H220 - i want this pump to work!

[Stomachworm]

I decided to get the Swiftech H220 as it was an expandable water loop and I wanted to add loops to my Maximus V Formula board that has two water cooling barbs just staring at me, wanting to be used. I bought new white tubing, followed the directions and hooked everything up great into my 600t case.  The H220 has a refill hole on the rad so i added a quick release valve to that thinking that would be a good way to add in the water back into the loop after it was installed. Everything seemed to be going fine until i booted and got a 'CPU FAN ERROR'.  It didn't sound like the pump was working.  I tried multiple variations on connecting the fan connector to the motherboard and multiple variations using the controller switch swiftech gives with the pump.  Nothing worked.  I assumed it was a bad pump out of the box and was going to return. I put the pump back to the way it was, original black tubing, etc, and decided last minute to plug it back into the cpu fan header and boot up and low and behold the pump seemed to be working, I didn't get a CPU FAN ERROR message and windows loaded.  

 

So I thought perhaps I didn't get enough water into the loop using my quickrelease valve method into the res.  Does anyone know anything about these pumps?  Will they not work if there is none or not enough water in them to spin?  

 

Anyway, I rehooked everything back up today as originally planned. And this time paid more attention to how much water was going into the loop including holding everything vertically aligned (fill spout, radiator, pump) in the hope gravity is getting water throughout the loop.

 

I still can get the pump to start and i'm getting the CPU FAN ERROR message again.  

 

Does anyone have any advice on filling one of these loops when you are connecting to the motherboard (and not a graphics card - which is easier as you can do that outside the case. 

 

Thanks.....as you can probably tell this is my first time water cooling as well as my first time ever posting to a forum so apologies in advice for the length.  But i would like to get this to work.  Otherwise i will just have to put back together as it came and use as a CPU only water cooling solution (assuming it will still work again when i put back together like it did before).  

[mvitkun]

are you sure the pump isn't working?

 

you said it doesn't sound like it is,maybe it's just pretty quiet compared tot the rest of the system.

 

what are the temps like?

[Stomachworm]

It's not making a sound or putting off any vibrations.  To test the temperatures, i plugged the intel fan into the cpu header to 'trick' the computer into booting up and getting past the 'CPU Fan Error', when in windows, i plugged back in the pump into the cpu fan header and temps rose to 70 and up so had to shut down.  again, no sound or vibrations coming from the fan.  I also tried plugging into different fan headers to see if that would do anything but it didn't.  

[albino_enchilada]

My best geuss is that the pump doesnt have enough head to push through the extra block. Though I'd think it should have enough to get through another block, the mobo could have pretty higher restriction. Test it with out the motherboard.

[Stomachworm]

This morning I tried just having the loop go through the CPU, bypassing the watercooling loop on the motherboard, and still getting FAN ERROR on start up.  Pump appears to be dead.  I guess when it worked before momentarily with the unit uninstalled and just plugged into the fan header...it was just a brief fluke of it spinning. I will return and see if I can get  refund or replacement.  Too bad as this unit seemed great, as well as the components that came with it.  But what a headache for a first timer...should have just got the corsair 100i as originally planned and be done with it.  BTW there was definitely enough water in all the loop when I drained and I verified that water was getting into the headsink barbs of the maximus V watercooling block.  So there should have been enough water to run the pump (if that is the case on my earlier theory that the pump doesn't run if there is not enough liquid in it). Anyway, I think i'm done unless anyone has a theory to fix on the info given.  Thanks again guys for responding.  On a side note, those enchiladas look good!

[Adam the Grim]

I am having the exact same problem. Except, I haven't even expanded mine. :( I've contacted swiftech customer support and am currently awaiting an answer. I really don't want to RMA thus cooler, but right now, it seems like the most logical choice. Also, swiftech's"plug and play" catchphrase for this cooler is pure bull.

[albino_enchilada]

This morning I tried just having the loop go through the CPU, bypassing the watercooling loop on the motherboard, and still getting FAN ERROR on start up.  Pump appears to be dead.  I guess when it worked before momentarily with the unit uninstalled and just plugged into the fan header...it was just a brief fluke of it spinning. I will return and see if I can get  refund or replacement.  Too bad as this unit seemed great, as well as the components that came with it.  But what a headache for a first timer...should have just got the corsair 100i as originally planned and be done with it.  BTW there was definitely enough water in all the loop when I drained and I verified that water was getting into the headsink barbs of the maximus V watercooling block.  So there should have been enough water to run the pump (if that is the case on my earlier theory that the pump doesn't run if there is not enough liquid in it). Anyway, I think i'm done unless anyone has a theory to fix on the info given.  Thanks again guys for responding.  On a side note, those enchiladas look good!

I hate to say but you probably wont be able to RMA it if you tried to expand it.