Defective noisy pump? (EK-XRES 100 SPC-60 MX)

[Raxxath]

Just set up this loop and the pump is making a horrible noise, despite supposedly being one of the quietest pumps out there. A couple of things to note:

 

-The sound has been present since I first turned it on and has not gotten any better

-There don't appear to be any air bubbles in the tubing or going through the pump

-I've tilted around the case quite a bit trying to release any air bubbles with no luck, and tilting it too much causes coolant to leak from the top of the reservoir, despite being screwed all the way down with an o-ring inside

-I connected the pump to another motherboard and slowed it down via PWM, the noise continued, just at a slower rate

 

I emailed EK about it on Thursday, but have yet to hear back from them.

 

 

 

[Billy_Mays]

That's the impeller getting air and EK has a discord that you can talk to them self I cant get a invite link so I get the video and share it to them 

[W-L]

14 minutes ago, Raxxath said:

Just set up this loop and the pump is making a horrible noise, despite supposedly being one of the quietest pumps out there. A couple of things to note:

-The sound has been present since I first turned it on and has not gotten any better

-There don't appear to be any air bubbles in the tubing or going through the pump

-I've tilted around the case quite a bit trying to release any air bubbles with no luck, and tilting it too much causes coolant to leak from the top of the reservoir, despite being screwed all the way down with an o-ring inside

-I connected the pump to another motherboard and slowed it down via PWM, the noise continued, just at a slower rate

I emailed EK about it on Thursday, but have yet to hear back from them.

 

Sounds like something is interfering with the spinning impeller, take it apart and visually check to see if it was properly installed and there is nothing that is getting in it's way. 

[Billy_Mays]

It looks like the pump is vibrating

9 minutes ago, W-L said:

Sounds like something is interfering with the spinning impeller, take it apart and visually check to see if it was properly installed and there is nothing that is getting in it's way. 

I asked on the EKWB discord and a guy said it looked like the pump was moving slightly

[Bananasplit_00]

was expecting it to be as bad as my EK DC 4.0 but nope, not even CLOSE. thats still pretty horible though but EK support are pretty nice so they should know what you should do to fix it or let  you RMA

[W-L]

2 minutes ago, Billy_Mays said:

It looks like the pump is vibrating

I asked on the EKWB discord and a guy said it looked like the pump was moving slightly

It can still have something interfering the with impeller and still spinning, it sounds like a mechanical issue more than anything else from the noise.

[Billy_Mays]

19 minutes ago, W-L said:

It can still have something interfering the with impeller and still spinning, it sounds like a mechanical issue more than anything else from the noise.

Yes it does I havent check back on it yet

[Raxxath]

I'm no expert on pumps, but here's what stood out to me when I took it apart.

 

-The white chip on the impeller in the first image

-The rough groove along the edge of the inside of the housing in the third image (it doesn't go all the way around, but about half way)

-Tiny bit of black sediment in the last picture

[W-L]

1 hour ago, Raxxath said:

I'm no expert on pumps, but here's what stood out to me when I took it apart.

 

-The white chip on the impeller in the first image

-The rough groove along the edge of the inside of the housing in the third image (it doesn't go all the way around, but about half way)

-Tiny bit of black sediment in the last picture

Looks like something cause it to wear into the side of the housing. Give it a bit of time or try to contact EKWB again, @EK Luc on the forums might be able to provide some assistance. 

[Raxxath]

I noticed something else while draining the system that's bothering me. Is coolant supposed to flow through this middle part of the GTX 1080 Sea Hawk EK X?

 

This picture from someone else's build seems to indicate that coolant shouldn't be there:

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/321361097611411457/348667482891878420/IMG_0377.jpg

 

 

While this one does show coolant in that channel:

http://target-down.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/IMG_20161030_215623-e1477864776206.jpg

 

 

[Damascus]

11 minutes ago, Raxxath said:

I noticed something else while draining the system that's bothering me. Is coolant supposed to flow through this middle part of the GTX 1080 Sea Hawk EK X?

As a fellow seahawk ek x owner (1070, exact same block) it's totally normal.  It needs to spread out into an even lawyer to get rid of the bubbles, after a bit you can't see it anymore.

[Raxxath]

4 minutes ago, Damascus said:

As a fellow seahawk ek x owner (1070, exact same block) it's totally normal.  It needs to spread out into an even lawyer to get rid of the bubbles, after a bit you can't see it anymore.

Why isn't any coolant flowing through there in this picture then?

[W-L]

30 minutes ago, Raxxath said:

I noticed something else while draining the system that's bothering me. Is coolant supposed to flow through this middle part of the GTX 1080 Sea Hawk EK X?

 

This picture from someone else's build seems to indicate that coolant shouldn't be there:

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/321361097611411457/348667482891878420/IMG_0377.jpg

 

 

While this one does show coolant in that channel:

http://target-down.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/IMG_20161030_215623-e1477864776206.jpg

It's a common question it's fairly normal since there isn't a seal between the two chambers just the acrylic against the metal base. If you want to clean it out completely you'll need to really flush it out or ideally take it apart for cleaning. 

 

There is always a minor amount that will bleed between the two sections but it's really marginal. 

[Damascus]

1 hour ago, Raxxath said:

Why isn't any coolant flowing through there in this picture then?

 

Its not flowing in either pic, just a thin sheet over the nickel

[Raxxath]

1 hour ago, W-L said:

It's a common question it's fairly normal since there isn't a seal between the two chambers just the acrylic against the metal base. If you want to clean it out completely you'll need to really flush it out or ideally take it apart for cleaning. 

 

There is always a minor amount that will bleed between the two sections but it's really marginal. 

Oh right, there's no o-ring there. I wonder why they chose that design.

 

While I'm waiting for a response from EK on my pump, I have another question. Both of the Barrow 45 degree rotary fittings I have rattle when I shake them, like there's something loose inside. None of the 90 degree rotary fittings or compressions have this issue. Has anyone else ever experienced this?

[W-L]

2 minutes ago, Raxxath said:

Oh right, there's no o-ring there. I wonder why they chose that design.

 

While I'm waiting for a response from EK on my pump, I have another question. Both of the Barrow 45 degree rotary fittings I have rattle when I shake them, like there's something loose inside. None of the 90 degree rotary fittings or compressions have this issue. Has anyone else ever experienced this?

There's very little sectional area for the O-ring but it doesn't really make a difference in terms of cooling since such a small amount weeps through by comparison. 

 

Which fittings are they exactly, a small amount of play is normal due to tolerances, some brands such as Bitspowers are very strict on their tolerances so there is less play. 

 

EKWB shows it well here it's just held in place by a snap or lock ring allowing for the rotary action. 

[Raxxath]

https://modmymods.com/barrow-g1-4-45-degree-rotary-adaptor-fitting-silver-twt45-b01-silver.html

 

Those, except they were purchased from an ebay store.

[W-L]

1 minute ago, Raxxath said:

https://modmymods.com/barrow-g1-4-45-degree-rotary-adaptor-fitting-silver-twt45-b01-silver.html

 

Those, except they were purchased from an ebay store.

I would do a leak test on them just to be safe but if you feel the rotary section is too loose for your comfort then contact the seller about it. 

[Raxxath]

7 hours ago, W-L said:

I would do a leak test on them just to be safe but if you feel the rotary section is too loose for your comfort then contact the seller about it. 

They were already in the loop and I didn't have any leaks. Just thought it was really weird, and wondered if anyone else had noticed. Also the shipping for returning costs as much as the fittings themselves...

 

Also wanted to add that I put the pump back together and set it up in a simple loop outside the case, still noisy as ever. And it's not a vibration issue. I can pick the pump up in my hand and it's still just as loud. I also tested an old 18w DDC355 and a Dtek DB-1, and while neither were silent, both were quieter than the SPC-60, which definitely isn't right.

[EK Luc]

On 19/08/2017 at 5:41 PM, Raxxath said:

Just set up this loop and the pump is making a horrible noise, despite supposedly being one of the quietest pumps out there. A couple of things to note:

 

-The sound has been present since I first turned it on and has not gotten any better

-There don't appear to be any air bubbles in the tubing or going through the pump

-I've tilted around the case quite a bit trying to release any air bubbles with no luck, and tilting it too much causes coolant to leak from the top of the reservoir, despite being screwed all the way down with an o-ring inside

-I connected the pump to another motherboard and slowed it down via PWM, the noise continued, just at a slower rate

 

I emailed EK about it on Thursday, but have yet to hear back from them.

 

 

 

Really not a normal sound!!!

 

Let me know if you don't get a reply from your email today (Monday).

[W-L]

10 hours ago, Raxxath said:

They were already in the loop and I didn't have any leaks. Just thought it was really weird, and wondered if anyone else had noticed. Also the shipping for returning costs as much as the fittings themselves...

 

Also wanted to add that I put the pump back together and set it up in a simple loop outside the case, still noisy as ever. And it's not a vibration issue. I can pick the pump up in my hand and it's still just as loud. I also tested an old 18w DDC355 and a Dtek DB-1, and while neither were silent, both were quieter than the SPC-60, which definitely isn't right.

Then fittings should be alright then I have a couple of EKWB ones that have a fair bit of play between the rotary section and angle piece and haven't had an issue. 

[sun2]

Have the same pump/res combo, and had the exact same experience. Untill i realised its PWM and i can adjust the RPM. By default the pump runs 100% and is indeed really loud af. Have you tried to change the RPM of the pump? It has a PWM connector, plug it on a 4 pin connector and change the speed. Perhaps the pump/cpu 4 pins connector and then change the speed in the bios. Or connect to a Fan 4 pins connector so you can change it manually with Speedfan in Windows.

 

nvm missed the line that you outruled the problem with a other motherboard and PWM.

[Raxxath]

3 hours ago, sun2 said:

Have the same pump/res combo, and had the exact same experience. Untill i realised its PWM and i can adjust the RPM. By default the pump runs 100% and is indeed really loud af. Have you tried to change the RPM of the pump? It has a PWM connector, plug it on a 4 pin connector and change the speed. Perhaps the pump/cpu 4 pins connector and then change the speed in the bios. Or connect to a Fan 4 pins connector so you can change it manually with Speedfan in Windows.

 

nvm missed the line that you outruled the problem with a other motherboard and PWM.

Yeah, like I said, the noise continued when slowing it down. But your pump is really that loud? All the reviews say it's supposed to be near silent, with the 100% speed supposedly about the same noise as a D5 on setting 3. That's a bit worrying.

 

Anyway I got a response from EK, and they said to go through the reseller (PPCs). I opened an RMA with them and they're being very helpful. Ironically, PPCs now has to do the RMA through EK.

 

Thanks to everyone in the thread who helped. Funny how these projects always end up taking way longer than expected.

[sun2]

12 minutes ago, Raxxath said:

Yeah, like I said, the noise continued when slowing it down. But your pump is really that loud? All the reviews say it's supposed to be near silent, with the 100% speed supposedly about the same noise as a D5 on setting 3. That's a bit worrying.

 

Anyway I got a response from EK, and they said to go through the reseller (PPCs). I opened an RMA with them and they're being very helpful. Ironically, PPCs now has to do the RMA through EK.

 

Thanks to everyone in the thread who helped. Funny how these projects always end up taking way longer than expected.

Yeah i noticed when i read it back, my bad.

 

Yes the pump itself is really quiet. At first i ran it 100% and thought it would go lower over time. But that was not the case, and apparently i had manually lower the RPM threw PWM.

 

Well imho 100% is not crazy loud, but its still really loud. My problem was i also had Vardar fans and i coudnt control their RPM. So it was a combination of both sounds that were too loud.

 

Not familiar with PPC. But i hope things will get sorted out soon. Probably a bad unit or something, it can happen.

 

Ikr these projects always end up taking more time then planned

[Raxxath]

Well, the new pump arrived. It's definitely quieter, but still nowhere near "silent" at any setting.

 

I don't understand. This review at Thermalbench shows a 100% SPC-60 is quieter than a D5 at setting 3. And people regularly say that the D5 is so quiet at setting 3 and below that they can't tell it's on unless they put their ear to it. Look at this video from HardOCP where Kyle says exactly that.

 

I don't know what to do now. The rumbling/grinding nature of this noise is really unpleasant. Much worse than the muffled "woosh" of fans inside of a case, for example. And again, decoupling the pump by picking it up has almost no effect on the sound, so it's not really vibration.

 

Edit: Pressing on the very center of the bottom of the pump makes some of the noise disappear... what's up with that?