Silent Watercooling request for help

[Bugbait]

Hose:
XSPC 1/2 ID, 3/4 OD High Flex 2m (Retail Coil) - Clear

Coolant:
Pulse Modding Silver Kill Coil (Anti Algae)
Pulse Modding BioClear PT - 10ml Concentrated Biocide
Alphacool Ultra Pure Water 1000ml

I'd recommend more than 2m of hose in case, especially if it's your first water build. Since money isn't a factor I'd get at least 5m which sounds like a lot until you start cutting wrong lengths, changing your mind, etc. As others have said, over time you'll likely end up swapping it out as it clouds and turns ugly with use.

You'll want more than 1 litre of distilled, especially given the size of the rad and reservoir. It's good to have loads for washing/flushing any components. Ideally tap water should never touch your water components, especially the awful London (hard) water. I think each of my loops contains 400-500ml and that's with skinny tubing, one GPU and no chipset blocks with all internal rad's.

You don't need a kill coil and biocide since they perform the same function, ie. Prevent algae growth. Pick one, although you might want 2-3 kill coils for laughs.

[dangel]

Yup, buy more than you need - you'll need it someday anyway.

I buy water in 5 litres per time - and my loop probably contains about a litre or so.

[chrisbreame]

Good thinking that man. OK, so more than 1 litre of water is definitely a good idea, and I'll increase the hose length to like 3 or 4m in case I mess things up.

Any more suggestions (read: "laugh at me and tell me where I'm going wrong")?

[dangel]

Only that ideally you build your loop and leak test it for 12-24 hours before putting it on the actual hardware

I rig mine up in the case and then install the MB later if possible.

[Bugbait]

Only that ideally you build your loop and leak test it for 12-24 hours before putting it on the actual hardware

I rig mine up in the case and then install the MB later if possible.

Excellent idea, but one I never follow. I'm just too lazy and probably a little stupid too. Had a few leaks but I don't supply power to the components so they work fine after they dry . However, the Lazy Bugbait Approach is not recommended.

[chrisbreame]

Hahaha, you may laugh at this, but I was indeed going to go the Bugbait route. Essentially, I was going to rig the lot up with the PSU completely unplugged. The pump would be powered by the PSU of another machine with one molex stretched over to it. Any leaks and I'd reconnect the bits that need reconnecting and leave it to dry for 24 hours with the window open before continuing.

Lazy Breame method

[dangel]

If I'm changing a graphic card block i'll put that in the loop and then leak test it with a bowl beneath it and everything shrouded in towels etc so i've got enough time to turn it off quickly and fix things. Since i've moved to compression fittings (with a dab of central heating sealant) it's only really a minor worry but it's safer and gives you a chance to work out air by rotating the block etc.

I'd definitely leak test a whole new full system though

You just need to short two pins on the PSU to get it to runup (I use a PSU tester i've got to do this).

[Bugbait]

You just need to short two pins on the PSU to get it to runup (I use a PSU tester i've got to do this).

Yeah, couldn't be bothered to short the wires directly either so I use the PSU Tester method too (the grey plastic block thing from Scan?). Only connect power to the water components and it shouldn't be too bad unless it squirts out like a fountain, in which case you've really messed up. No PC components get any power and the ATX runs into the tester which shorts the PSU to power on.

Again, this is absolutely not the recommended way to do things.

[dangel]

I used to do it with a paperclip

[chrisbreame]

Thanks for all the advice guys, but I think I'm going to do it the way I decribed above. Basically, as the case is one of those inverse ones (ie. the PSU is at the bottom), there's nae chance in hell I'm going to run anything off it until the loop has been leak tested. Anything drips down, it'll land directly inside the PSU. No ta.

Nah, I'll just power it using the PSU from the machine next to it, with a molex extension cable. It's always on and it's on the other side of this one (if that makes sense to you), so no real chance for water to get in there.
....I hope

[Fraz]

One useful tip when you're filling the loop is how to get the pump powered up when it's the only thing connected to the PSU. I take it you know the ATX power-supply trick of using a bit of bent wire/paperclip to short pin 16 of the main ATX power connector to ground?

The ATX pinout is here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ATX#Power_supply

Pin 16 is the "power-on" pin, and if you connect it to one of the ground/common pins either above or below it (pin 15 or 17), then when you flick the switch on your PSU, it'll run the pump.

If you're gonna use this trick, make sure you definitely have something attached to the PSU (i.e. the pump in this case), because some PSUs can get damaged if switched on with no load.

[chrisbreame]

Well, that's everything ordered. The pump appears to be quite hard to get hold of, so it's on back-order. Hopefully shouldn't delay the order by too much...

I'll post details of what does and doesn't work, etc as I put it together. Just in case there are other people in the same boat who want to build a silent machine like this.

Thanks again to everyone who gave me their opinions and advice.