What fittings do I need from EKWB's Quantum lineup to add a fill port and a drain port?

[WaryMaroon]

Kinda new to water cooling, pardon the novice question.

Last year, I picked up EK's AMD-themed kit, but now I need to figure out how to add a fill port and a drain port to the kit (the fewer shenanigans I can be doing while filling/emptying the loop, the better). I'm also trying to make sure the new fittings blend in with the existing fittings, so trying to stick to the Quantum line-up. Can I get some recommendations on what fittings I'd need to do this?

 

Extra info:

• I'm assuming that I'm going to have to "interrupt a run" in order to get the aesthetics of the runs to make any sense. I note the quantum T-joints have one side male and two sides female, but I'm stumped on how I'm supposed to use that to make runs that look good with either a front-rad or a top-rad.
• Possible Case 1: Cooler Master H500P ( CM's website , this is one I already have, but would require modding)
• Possible Case 2: Phanteks Eclipse P500A ( Newegg , this is one I could get, it looks like it has a drain port but not a fill port?)
• Open to suggestions on economical cases that have a fill port and drain port.

 

Here's what I came up with, but please correct me if I'm wrong:

 

2x Tee-joints, each of:

• 1x https://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-torque-angled-t-satin-titanium
• 2x https://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-torque-stc-10-16-satin-titanium
• 1x https://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-quantum-torque-extender-static-ff-14-satin-titanium

Extra parts for just the drain port:

• 1x https://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-quantum-torque-drain-valve-satin-titanium

Extra parts for just the fill port:

• 1x ??? (I have no idea for this bit)

Extra parts just to make the aesthetics match up:

• 1x https://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-torque-stc-10-16-color-rings-pack-red-10pcs (because the kit includes a colored ring on its fittings... )

 

Any help is appreciated. Just trying to make heads or tails of their line-up vs. the kit I have. Oh, and avoid having to trust myself with precise modding.

[-rascal-]

22 minutes ago, WaryMaroon said:

Kinda new to water cooling, pardon the novice question.

Last year, I picked up EK's AMD-themed kit, but now I need to figure out how to add a fill port and a drain port to the kit (the fewer shenanigans I can be doing while filling/emptying the loop, the better). I'm also trying to make sure the new fittings blend in with the existing fittings, so trying to stick to the Quantum line-up. Can I get some recommendations on what fittings I'd need to do this?

 

Extra info:

• I'm assuming that I'm going to have to "interrupt a run" in order to get the aesthetics of the runs to make any sense. I note the quantum T-joints have one side male and two sides female, but I'm stumped on how I'm supposed to use that to make runs that look good with either a front-rad or a top-rad.
• Possible Case 1: Cooler Master H500P ( CM's website , this is one I already have, but would require modding)
• Possible Case 2: Phanteks Eclipse P500A ( Newegg , this is one I could get, it looks like it has a drain port but not a fill port?)
• Open to suggestions on economical cases that have a fill port and drain port.

 

Here's what I came up with, but please correct me if I'm wrong:

 

2x Tee-joints, each of:

• 1x https://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-torque-angled-t-satin-titanium
• 2x https://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-torque-stc-10-16-satin-titanium
• 1x https://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-quantum-torque-extender-static-ff-14-satin-titanium

Extra parts for just the drain port:

• 1x https://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-quantum-torque-drain-valve-satin-titanium

Extra parts for just the fill port:

• 1x ??? (I have no idea for this bit)

Extra parts just to make the aesthetics match up:

• 1x https://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-torque-stc-10-16-color-rings-pack-red-10pcs (because the kit includes a colored ring on its fittings... )

 

Any help is appreciated. Just trying to make heads or tails of their line-up vs. the kit I have. Oh, and avoid having to trust myself with precise modding.

 

How is your loop set-up currently?

The the radiator mounted horizontally at the top of the case, or vertically at the front of the case? 

 

You usually want to put the drain / fill ports on the reservoir -- at least for a typical cylindrical reservoir. 

The flat reservoir + pump combo is a little unique.

 

That said, it doesn't need to be on the reservoir, just somewhere that is the lowest point of your loop (e.g. bottom of the radiator, if it is mounted vertically).

 

 

 

For the drain port, you can just use a T-joint and a ball valve.

For the fill port, again, you could use a T-joint, with a short piece of tube, and fitting to cap it off, or something.

 

 

With a cylindrical res + pump, get a multiport top, and you just do this (it's what I have).

 

[WaryMaroon]

Quote

How is your loop set-up currently?

The the radiator mounted horizontally at the top of the case, or vertically at the front of the case? 

 

There is no loop setup currently; this is for a brand new desktop. So new, in fact, that I've been trapped in GPU unavailability hell. I'm going to do the planning for a CPU/GPU loop, but then put in a GPU that I have no interest in water cooling (probably an RX-580, because it's what I have lying around), and roll with it until I can actually buy a 6800 XT that's compatible with the kit's included GPU block.

Coincidentally, that's why I don't quite have a case picked out. I could re-use the case I have, or I could try to get a new one that actually has space for a fill port and a drain port built-in.

 

My current plan for the layout is is:

• front-rad with the ports down
• pump-reservoir near the front centered vertically, against the motherboard tray (with brackets)
• CPU block in the usual spot
• Vertical-mounted GPU
• GPU -> CPU, CPU -> Fill Port -> Reservoir, Reservoir -> Radiator, Radiator -> Drain Port -> GPU

Quote

For the drain port, you can just use a T-joint and a ball valve.

OK, so if I use a ball joint, instead of the Quantum Torque drain valve, I save $5 from the valve, and $14 from not needing the extender, at the expense of the ball valve not quite fitting in aesthetically (not quite the right metal, different design aesthetic). On the plus side, floating ball valve; maybe I don't need a dedicated drain port cut into the case itself, elegant as it would be to know for a fact the drain valve is at the lowest spot in the loop.

 

Quote

For the fill port, again, you could use a T-joint, with a short piece of tube, and fitting to cap it off, or something.

The kit includes a bottle designed for filling the reservoir directly; just unscrew the plug on the radiator, fill to below the hole, juggle the fluid, and presto, all set. As you can imagine, I was hoping for something slightly more elegant (like knowing for a fact that the fill port is always at the very top of the loop for easy filling), but maybe I'm over-engineering again.

 

Quote

With a cylindrical res + pump,

The EK kit I linked to includes a flat res/pump, that already includes spots for a fill port and a drain port. Not sure it makes quite as much sense for me to use them in a case that can front-mount a 360mm radiator, but whatever.

[-rascal-]

20 hours ago, WaryMaroon said:

 

There is no loop setup currently; this is for a brand new desktop. So new, in fact, that I've been trapped in GPU unavailability hell. I'm going to do the planning for a CPU/GPU loop, but then put in a GPU that I have no interest in water cooling (probably an RX-580, because it's what I have lying around), and roll with it until I can actually buy a 6800 XT that's compatible with the kit's included GPU block.

Coincidentally, that's why I don't quite have a case picked out. I could re-use the case I have, or I could try to get a new one that actually has space for a fill port and a drain port built-in.

 

My current plan for the layout is is:

• front-rad with the ports down
• pump-reservoir near the front centered vertically, against the motherboard tray (with brackets)
• CPU block in the usual spot
• Vertical-mounted GPU
• GPU -> CPU, CPU -> Fill Port -> Reservoir, Reservoir -> Radiator, Radiator -> Drain Port -> GPU

OK, so if I use a ball joint, instead of the Quantum Torque drain valve, I save $5 from the valve, and $14 from not needing the extender, at the expense of the ball valve not quite fitting in aesthetically (not quite the right metal, different design aesthetic). On the plus side, floating ball valve; maybe I don't need a dedicated drain port cut into the case itself, elegant as it would be to know for a fact the drain valve is at the lowest spot in the loop.

 

The kit includes a bottle designed for filling the reservoir directly; just unscrew the plug on the radiator, fill to below the hole, juggle the fluid, and presto, all set. As you can imagine, I was hoping for something slightly more elegant (like knowing for a fact that the fill port is always at the very top of the loop for easy filling), but maybe I'm over-engineering again.

 

The EK kit I linked to includes a flat res/pump, that already includes spots for a fill port and a drain port. Not sure it makes quite as much sense for me to use them in a case that can front-mount a 360mm radiator, but whatever.

 

Sorry you didn't quote my username, so I didn't get the notification...

 

I'm just going over the installation manual for the AMD-themed kit now...

Ehhh....I don't really like that low-profile pump-res combo.

 

I know it's cool being so tiny, but res being so small does have it's advantages / disadvantages.

When you are filling the loop, you fill the (tiny) res, power on the pump, and it pumps the fluid into the loop.

You don't want to run with the pump to run dry....

Basically you fill the little res up, power on the pump for probably 1/2 second, and quickly shut it off. Top of the res. Rinse and repeat, until the loop is full.

Another thing is, to get the air bubbles out of the loop, you need to run the pump (or the entire system) for some time, and then top off the loop.

You need to think about that as well.

 

I'd minimize any hassle, I would just get a 'Starter Kit' from EKwb, and get the GPU block + extra fittings down the road, when you physically HAVE a 6800 XT or something.

 

Get something like this... and the necessary T-joint(s) and ball valve, and get the GPU block and fittings later...

https://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-quantum-power-kit-d-rgb-p360

https://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-classic-kit-p360-d-rgb-black-nickel-edition

[bowrilla]

Placement (end effectiveness) of fill and drain ports entirely depend on the system you have/are planning.There is no (!) universal solution that always works. Ideally the fill port is at the highest point of the loop and the drain at the lowest point. If your reservoir is at the bottom and the top cap of it sits mid case while there's a top mounted radiator, that fill port is a pain to use. If you have (for example) the reservoir side mounted in an O11 (randomly named here) while using a bottom mounted radiator, draining will be a pain if you drain from the reservoir.

 

Next point is how far you want to go with fill and drain ports and how well the case you're using is prepared for custom water cooling. Some cases have pass through holes for mounting fill and drain ports. It is obviously a nice solution since you don't have to hit any opening inside of your case (especially draining is a lot better this way). You can of course just screw in a piece of tubing when you want to drain. Filling is easier with the small bottles that have a small piece of tubing mounted to them.

 

Next thing is: just having a single port for filling up and draining will be a pain because of the lack of pressure equalisation. Your loop is ideally 100% air tight (reality is propably more like 99.9999...%), so if you remove water from it without replacing it with air (or any other medium) you will create a lower pressure in the voids of your loop, therefore draining will be a pain. There are membrane plugs that should help with pressure equalisation (generally a good idea) but those take time to equalise the pressure.

 

The more complex your loop looks the more difficult it becomes to properly fit fill and rain ports. 

 

With certain layouts radiators with multiple ports are probably the best solutions (top and/or bottom mount radiators for example).

 

P.S.: Some form of tilting and shaking both when filling up and draining can't be avoided in most cases unless you were very very clever when designing the loop and went for function over looks.

 

[WaryMaroon]

On 2/9/2021 at 6:57 PM, -rascal- said:

 

Ehhh....I don't really like that low-profile pump-res combo.

 

I know it's cool being so tiny, but res being so small does have it's advantages / disadvantages.

I would have rather had a bigger reservoir as well (or even better, a distribution block), but I didn't buy the kit for the reservoir. Unfortunately, I bought it back in December, and now physically have the kit, so "buying something else instead" is... not a practical option.

 

The pros and cons you list are fair points, but I think for me, the price difference between getting the fittings I would need to actually get everything set up properly vs. the cost of the reservoir is the biggest argument.

 

I was hoping that by designing the loop to be drained and filled easily first, price second, and looks third, I could cut a huge amount of work out of the equation. But that brings up...

17 hours ago, bowrilla said:

P.S.: Some form of tilting and shaking both when filling up and draining can't be avoided in most cases unless you were very very clever when designing the loop and went for function over looks.

I definitely see a need for cleverness. Frankly, I'm curious about a radiator that does one-way water flow (vs. the u-turn approach currently popular). But I don't think EK makes such a thing (haven't looked), nor was it in the kit, so nvm that train of thought.

 

I wound up buying a case, rather than trying to mod the case my current desktop is running in right now. I shouldn't have, but oh well. A Phanteks Eclipse P600S. Shipping looks like it'll be pretty quick, so hopefully I can start laying things out soon (even though I can't/won't be using a graphics card I can water cool). With that said, let's look back at:

 

 

17 hours ago, bowrilla said:

Placement (end effectiveness) of fill and drain ports entirely depend on the system you have/are planning.There is no (!) universal solution that always works. Ideally the fill port is at the highest point of the loop and the drain at the lowest point. If your reservoir is at the bottom and the top cap of it sits mid case while there's a top mounted radiator, that fill port is a pain to use. If you have (for example) the reservoir side mounted in an O11 (randomly named here) while using a bottom mounted radiator, draining will be a pain if you drain from the reservoir.

 

Yeah, my thought was to route the loop in basically a big square around the outside of the case, so that there's bits of the loop near the case's fill port and near the drain port. And also so that filling/draining could be as straightforward of a process as possible. We'll see how close I get to that ideal.

 

[-rascal-]

2 hours ago, WaryMaroon said:

I would have rather had a bigger reservoir as well (or even better, a distribution block), but I didn't buy the kit for the reservoir. Unfortunately, I bought it back in December, and now physically have the kit, so "buying something else instead" is... not a practical option.

 

The pros and cons you list are fair points, but I think for me, the price difference between getting the fittings I would need to actually get everything set up properly vs. the cost of the reservoir is the biggest argument.

 

I was hoping that by designing the loop to be drained and filled easily first, price second, and looks third, I could cut a huge amount of work out of the equation. But that brings up...

I definitely see a need for cleverness. Frankly, I'm curious about a radiator that does one-way water flow (vs. the u-turn approach currently popular). But I don't think EK makes such a thing (haven't looked), nor was it in the kit, so nvm that train of thought.

 

I wound up buying a case, rather than trying to mod the case my current desktop is running in right now. I shouldn't have, but oh well. A Phanteks Eclipse P600S. Shipping looks like it'll be pretty quick, so hopefully I can start laying things out soon (even though I can't/won't be using a graphics card I can water cool). With that said, let's look back at:

 

 

 

Yeah, my thought was to route the loop in basically a big square around the outside of the case, so that there's bits of the loop near the case's fill port and near the drain port. And also so that filling/draining could be as straightforward of a process as possible. We'll see how close I get to that ideal.

 

 

Oh right...you already have the kit...forgot about that.

 

I've had my loop for ~3 years now, with regular drain / clean / fill maintenance every ~6 months.

I have yet to do the tilt-n-shake.

What I do is fill the loop like normal, leave the fill port open, and run the pump overnight -- I have the pump + fans hooked up to an external PSU (old PSU I have).

The air bubbles would have travelled around the loop at back at the res...top the res up.

Run / use the PC as normal, checking the loop / res every now and then, and top the res a bit some more.

 

I *think* there are one-way radiators, but rare....don't quote me on that, though.

 

If you put the radiator at the front, vertically, and have the ports at bottom, you can set-up a drain point there.

EKwb's example photo of the ball valve has connected right at the radiator.... you can JUST catch a peek of the radiator in their picture.

 

By the way, the ball valves comes in three different finishes; matte black,  black nickel, and nickel.

 

As the layout, you can do something like this...

 

Without GPU in the loop:

 

GPU in the loop:

You can play around with the order of the loop, but personally, I'd like to keep the tube routing as short as possible.

Actually, you can mount the pump + res combo behind a fan too (e.g. on one of the radiator fans), as it will mount to any 120mm fan location.

[bowrilla]

6 hours ago, WaryMaroon said:

I definitely see a need for cleverness. Frankly, I'm curious about a radiator that does one-way water flow (vs. the u-turn approach currently popular).

Both Alphacool and HWLabs have those. They're coold x-flow. Alphacool also has slimmer radiators with multi-port designs (makes filling, draining and bleeding A LOT easier when you have top and/or bottom mounted radiators). I think the Alphacool ST30 are the slimmest multi-port rads out there (note: only v2). The ST30 X-Flow comes also with 4 G1/4" ports so. However, the HWLabs radiators are better in terms of performance.

 

6 hours ago, WaryMaroon said:

A Phanteks Eclipse P600S

Since the P360 is not multi-port and not x-flow, front mounted radiator it is then, since filling and bleeding a top mounted rad would be a lot more tricky without a multi-port radiator. Question would be now: ports up or down. Ports at the top means bleeding is super easy, but draining isn't (requires tilting obviously on its back or top). Ports at the bottom makes bleeding trickier (you will have some air bubble at the end tank probably but not in the fin area). Filling and draining is fairly straight forwards though. If the top of you reservoir is below the end tank of the radiator, filling through the reservoir might be tricky.

 

I agree with what @-rascal- suggested. Ports down with a T-splitter and a ball valve. Pump res either at the rear fan mount or mounted higher up at the front (it might block a bit of airflow but not by that much). 

 

With an x-flow radiator you'd have more freedom in terms of pump-res placement, since you'd add the same T-splitter and a ball valve at the top end tank of the radiator. 

[WaryMaroon]

 

22 hours ago, -rascal- said:

As the layout, you can do something like this...

 

Without GPU in the loop:

 

GPU in the loop:

You can play around with the order of the loop, but personally, I'd like to keep the tube routing as short as possible.

Actually, you can mount the pump + res combo behind a fan too (e.g. on one of the radiator fans), as it will mount to any 120mm fan location.

 

17 hours ago, bowrilla said:

Since the P360 is not multi-port and not x-flow, front mounted radiator it is then, since filling and bleeding a top mounted rad would be a lot more tricky without a multi-port radiator. Question would be now: ports up or down. Ports at the top means bleeding is super easy, but draining isn't (requires tilting obviously on its back or top). Ports at the bottom makes bleeding trickier (you will have some air bubble at the end tank probably but not in the fin area). Filling and draining is fairly straight forwards though. If the top of you reservoir is below the end tank of the radiator, filling through the reservoir might be tricky.

 

Thanks for the info on layout, especially the diagrams. Sounds like exactly where I would have ended up at once I have the case and had a chance to play with fit.

 

Yeah, I'd rather have easy, straightforward draining than easy, straightforward filling.

 

22 hours ago, -rascal- said:

I *think* there are one-way radiators, but rare....don't quote me on that, though.

17 hours ago, bowrilla said:

Both Alphacool and HWLabs have those. They're coold x-flow. Alphacool also has slimmer radiators with multi-port designs (makes filling, draining and bleeding A LOT easier when you have top and/or bottom mounted radiators). I think the Alphacool ST30 are the slimmest multi-port rads out there (note: only v2). The ST30 X-Flow comes also with 4 G1/4" ports so. However, the HWLabs radiators are better in terms of performance.

Oh hey. Of course someone already did that. I found someone selling those radiators. Feels like they might not be manufactured anymore, so tempted to go buy one from the one source I found quick before supply vanishes, but it's kinda pricey for right now.