Bitspower flow indicator making noise at high pump speeds

[Zammin]

Hi everyone.

 

I have this Bitspower flow indicator in my watercooling loop:

 

I've only had it for a few months. Lately it has started to make a bit of a clicking/rattling noise when I run my D5 pump at full speed. It's quite annoying and I've only been able to find one thread online about a similar issue with a Primochill flow indicator.

 

I'm looking for any advice as to how I can fix the issue, it's not an easy matter to return it since I live in Australia and had to buy it from PPCs in America, since watercooling gear is very scarce in local retailers.

 

I will be pulling my system apart in the coming months for some upgrades which will give me the opportunity to do something about it. It was pretty expensive to buy and ship here, and I do like the way it looks so I'm hoping I can fix the noise rather than replace it.

 

If anyone has any suggestions it would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks in advance!

[For Science!]

30 minutes ago, Zammin said:

=Thanks in advance!

Not really helping here, but just to add in that I also had a high pitched rotation/squeaky sound on my koolance flowmeter, so it had to go too. Its currently sitting in a cardboard box.

[Zammin]

4 minutes ago, For Science! said:

Not really helping here, but just to add in that I also had a high pitched rotation/squeaky sound on my koolance flowmeter, so it had to go too. Its currently sitting in a cardboard box.

Damn, it sounds like this kind of issue might be more common than I thought.

 

I particularly like this one because it has 6 G1/4 openings around the hexagonal body for things like temperature sensors. I am currently using an XSPC temp sensor plug in one of the bottom ports, which my radiator fan speeds are controlled from. In the worst case scenario I could use a different product like the Thermaltake TF1 but I would have to add a T fitting somewhere to keep my sensor. I much prefer the way it is now, it's just such a shame about the noise.

[For Science!]

2 minutes ago, Zammin said:

-

alternative places could be the top of the reservoir, or the bottom of the GPU if you have an opening there

[Zammin]

1 hour ago, For Science! said:

alternative places could be the top of the reservoir, or the bottom of the GPU if you have an opening there

Yeah there are indeed alternatives, but if I can fix it somehow I would definitely like to do that. I like the product, just bummed about the noise.

 

I could also turn my pump speed down a bit but the sound signature is pretty quiet at 100% and <50%. Anywhere between 50% and 100% it's a very audible whirring/humming sound. So I have it set up to run at 50% or below (on a curve) during normal use, and 100% when running my system is running flat out in games, since it keeps my GPU cooler that way.

[Zammin]

Here is where I have it right now:

 

 

[Mick Naughty]

Dont run pump at full speed. Done. 

[Zammin]

2 hours ago, Mick Naughty said:

Dont run pump at full speed. Done. 

Thanks, I don't run it at full speed except during gaming or benchmarks when my system is running flat out. As I mentioned before the D5 pump noise is far more audible at speeds below 100% but above 50%. At 50% and below the performance drop off is noticeable during heavy use. So if I ran it at say, 70% as a compromise, I no longer have the noise from the flow indicator but I have the loud humming/whirring sound of the D5 pump instead. One of the upsides to the D5 is that it's not very audible at 100%.

On 10/10/2018 at 8:43 PM, Zammin said:

Yeah there are indeed alternatives, but if I can fix it somehow I would definitely like to do that. I like the product, just bummed about the noise.

 

I could also turn my pump speed down a bit but the sound signature is pretty quiet at 100% and <50%. Anywhere between 50% and 100% it's a very audible whirring/humming sound. So I have it set up to run at 50% or below (on a curve) during normal use, and 100% when running my system is running flat out in games, since it keeps my GPU cooler that way.

 

[Mick Naughty]

What gains are you actually getting running the pump at higher speeds? None of my systems change speed unless it’s being bled. 

 

Either way it’s prolly a design flaw. I’m sure bitspower customer service will say somthing along those lines if they don’t blame it on user error. 

[Zammin]

3 minutes ago, Mick Naughty said:

What gains are you actually getting running the pump at higher speeds? None of my systems change speed unless it’s being bled. 

 

Either way it’s prolly a design flaw. I’m sure bitspower customer service will say somthing along those lines if they don’t blame it on user error. 

During 100% GPU load (gaming or looping heaven benchmark) if I drop the pump speed to 50 my GPU starts to creep up in temperature. I haven't let it go for long enough to see exactly how high but it does go up by at least 3C. With my current settings I can keep my Strix 1080Ti OC under 40C during extended full load.

 

I might try contacting Bitspower about it but I'm with you on that one, they might say it's something I did or they might just say they don't know. I guess it might be worth a shot. It is troublesome to have to send it overseas though, which is why I was hoping to do something about it myself if possible. But there might not be much I can do at this point.

[Zammin]

Well I emailed bitspower support and they basically just told me it will always happen and to just live with it lol.

 

Pretty poor answer considering nowhere on any page advertising or selling the item does it say "Warning: can make rattling sounds at higher flow rates"

 

I just tested and even at 70% there is still noise coming from it, although less than at 100%.