Tubing sizes questions

[Tonberry]

Hi..

 

There are sizes I consider,

 

10/13 mm

10/16 mm

12/16 mm

 

Which size is the most easy to work with and the most reliable in term of durability?

 

Does the ID size matter for the cooling performance?

 

The pump I will using is a DDC pump.

 

The loop consists of 125W TDP CPU and around 300W TDP GPU with 240 slim rad in ITX case.

 

Which size of the tubing is recommended for that?

 

Thanks

[W-L]

1 hour ago, PotatoCanDo! said:

-SNIP-

Tubing size really makes little difference in terms of performance and is mostly for aesthetics. One thing to note is for soft tubing thick walled is recommended as it helps to prevent kinks when making tight raids bends.

 

If you are running hardline here is an example of 16mm OD and 12mm OD tubing and it's comparison to it's surroundings. 

[Tonberry]

51 minutes ago, W-L said:

Tubing size really makes little difference in terms of performance and is mostly for aesthetics. One thing to note is for soft tubing thick walled is recommended as it helps to prevent kinks when making tight raids bends.

 

If you are running hardline here is an example of 16mm OD and 12mm OD tubing and it's comparison to it's surroundings. 

Do you think soft 10/16mm is the best choice than 10/13mm & 12/16mm ones?

 

I was tend to the 10/13mm because it's smaller, but as you said that a thicker soft tube is better for minimalize kinks, but there's no thick 13mm ZMT other than the 10/16mm.

[W-L]

1 minute ago, PotatoCanDo! said:

Do you think soft 10/16mm is the best choice than 10/13mm & 12/16mm ones?

 

I was tend to the 10/13mm because it's smaller, but as you said that a thicker soft tube is better for minimalize kinks, but there's no thick 13mm ZMT other than the 10/16mm.

For soft tubing I usually recommend 3/8"ID 5/8"OD (10/16 nominal) for the thicker wall as mentioned. The ZMT EPDM tubing is a really good option if you are wanting to have as little maintenance as possible with your loop and using a clear fluid. 

[Tonberry]

4 minutes ago, W-L said:

For soft tubing I usually recommend 3/8"ID 5/8"OD (10/16 nominal) for the thicker wall as mentioned. The ZMT EPDM tubing is a really good option if you are wanting to have as little maintenance as possible with your loop and using a clear fluid. 

That is exactly what I will be using, ZMT EPDM with clear fluid. I'm just not sure which size I actually needed.

 

I saw some example in ITX build that the 16mm looks stand out too much because it's big, but by using the 13mm now I'm worried by kinks which I haven't thought about before you mention it. This will be my 1st custom loop.

[W-L]

1 minute ago, PotatoCanDo! said:

That is exactly what I will be using, ZMT EPDM with clear fluid. I'm just not sure which size I actually needed.

 

I saw some example in ITX build that the 16mm looks stand out too much because it's big, but by using the 13mm now I'm worried by kinks which I haven't thought about before you mention it. This will be my 1st custom loop.

Depends on how much space you have and how you plan your tubing routing, with relatively gentle bends in the runs and appropriate sized angled adapters thin walled tube is not an issue if space is of concern. 

[Tonberry]

8 hours ago, W-L said:

Depends on how much space you have and how you plan your tubing routing, with relatively gentle bends in the runs and appropriate sized angled adapters thin walled tube is not an issue if space is of concern. 

I'm still figuring out how I will route my tubings inside the case.

 

How much of the bend that start to make 10/13mm ZMT to kink?

Can we do 90° with it, maybe less or even more than that like tight/wide arc 180°?

Just want to know how far its limit is.

 

I'm thinking of smaller ID = higher fluid pressure, but what does a higher fluid pressure translate in cooling process?

 

It might not much different but here I'm learning new things by doing it at the same time. Not just make a custom water cooling loop PC, I want to know in depth.

[SolarNova]

The biggest thick walled soft tubing while near impossible to kink normally, but also wont do tight bends as its not flexible enough.

 

IMO since soft tubing is so cheap anyway, u could always just buy a small amount of each and test it urself for ur use case prior to buying the fittings.

[Mick Naughty]

Should prolly invest in more fittings if you are worried about a kink. They are all the same in reliability as it’s an identical product. 

 

Just get the size in which you want the fittings for. Used 3/8 barb for mine, store only offered one size on the tubing. Worked out well enough for a standard loop. 

[Tonberry]

2 hours ago, SolarNova said:

IMO since soft tubing is so cheap anyway, u could always just buy a small amount of each and test it

Right.. I might do that.

[Tonberry]

1 hour ago, Mick Naughty said:

Should prolly invest in more fittings if you are worried about a kink. They are all the same in reliability as it’s an identical product. 

 

Just get the size in which you want the fittings for. Used 3/8 barb for mine, store only offered one size on the tubing. Worked out well enough for a standard loop. 

Nice rig, man!

[W-L]

7 hours ago, PotatoCanDo! said:

I'm still figuring out how I will route my tubings inside the case.

 

How much of the bend that start to make 10/13mm ZMT to kink?

Can we do 90° with it, maybe less or even more than that like tight/wide arc 180°?

Just want to know how far its limit is.

 

I'm thinking of smaller ID = higher fluid pressure, but what does a higher fluid pressure translate in cooling process?

 

It might not much different but here I'm learning new things by doing it at the same time. Not just make a custom water cooling loop PC, I want to know in depth.

It can do 90 bends but with a gentle radius, you can’t bend it like they do with hardline. 

 

ID of tubing after a certain point make no marginal difference in cooling, you only see a decrease in performance once you go down to a small size like 1/4” ID.