Loop Draining Problems

[ChrisLoudon]

Hi guys,

 

Usually quite good at this but I have a Hyte Y60 build where I can't seem to get the drain valve positioned so the loop drains properly.

 

See pic below:

 

Pump / Res > Barrow Flow Meter > GPU > EK120 > CPU > EK360 > EK240 > Back to Pump / Res.

 

As the pipe exists the EK240 and loops back to the top fill port of the Reservoir there's a T-Piece at low level where the ball-valve connects to.

 

When I open the valve and let air in by opening the other fill-port on the reservoir, only the liquid in the res comes out. I can open the additional fill port at the top of X240M Rad but that doesn't help either.

 

I end up having to rock the case around to try and get enough out so that at some point I can fit a length of flexi to a component and start blowing.

 

Any help / suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[jaslion]

Basically you have a couple vacuums going on in your loop. Easy fix is jam some aquarium airline hose (the stiffer stuff) in the pipes and the second it pierces the liquid all will come crashing down

 

[alyen]

The drain valve is about as low as the liquid in the GPU block which has to go up and down a several times before exiting. It looks like you will have to keep tipping it around or maybe try finding a way to rest it on its side so the case ends up having the drain downward with the help of gravity to release the liquid from the other components.

[ChrisLoudon]

On 10/1/2023 at 4:05 AM, alyen said:

The drain valve is about as low as the liquid in the GPU block which has to go up and down a several times before exiting. It looks like you will have to keep tipping it around or maybe try finding a way to rest it on its side so the case ends up having the drain downward with the help of gravity to release the liquid from the other components.

Yeh, its a total pain.

 

On most of my other builds, its just a matter of open the drain valve and then open the fill port on the res or another point around the loop and it pretty much drains entirely.

 

This is the complete opposite. If I get a bit more time, I'm gonna pop a few air valves at choice points around the loop and see if that helps.

 

Thanks guys.

 

C

 

 

[alyen]

7 hours ago, ChrisLoudon said:

Yeh, its a total pain.

It's why I just stick with soft tubing with quick disconnects along, and 1 or 2 drain valves. I also don't bother using a reservoir so there is less liquid to drain making things easier.

[Sir Beregond]

Once you drain from certain tubes you can really just remove it from a fitting and then take a data vac to the rest of the loop to blow the coolant out through the drain port.

 

I do this on my O11D rig with hard tubing as well as my open test bench with soft tubing. Quick disconnect fittings would help with that as well, but never heard of such a thing for hard tubing.

[ChrisLoudon]

13 hours ago, Sir Beregond said:

Once you drain from certain tubes you can really just remove it from a fitting and then take a data vac to the rest of the loop to blow the coolant out through the drain port.

Yeh, that's I need to do with this loop. The strange thing is, I don't normally have an issue with any of my other builds. Its normally as easy as open the drain port, pop the air cork and let the fluid flow. There's always a little left over which I need to blow out but most of it comes out in the first shot. In this Hyte build, its realistically only the liquid on the res that drains.

 

13 hours ago, Sir Beregond said:

I do this on my O11D rig with hard tubing as well as my open test bench with soft tubing. Quick disconnect fittings would help with that as well, but never heard of such a thing for hard tubing.

I've  got an o11 build as well. I use the side distro plate which causes a similar issue as it only really drains itself although it is a bit easier to pop a fitting and screw in a bit of flexy and use the blow technique.

 

Its not a total disaster as I'm gonna get the side distro plate for the Hyte when its available in the UK.

[Sir Beregond]

6 hours ago, ChrisLoudon said:

Yeh, that's I need to do with this loop. The strange thing is, I don't normally have an issue with any of my other builds. Its normally as easy as open the drain port, pop the air cork and let the fluid flow. There's always a little left over which I need to blow out but most of it comes out in the first shot. In this Hyte build, its realistically only the liquid on the res that drains.

 

I've  got an o11 build as well. I use the side distro plate which causes a similar issue as it only really drains itself although it is a bit easier to pop a fitting and screw in a bit of flexy and use the blow technique.

 

Its not a total disaster as I'm gonna get the side distro plate for the Hyte when its available in the UK.

Not a fan of distribution blocks/plates. They don't hold as much coolant as a res and they are impossible to clean. Plus add quite a bit of restrictiveness to the loop.

[RevGAM]

There's a YouTuber named Steve Mould who did some videos about this kind of challenge although not specific to computers that might be interesting for you.

[jaslion]

On 10/2/2023 at 10:58 AM, ChrisLoudon said:

Yeh, its a total pain.

 

On most of my other builds, its just a matter of open the drain valve and then open the fill port on the res or another point around the loop and it pretty much drains entirely.

 

This is the complete opposite. If I get a bit more time, I'm gonna pop a few air valves at choice points around the loop and see if that helps.

 

Thanks guys.

 

C

 

 

You can also attach some hose to a higher point and blow in it

[ChrisLoudon]

11 hours ago, jaslion said:

You can also attach some hose to a higher point and blow in it

I think the main issue I have, is this is the only build I ever have drain problems with and I also have flow rate issues with it, at least as far as I can tell.

 

I have a Thermaltake Tower 500 build that I managed to botch for a dual loop setup and both of my Barrorch flow meters report in or around 8L/m per loop. In my Hyte Y60 the Flow meter reports 1.2L/m and fluctuates wildly down to 0.5 - 1.2.

 

Maybe there's a more serious issue in the loop that's causing a vacuum as @jaslion suggested.

 

I just don't have any thermal issues and filling the loop is easy, draining the damn thing is a total faff.

[RevGAM]

On 9/29/2023 at 5:41 AM, ChrisLoudon said:

Hi guys,

 

Usually quite good at this but I have a Hyte Y60 build where I can't seem to get the drain valve positioned so the loop drains properly.

 

See pic below:

 

Pump / Res > Barrow Flow Meter > GPU > EK120 > CPU > EK360 > EK240 > Back to Pump / Res.

 

As the pipe exists the EK240 and loops back to the top fill port of the Reservoir there's a T-Piece at low level where the ball-valve connects to.

 

When I open the valve and let air in by opening the other fill-port on the reservoir, only the liquid in the res comes out. I can open the additional fill port at the top of X240M Rad but that doesn't help either.

 

I end up having to rock the case around to try and get enough out so that at some point I can fit a length of flexi to a component and start blowing.

 

Any help / suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

Looking at it, you can see the problem. The majority is not part of the pipe "circuit" that you created is at or a bit above the level of the drain, and the drain isn't connected to anything other than the res. Opening the fill port only releases the res fluid. I agree that you need other release points but, honestly, you also would be better off redesigning the whole thing so that not only is the drain at the bottom but it is connected to all discrete parts of the loop,  and maybe a high point valve connected to everything where you can open it to release the fluid. 

[ChrisLoudon]

6 minutes ago, RevGAM said:

Looking at it, you can see the problem. The majority is not part of the pipe "circuit" that you created is at or a bit above the level of the drain, and the drain isn't connected to anything other than the res. Opening the fill port only releases the res fluid. I agree that you need other release points but, honestly, you also would be better off redesigning the whole thing so that not only is the drain at the bottom but it is connected to all discrete parts of the loop,  and maybe a high point valve connected to everything where you can open it to release the fluid. 

Thanks for the info buddy.

 

The drain port is connected to more than the the res. You can't quite see it but the drain valve takes a 90 right just behind the flow meter and connects into one of those 3 / 4 way cubes. The side radiator flows out at low level behind the res then into that cube. With the drain valve closed, the fluid then flows up then into the res.

 

One thing I haven't tried is keeping the fill port on the reservoir closed and popping the additional port on top of the side rad instead. Its a little higher up the order. 

[RevGAM]

2 hours ago, ChrisLoudon said:

Thanks for the info buddy.

 

The drain port is connected to more than the the res. You can't quite see it but the drain valve takes a 90 right just behind the flow meter and connects into one of those 3 / 4 way cubes. The side radiator flows out at low level behind the res then into that cube. With the drain valve closed, the fluid then flows up then into the res.

 

One thing I haven't tried is keeping the fill port on the reservoir closed and popping the additional port on top of the side rad instead. Its a little higher up the order. 

Ah, indeed I couldn't see all that. So the pipe out of the top of the res feeds to...?

 

So what I can see is this: CPU to back rad to GPU to res to top rad to CPU. Did I get it? Can you add in the invisible stuff? 

[ChrisLoudon]

24 minutes ago, RevGAM said:

Ah, indeed I couldn't see all that. So the pipe out of the top of the res feeds to...?

So the pipe into the top of the res is the final 'input' completing the loop.

 

Loop order is as follows:

 

Pump / Res > Barrow Flow Meter > GPU > Coolstream S120 (rear) > CPU > Quantum Surface S360 (top) > Quantum Surface X240M (side) > T-Splitter to Drain > Back to Res.

 

The extender you see pointing up on the res is an attempt at an additional drain port (original blue fluid pic).

 

The X240M is oriented with the fill and drain ports at low level. The pipe you can see in the pic attached below is the fill with the drain just out of sight behind. It then loops back up and into the res as seen in the other pic but has T-junction that goes to the drain valve.