biocide.The Pentosin w/UV and the "PT Nuke" can be found at Petra's Tech. Com

The glycerin is a surfactant and pump lube. A surfactant actually makes the water wetterby breaking the surface tension of the water. That will let the water get down around all thepins in your block. It will also help to get rid of all the little bubbles that can becometrapped on the surfaces in your block. It can also help to lower the viscosity of the waterhelping flow and hopefully lowering temp's.

The "Dawn" dish-washing soap is also a surfactant and helps as the glycerin does. Don't useto much of either one or you will hurt your thermal transfer instead of helping. A little goesalong way.

The Pentosin is nothing more the Volkswagon anti-freeze. It helps as an anti-corrosiveadditive. I mix mine at a 10-1 ratio. I like the UV component of Petra Techs Pentosinbecause I use a little 4" cold cathode UV lamp to check for leaks with.

The PT Nuke is a really good copper based biocide to help kill off any nasties trying togrow in your loop.

Just remember the more you add to the distilled water the more you will hurt temp's. Ifyou just use regular ant-freeze 5-15% is about right anything more then 15% and you willget your coolant to viscous slow down the flow and hurt temp's.

I always mix a new coolant that I would like to try out in a sealed plastic container for a fewdays before I try it, shake it set it in hot water, try to see if its going to separate out on youor precipitate any particulates out.

I have had several that would layer out and some that would cause a lot of little flakes toprecipitate out.

I started doing them in a container after one mix I tried caused me to get all kinds of white flakes in my loop. It was really hard to get it all cleaned out. That was a good lessonfor me, I never mix in my loop.

But basically the less you can add to your distilled water the better your temp's will be. Ionly add small amounts and for specific reasons. Well its fun to play with to and hopefullyget better temp's then your last batch.

I pretty well stick to the above recipe any more, it does what I ask of it.

*****************Optimization*****************************************Optimization*****************************************Optimization*****************************************Optimization************************

The secret to a good cooling WC'ing rig is this over pump (with a acceptable heat dump) over rad, over fan and get a good block. Its as simple as that. Follow basic WC'ing principleson your first loop and you will have a good cooling rig.

You will have plenty of time to experiment later on after you get it going. The old ways, thetried and true ways are usually the best ways. They are used for that very reason, they havebeen used countless times and with good results.

Head/Energy/Velocity & Flow.. Head/Energy/Velocity & Flow.. Head/Energy/Velocity & Flow.. Head/Energy/Velocity & Flow.. Are what I try to keep in consideration with all thingsWC'ing. The more turbulent you can keep your flow the more heat it will pick up in yourblocks. The more turbulent you can keep your flow through the rad the more heat that willbe scrubbed off.

You can keep your velocity up by using as few blocks as possible and keeping your tubinglengths short as possible, use as few fittings as you can.

When a loop losses its Head/Energy/Velocity the flow can turn laminar on you. Laminarflow is when the heat pulls back into the core of the coolants flow, that can be as much asseveral C difference from core to what is touching the tubing walls.

I like to keep my flow above 2gpm in a CPU only loop for that reason. But 1.5gpm isprobably plenty for an average loop. You can still really hurt your temp's even with goodflow by adding a lot of unnecessary things to the loop.

Any turbulence caused by anything but your blocks or rad is head/energy/velocity & flowlost. So always keep that in mind, keep your fittings to a minimum and tubing lengths shortas possible. As Martin210 has shown beveling or chamfering pumps inlets and outlets canhave a very real difference in flow.

There are quite a few things you can do to get all you can from your loop. All the littleone and two C tricks add up very quickly. I would suggest that you remount your water blockseveral times just to see how much of an effect it can have on your temp's. That is the firstthing I will do if I think my temp's are to high. I have gotten a 4-5C difference in temp's witha remount.

One thing I would like to add here is this. Buy parts that will perform best in yourbudget. Bling is fine if it has the performance to back it up. If I have the choice of buyingsomething that looks good as opposed to something that works good I will buy theperformance piece first. I wouldn't be WC'ing if I didn't want to push my rig to its limit. Itmay take a little more research and time to buy used parts or economical parts but youcan have a better rig then most who just buy theirs on looks alone.

FansFansFansFans... I like to use 120x38mm fans on my rad. I feel they more effectively scavengeair through a rad due to the higher pressure they have. Sunon and Panaflo arethe fans I use.

Rad ShroudsRad ShroudsRad ShroudsRad Shrouds. ..I would suggest using one. They are good for several C .If I only usefans on one side of the rad I will use them in a pull configuration. Push-Pullis good for another C or two in temp drop. The optimal depth for a shroudis supposed to be 1.5".I make mine out of 3/4" aluminum channel andthey seem to work fine. A shroud is the cheapest temp drop you can getwater cooling. Temp drop will depend on how loaded up your rad is to, the higher the load

the more your temp's should drop. Shrouds will always make your rad more efficient sincethey spread the air flow over more of the rad. Gutted 120x38mm fans make a great shroudalso and they are the optimum 1.5” thick.

Loop OrderLoop OrderLoop OrderLoop Order.. As stated before I like to have my CPU block directly after the rad. This willhave a couple of C lower coolant temp hitting the CPU first.

Extra AirflowExtra AirflowExtra AirflowExtra Airflow.. When you remove the CPU HSF you are also removing the extra coolingthat it provides to surrounding components. The Volt. Reg. the ram. Youneed to add extra air cooling to these areas on your mobo. Small fansare cheap and easy to attach. You can go simple and use zip-ties or rubberbands. Or you can make metal mounting brackets for them if you wouldlike. The main thing is to get some air blowing on them.The first thing I do when I get a new mobo is take off the volt. regs. andNB blocks and straight-edge them lap if needed and use AS-5 when Iremount. Some of them are really warped.

Case fans are important even when WC I stuff as many in my case aspractical. You need to keep the air moving in and out of your case. WhenI have a side on my case I usually have an 80mm side fan ducted overthe top of the CPU block.

TubingTubingTubingTubing.. Try to keep your tubing length as short as you can. I like to leave a barb lengthor two overlong that way if you need to cut into it for some reason you have achance of reusing it. I would suggest going with 1/2" fittings for all of it andeither using 7/16x5/8" Masterkleer tubing or full 1/2x3/4" tubing. I'm fondof the 7/16x5/8" Masterkleer it is easy to route around in your case and itwill flow about as well as the full 1/2" I.D. tubing. The I.D. of 1/2" barbs is7/16" so thats going to limit your flow to that anyway. For an external loopI would go with the full 1/2"x3/4" to make sure I had every bit of flow I couldget with the longer tubing lengths you will need to run. The 7/16x5/8" can behard to slip over the barbs sometimes. I found that putting a little glycerin andwater on the plastic barbs helps it to slide on easier. On metal barbs dippingthe end of the tubing in some rubbing alcohol for a minute or so makes themslide on much easier. You can also just soak it in some fairly hot water for aminute or so it helps .Once it starts going on don't stop pushing or it willstick in that position.

A lot of guys use Masterkleer on the straight runs and ultra soft Tygon fortight bends. Tygon is soft and will bend with-out kinking as much.Try to keep from using any 90 degree fittings. Every 90 is like adding an extraft of tubing to your loop. Some tight bends can be made by using Ultra-SoftTygon and if needed Swiftec "Cool-Sleeves". Zip-ties can straighten out alot of kinks.

ClampsClampsClampsClamps..... I like automotive worm-drive clamps zip-ties work great also. McMaster-Carrhas a stainless steel "Pinch-Ear Clamp" that I use its the "Oetiker" brandyou can get a installation tool for it that crimps in both vertical andhorizontal and removes them also for around $20.00. If you know all yourunions will be out in the open and easy to get to a pair of dull tile nipperswill crimp them just as well. I just use a pair of heavy side-cutters to remove mine.

Rad SizingRad SizingRad SizingRad Sizing.. .I like a 240mm rad for a CPU only or a 360mm rad with a CPU and GPU.You can probably get by with smaller if you use high cfm fans but thelarger rads will give you a more even temp range it wont spike up somuch. Overkill on the rad is a good thing. The thicker the rad the moreeffective the rad and in general the higher cfm fans it will need. Whenbleeding your loop it helps to set your rad on its side and shake it a littleThat will make sure you get all the air out of your rad. Higher fin per inchrads also require higher cfm fans.

If you mount your rad on the back of your case make sure the air from thePSU or GPU are not blowing into the rad. I just made air diverters out of aplastic rectangles cut from an old bleach jug and painted them black. Justmake large half circles and mount them over the PSU exhaust and the GPUexhaust so the air will blow out to the sides.

If you have you rad in the case avoid putting it at the top where hot air willnaturally collect. Try to have fresh room ambient air coming through therather then the hotter case air.

I use a can of compressed air and blow it through the intake of my radwhile the fans are running a couple of times a week to help keep it clean. Itwill blow dust all over but it helps to keep the dust build up down. Don't be cheap with the canned air or you will just pack it into your rad instead of blowing it out.

Every 3-4 months I will take my rad off and either wash it out well or blow it outwith a compressor or do both.

RadsRadsRadsRads.... Heater-Cores are an economical alternative to rads. What they lack inbling they more then make up for in performance. You can use zip-ties orall thread nylon bolts to attach the fans and shrouds to them.

PumpsPumpsPumpsPumps.... To me the pump is the heart of the loop. Pump flow and head will determinewhat kind of blocks you will use. Restrictive blocks require more head toachieve good flow. Buy the best pump you can afford it will last for severalyears. I always leave my pump loose till I fill the loop then shake it some tomake sure it has water in the pump before I fire it up the first time. I flip mymy pump PSU an and off several times until it picks up water. You will knowwhen it picks up it will quiet down.

Also never put 90 degree fittings or any type of restriction in the suction lineof the pump or you can cause cavitation or just kill your flow. The only thingyou want right before the pump is the res or T-Line.

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*****************On-Line Retailers******************** *****************On-Line Retailers******************** *****************On-Line Retailers******************** *****************On-Line Retailers********************

These are some of my favorite on-line sellers. I have made quite a few orders from eachone of them or I would not recommend them to you.

SVCSVCSVCSVC....They have great low priced shipping and a decent variety of WC gear. I havemade a lot of orders from them with never a problem.

SidewindersSidewindersSidewindersSidewinders...Another great place. They have a great stock of fans including Delta's.

Petra's TechPetra's TechPetra's TechPetra's Tech...An enthusiast owned business. I really like them.

Danger DenDanger DenDanger DenDanger Den....The great grand-daddy of them all. Great gear. The only thing I don't like isif I order just one thing the minimum shipping is over $7 bux. Ouch. Otherthen that its a great place. If you have any questions about any of the gearjust E-Mail them about it. They are very friendly and helpful people.

McMaster-CarrMcMaster-CarrMcMaster-CarrMcMaster-Carr...A Wc'ers and modders hard-ware store dream. A large variety of oftenhard to find parts. They don't give you the shipping charges when youorder you get it with the invoice the next day but I have always foundthem to be very reasonable.

Jab-TechJab-TechJab-TechJab-Tech...They have some really good sales at times. A good place.

Well thats it for now. Read all the stickeys and learn as much as you can about WC beforeyou start buying parts. A little research now can save you a lot of time and money on downthe road. When you get all your components in front of you it will start falling in place. It'shard to visualize something like this if you have never done it before. Its really easy afteryou set up a loop or two.

Take your time setting up your loop and have some fun with it. When I rush I generallyscrew up something. I really enjoy this hobby and hope you will to. The temp's are great andI enjoy that. But I really enjoy the nuts and bolts work with it. There is always something youcan make something you can improve on. You are only limited by yourimagination....................ira-k.....

*********Have Fun With It !!!*********************Have Fun With It !!!*********************Have Fun With It !!!*********************Have Fun With It !!!************

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