[SOLVED] [Custom Water Loop] Water level decreasing in reservoir overtime!!

[JaSoN_cRuZe]

It has been a couple of months running my PC (signature) under custom water cooling with no issues.

It's just the water level in reservoir keeps on dropping over time and i have been topping up by adding distilled water overtime.

I have checked for leaks and there are none, mostly it's due to evaporation i guess.

Is it fine to run as it is and top up when necessary or should i do some investigation. Any thoughts?

 

[MeDontKnowMeName]

Air displacement- you didn't bleed all the air from the loop and as it's been running, the air is moving to the reservoir and being replaced by water. Thats an answer i found in the internet.

 

[JaSoN_cRuZe]

Air displacement- you didn't bleed all the air from the loop and as it's been running, the air is moving to the reservoir and being replaced by water. Thats an answer i found in the internet.

Air Displacement cannot be the issue since my system is running for a long time and i have topped up my reservoir like five times when i feel the water level is slightly low.

 

[faalin]

there are multiple reasons.

Like stated there could still be air in the system. micro bubbles will get trapped in places, even leaving your system on 24/7 might not get them out. turning your system on and off (like over night) can help remove them and even lowering your pump speed. Jay2cents actually did this in one of his videos.

2) al though your are not seeing a leak water might be seeping out around the fittings and heat with air flow might be evaporating it before you can see it.

3) depending on what tubing you run fluid will evaporate thru it. I always ran tygon tubing on my loops with very minimal loss of fluid.

 

[grimfox]

Evaporative losses are likely the cause here. How much are you topping up exactly? I probably lose about 12mL every 6mo-1year using an EK based soft loop with duraclear.

You can calculate your losses by measuring the drop on your res in mm calculating the volume of the lost fluid (you need height and radius of your res). Then converting that volume from mm3 to mL (use google for the calcs and conversion).

Note that evaporative losses will leave behind any other trace elements. You'll need to flush your loop from time to time to remove those trace elements which can contribute to corrosion, clogging, and wear on the system. You can't just top off your system forever.

 

[rubix_1011]

What is the time period we're discussing? Is this a new build (1-2 months) or is this a loop that has been in place for a longer length of time?

My answer is slightly different depending on which is the case.

 

[grimfox]

@rubix_1011 Looks like he built the system in January based on his post history.

 

[rubix_1011]

OK, so let's say its been 7 months:

1. I suspect a leak, likely very small, smaller than a drop would produce. Many times these can result from fan screws piercing radiator tubes (for those which have collisions to do so). Very small volumes of coolant can leak and fans would likely dry this before it accumulation or collection.

2. Other suspect will be large volumes of air in the radiator(s) and other components that might continually make its way into the reservoir depending on flow rates.

3. Very small fitting fissures or incomplete seals causing issues similar to #1.

 

[JaSoN_cRuZe]

What is the time period we're discussing? Is this a new build (1-2 months) or is this a loop that has been in place for a longer length of time?

My answer is slightly different depending on which is the case.

The custom loop was build at the end of January this year.

OK, so let's say its been 7 months:

1. I suspect a leak, likely very small, smaller than a drop would produce. Many times these can result from fan screws piercing radiator tubes (for those which have collisions to do so). Very small volumes of coolant can leak and fans would likely dry this before it accumulation or collection.

2. Other suspect will be large volumes of air in the radiator(s) and other components that might continually make its way into the reservoir depending on flow rates.

3. Very small fitting fissures or incomplete seals causing issues similar to #1.

I'm able to see water droplets clinging to the sides of the reservoir (top) and i might have topped up like maybe 5 times when the water level drops to 3/4 in the reservoir until now.
I was careful not to puncture any holes while setting up my reservoir so no worries there.

I also try to release the build up pressure by removing the fill hole plug and then re-screwing it.

I'm using this Silicone Tubing, with Barrow 17W DDC Pump and distilled water as coolant without any additives.

So should i be worried since i'm going to redo my config to accommodate Zen 3 when it hits. Already bought everything except the processor.

 

[Karadjgne]

I'd get some UV reactant, run that in the system for a while, like a week. Then drain/flush the system and add distilled only. Then hit the pc with a black light. If you've had a seepage leak that's evaporating, it'll leave the dye residue behind.

If there's a leak, it could be from user error, like bad cuts, fittings that aren't compressed enough, angled/stressed tubing, or could be hardware like not properly seated fittings, o-rings in blocks that got incorrectly compressed (can happen easy enough from factory), even loose bolts in the blocks not putting enough pressure on the o-rings to create a good seal.

I'd want resolution before changing the system, so the issue gets fixed one way or another and doesn't take another few months of waiting to find out if it got fixed or not.

 

[rubix_1011]

UV dye could help - I don't think you'd even need to drain and refill the loop. As long as you can run it for a period of time I would assume the UV dye residue could be seen under blacklight, provided that it can see everywhere you need to see.

Coolant just shouldn't disappear like that and not anywhere near the rate in which it seems to be occurring if it was just displaced air pockets from radiators.

There is a leak somewhere, there isn't really much else that could be taking place, especially if you've filled this 5x. This isn't a good sign. In fact, its a bad sign.

 

[JaSoN_cRuZe]

UV dye could help - I don't think you'd even need to drain and refill the loop. As long as you can run it for a period of time I would assume the UV dye residue could be seen under blacklight, provided that it can see everywhere you need to see.

Coolant just shouldn't disappear like that and not anywhere near the rate in which it seems to be occurring if it was just displaced air pockets from radiators.

There is a leak somewhere, there isn't really much else that could be taking place, especially if you've filled this 5x. This isn't a good sign. In fact, its a bad sign.

Just topped up maybe like 10 to 25ml max each time nothing more. It is not accurate just approximate values as i have only 100 ml spaced measurements in my fill bottle.

I will leave this for now and maybe while redoing my config will be extra careful and seal the fittings extra tight.
OR
After setting up my build maybe will leave the build alone to check whether the water level is reducing without switching it ON to confirm if it's a leak or some other reason.

 

[rubix_1011]

Be careful, over-tightening fittings can cause issues as well, including causing damage to O-rings or even micro fissures to develop in acetal or POM, but also in softer metals like brass and copper.