Question Is it normal to not feel the air flow on the other side of a AIO radiator while your fans are blowing that direction?

SeriousGaming101

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Mar 17, 2016
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Hello all,
I just bought this AIO:
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod...ch ii&cm_re=liqtech_ii-_-35-214-096-_-Product

I have my fans set up like this

[>>>>>3-Fans Blowing Direction>>>>>] [360mm radiator]

However, after I turn my PC on with my new AIO, i put my hands on the side where all the wind/air flow is suppose to blow out [>>>>>] and I feel almost no wind. Also, I put my hand on the other side of the fans and it feels like the air is blowing the opposite way of the direction where my fans are blowing.

As such:
[<<<<<Much Wind feeling direction <<<<<] [>>>>>3-Fans Blowing Direction>>>>>] [360mm radiator] [>>>Little Air Flow/Feeling>>>]

Is this normal? This is the first time I purchased a liquid AIO cooler.
 
Apr 15, 2019
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its simple, you see wiring in fan
Cooling-Fan-140mm-Premium_Fan-NF-A14_PWM-Noctua.jpg
that is way where air come out, or if you place fan like like this in front of your face , you will feel air coming towars your face.
 
Most fans also have two arrows, one that indicates the rotational direction of the blades, and one that indicates the direction of airflow. More foolproof than the above method (which is always correct, the open side is the intake side) .

Rads are INCREDIBLY restrictive to airflow. They even kill high static pressure fans with ease. Put your hand in front of the fan (where the air is going in) and you'll feel a TON of splash-back.
 

Karadjgne

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Radiators as such don't have a specific direction, you can put the fans either way and that's OK. If you have slower spinning fans, using them in 'Pull' configuration (that's where you see the backside of the fan) is slightly more beneficial. If you have high speed fans, using 'push' (where you see the pretty side of the fan) is slightly more beneficial. So either way is just fine.

The one thing to watch for is flow direction as a whole. With the radiator mounted in front you'll want that as intake. If it's mounted on top, it should be exhaust.
 

SeriousGaming101

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I just contacted Enermax customer support and asked them about air flow direction and this is exactly what they said:

"The Enermax logo the side is pushing air flow. other with the colorful wires pulling air flow."

This is completely opposite of what was said above, I am so confused..
 

Karadjgne

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On a cpu fan, the air goes in the side with the logo, so if you look directly at the fan, it's pushing the air out away from you.

If you look at the fan from the rear side with the copyright and model sticker and wires, the air is being pulled from the other side and coming towards you.

Logo in, wires out. What Enermax said is technically correct, just worded weirdly.

If you put the wire side towards the radiator, it will pull air in the fan and push it through the radiator. If you put the logo on the radiator it'll pull air through the radiator first then out the back of the fan. Wires on rad = push. Logo on rad = pull.

It does not matter which way you do it, either way works just fine as air is still going through the radiator. The only thing that's important is which way it goes through. If the radiator is at the front of the case, you want outside air moved in. If the radiator is on the top of the case you want inside air moved out. So doesn't matter if it's 'push' or 'pull' as long as the air moves in the right direction.