Leak from GPU waterblock

[TM667]

So i just assembled my loop, and started filling. As soon as the fluid reached the first GPU block, it started to drip from somewhere. It looks like it is coming from either between the terminal and the block, or the block itself. It kinda looked like the bolt closest to the terminal but i dont think that is possible. As for the terminal, gaskets are proper and in place, and it is on tight.. Any ideas on what i could do, or might i need to replace it? Block is from EK, the newest one for ASUS Strix cards. 

[SolarNova]

Take the block apart give it a wipe down, make sure the o-ring is in place, put it together and make sure its tighten down (don't over tighten its only plastic)

 

Alternatively just make sure all Allen head bolts are secure, give them a tighten.

 

it should be fine out the box tbh, but sometimes things just happen to get through QA during production.

[RollinLower]

it's kinda hard to tell from the pictures, but did you put the terminal on yourself/is this the terminal that came with the block?

 

if this is the stock terminal, you should RMA. EK promises leak testing on all their blocks and tbh taking it apart might just mean you have to get a new seal for the thing anyway.

[TM667]

This is the stock terminal, however i did take it off and remounted it after finding that the custom terminal i got isnt compatible. Then i remounted it again after first discovering the leak, just to be sure. The o-rings seem perfectly fine, the terminal was tightened properly and im not sure what else i could do about it. 

 

By the way, i also noticed this. Liquid that seems to have gotten in between the plexi and the plate for the block, but outside where it should be. This might have happened after i started messing with things or demounted the terminals, though. So that is probably my doing. 

 

Anyways, i guess i could try to RMA or something like that.. dont have a whole lot of options.

[Benjeh]

RMA it to EK and get a different block, i'm not convinced EK is giving it's customers good products anymore, I've had 2 cpu waterblocks turn from nice shiny nickel back to copper, I don't use abrasive coolant etc. I'll be running heatkiller blocks from now on I think.

[Mehmy]

9 hours ago, Benjeh said:

RMA it to EK and get a different block, i'm not convinced EK is giving it's customers good products anymore, I've had 2 cpu waterblocks turn from nice shiny nickel back to copper, I don't use abrasive coolant etc. I'll be running heatkiller blocks from now on I think.

EK makes good blocks. It's almost like water just erodes stuff.. 

[Benjeh]

1 hour ago, Mehmy said:

EK makes good blocks. It's almost like water just erodes stuff.. 

So what you're saying is, their nickel plating isn't fit for purpose? I agree. I disagree with the good block part if in less than a year the nickel erodes mate...

[andrewmp6]

3 hours ago, Mehmy said:

EK makes good blocks. It's almost like water just erodes stuff.. 

He does have a point tho,Ek is the only block i ever seen the nickel plating come off.

[SolarNova]

The nickel plating will come of it you have a micro particle coolant and/or are using silver in ur loop. It wont just come of from straight distilled + biocide with no silver in the loop.

[Benjeh]

13 hours ago, SolarNova said:

The nickel plating will come of it you have a micro particle coolant and/or are using silver in ur loop. It wont just come of from straight distilled + biocide with no silver in the loop.

See I thought this too, I asked both EK and Monsoon about the monsoon fittings I have being silver plated and both said it will be fine, there is no corrosion on the silver so there hasn't been an effect on them, only the cpu blocks, I've had nickle plated GPU blocks also and they didn't strip... I use deiozined water as i'm in the UK and biocide and red dye from mayhems... oh to make it even worse, the AMD nickle block I had, didn't strip but was a lot older. EK aren't what they used to be, 2 nickle plated blocks stripped and 3 vardar fans that sound like Skeletons trying to nut into metal buckets....

[SolarNova]

9 hours ago, Benjeh said:

See I thought this too, I asked both EK and Monsoon about the monsoon fittings I have being silver plated and both said it will be fine, there is no corrosion on the silver so there hasn't been an effect on them, only the cpu blocks, I've had nickle plated GPU blocks also and they didn't strip... I use deiozined water as i'm in the UK and biocide and red dye from mayhems... oh to make it even worse, the AMD nickle block I had, didn't strip but was a lot older. EK aren't what they used to be, 2 nickle plated blocks stripped and 3 vardar fans that sound like Skeletons trying to nut into metal buckets....

The thing is, by its very nature Nickel will want to effectively plate Silver, the thinner a nickel plating on copper is the quicker it will visually look to corrode as it slowly transfers over to the silver, in this case on the Monsoon fittings. It should stil take a very long time though as they are both close together on the galvanic index.

 

I don't know why u chose to use de ionized water over Distilled just because ur in the UK, i am also in the UK and used Distilled from Mayhems. De ionized is effectively just 'normal' water after it has been running ur system a little while, as it will pick up ions over time. its entirely possible that since it was only de ionized, it wasn't purified and fully filtered, perhaps its Ph was of, or had other impurities that didn't help, as unlikely as it is, its still a possibility.

 

Im not saying ur wrong about EK, I'm sure as they have become bigger their quality has no undoubtedly fallen, its the nature of the beast... but I am saying their is likely other contributing factors involved.

 

 

[Benjeh]

5 minutes ago, SolarNova said:

The thing is, by its very nature Nickel will want to effectively plate Silver, the thinner a nickel plating on copper is the quicker it will visually look to corrode as it slowly transfers over to the silver, in this case on the Monsoon fittings. It should stil take a very long time though as they are both close together on the galvanic index.

 

I don't know why u chose to use de ionized water over Distilled just because ur in the UK, i am also in the UK and used Distilled from Mayhems. De ionized is effectively just 'normal' water after it has been running ur system a little while, as it will pick up ions over time. its entirely possible that since it was only de ionized, it wasn't purified and fully filtered, perhaps its Ph was of, or had other impurities that didn't help, as unlikely as it is, its still a possibility.

 

Im not saying ur wrong about EK, I'm sure as they have become bigger their quality has no undoubtedly fallen, its the nature of the beast... but I am saying their is likely other contributing factors involved.

 

 

I use deionized because B negative and others on overclock.net's watercooling club said either is fine, I have litmus strips, the water is Ph neutral that I've used, the silver is fine there has been no reaction on them, or the AMD nickel block. I plan on upgrading when i get some cash eventually, I'll use heat killer blocks then, I'm going to guess that they don't go back to copper.

[SolarNova]

3 minutes ago, Benjeh said:

I use deionized because B negative and others on overclock.net's watercooling club said either is fine, I have litmus strips, the water is Ph neutral that I've used, the silver is fine there has been no reaction on them, or the AMD nickel block. I plan on upgrading when i get some cash eventually, I'll use heat killer blocks then, I'm going to guess that they don't go back to copper.

I see, well what ever the case, you could always just go with bare copper, at least then if any tarnishing does occur,  for what ever reason, u don't have to worry about rubbing of any plating when u clean/polish it.

[Benjeh]

1 minute ago, SolarNova said:

I see, well what ever the case, you could always just go with bare copper, at least then if any tarnishing does occur,  for what ever reason, u don't have to worry about rubbing of any plating when u clean/polish it.

I want nickel though, that's the whole point in me buying nickel, I shouldn't have to compromise material because a company has gone back to old tricks in cost cutting their processes. EK has had nickel issues in the past, I'm not the only one to experience nickel coming off blocks, I've not heard of anyone with this complaint using heatkiller blocks etc. Anyway, besides the point. This guy nearly lost a rig because the seal failed on his block.