Has Anyone Refilled An Asetek AIO Using Its Fill Port

[nick name]

Has anyone filled an Asetek AIO through the fill port located under the top shroud of the pump?  The bit where the electronics are -- not by removing the cold plate.  

 

The fill port hole seems challenging to use and I'm not sure that something like a fill bottle's tube would be small enough to fit and I don't have a fill bottle to check.  

[Windows7ge]

Do you have an exact model number?

[nick name]

From what I've seen it's something that many if not all Asetek pumps have.  

 

The one I am working with is the Thermaltake Water 3.0.  

 

@Windows7ge

[W-L]

3 hours ago, nick name said:

From what I've seen it's something that many if not all Asetek pumps have.  

 

The one I am working with is the Thermaltake Water 3.0.  

 

@Windows7ge

While possible the units are not designed to be emptied and refilled with the correct ethylene glycol concentration. Most time if the fluid has degraded or evaporated then the unit itself has reached it's end of life, usually that is approx 5 years or the rated MTBF. 

[nick name]

55 minutes ago, W-L said:

While possible the units are not designed to be emptied and refilled with the correct ethylene glycol concentration. Most time if the fluid has degraded or evaporated then the unit itself has reached it's end of life, usually that is approx 5 years or the rated MTBF. 

I don't disagree, but this one in particular isn't that old and the pump speed is still good.  It just feels a little empty.  So it's either get rid of it or try to put a little fluid in and see how it performs.  And then maybe still get rid of it.

[W-L]

4 minutes ago, nick name said:

I don't disagree, but this one in particular isn't that old and the pump speed is still good.  It just feels a little empty.  So it's either get rid of it or try to put a little fluid in and see how it performs.  And then maybe still get rid of it.

Unless it's noticeably degraded in performance or gurgling due to air making it's way back to the pump I would recommend to leave it be. If you do want to replace it be sure to use an ethylene glycol premix when refilling as it is required to prevent corrosion since they use mixed metal loops. 

[nick name]

26 minutes ago, W-L said:

Unless it's noticeably degraded in performance or gurgling due to air making it's way back to the pump I would recommend to leave it be. If you do want to replace it be sure to use an ethylene glycol premix when refilling as it is required to prevent corrosion since they use mixed metal loops. 

It is doing all those things and I've already ordered a replacement.  This is just something I want to try to see if I can remedy.  

 

I guess I should ask if anyone knows what size the tip is on the fill bottles you find online.  The fill port on the AIO is 2mm maybe 3mm.  

[nick name]

I've looked at the connections of the tubing but they have some sort of collar at the connections and not just a shrink wrap on them so I'm not sure if they are using barb fittings.  I'm assuming yes but figuring out how to get the collars off without breaking the barb end on the pump side is worrisome.  

[W-L]

3 minutes ago, nick name said:

It is doing all those things and I've already ordered a replacement.  This is just something I want to try to see if I can remedy.  

 

I guess I should ask if anyone knows what size the tip is on the fill bottles you find online.  The fill port on the AIO is 2mm maybe 3mm.  

Regular chemical or fill bottles found online should have no issue at all for refilling the AIO, if needed you can always look for large syringes that have a coarse needle point or tube. 

 

2 minutes ago, nick name said:

I've looked at the connections of the tubing but they have some sort of collar at the connections and not just a shrink wrap on them so I'm not sure if they are using barb fittings.  I'm assuming yes but figuring out how to get the collars off without breaking the barb end on the pump side is worrisome.  

They use barbs that are stretched over  you don't want to take them off for refilling, either using the port or via the cold plate itself. 

[nick name]

19 minutes ago, W-L said:

Regular chemical or fill bottles found online should have no issue at all for refilling the AIO, if needed you can always look for large syringes that have a coarse needle point or tube. 

 

They use barbs that are stretched over  you don't want to take them off for refilling, either using the port or via the cold plate itself. 

I'll look up the syringes.

 

And I wanted to go the tube route so I could replace them and fill the AIO with the pump running to ensure no air got in. 

 

Also, what I forgot to mention is that the connection at the pump isn't a static position but are mounted so that they can move/rotate.  

 

Again, not terribly important -- just a project.  I was going to use this AIO with the NZXT Kraken G12 GPU conversion kit, but when I did it proved it was in worse condition than I thought when I relieved it of CPU duty.  So I have ordered another EVGA 120 CLC which will be here tomorrow, but this project AIO is a 360 so its size is the only reason I want to attempt to resurrect it.  

[Asetek_ImHit]

22 hours ago, nick name said:

Has anyone filled an Asetek AIO through the fill port located under the top shroud of the pump?  The bit where the electronics are -- not by removing the cold plate.  

 

The fill port hole seems challenging to use and I'm not sure that something like a fill bottle's tube would be small enough to fit and I don't have a fill bottle to check.  

Just a heads up. We use propylene glycol and not ethylene.

[nick name]

On 10/22/2019 at 11:46 AM, Asetek_ImHit said:

Just a heads up. We use propylene glycol and not ethylene.

Good to know.  Is there a prescribed tool for using the fill port on a Gen 4 pump?