Water cooling - Protection of components

Jenachy · Mar 28, 2016

Hello!

-I have been reading up on a lot of tutorials and reviews of several kinds of liquid cooling, from AIO to ultra-customized loops. Now, what catches my attention is how no-one describes any safety measures in case of a leak. All I find is "Leaks are rare, but do happen", or the most typical; "Make sure all the components are securely fastened".
-What I am wondering about, is how one can protect other parts of the PC from possible shorts and other damage from unforeseen leaks.
-One suggestion I have would include having a plastic back cover for the GPU (I have a Gainward Geforce GTX 960) with a slant and some edges to lead water down to a small container in the bottom of the cabinet, keeping it away from the PCB. Is this a good idea, or is heat an issue?

In the answers, please leave out the aforementioned "They are rare" or all tips regarding compatibility, tightening and all that. I am aware, don't worry about it. Otherwise, thanks for any helpful advice and answers!

rubix_1011 · Mar 28, 2016

There is no fool-proof way to prevent absolutely all leaks. In the very vast majority of leaks, they are due to user or installer error (when it comes to custom loops).

Sorry to say this, but 'leaks are rare, but do happen'. If liquid cooling is too much of a risk for you, then avoid the risk.

Bottom line is - there is no security blanket that makes you invulnerable, however you can increase your odds. If you're building a custom loop, use distilled water with just enough anti-microbial solution to prevent growth. Leak test your loop inside your case without powering your motherboard and jumpering the ATX power socket. If you get leak at this point, you can easily dry it out and your system wouldn't have had power running through it. Make sure your fittings are properly secured - do not over tighten, but avoid loose fittings. Make sure your tubing seats over the barbs on your fittings.

Other than this....that's it. By limiting the amount of dissolved solids (especially metallics) in your coolant, you can limit the damage done by a leak. Even distilled water will collect metal ions from the loop components, so this isn't 100% permanent. Even so, I've seen many people that use distilled water ONLY and have had leaks but were able to save hardware. Shut down the PC ASAP. disassemble the components and allow them to air dry for 24 hours or more. Using a fan can help, but make sure you don't have water in crevasses, etc - used canned air to blow out excess. Do not put components in an oven to dry. Hair dryers can overheat PCB if focused too directly.

toolmaker_03 · Mar 28, 2016

I have been water cooling my systems for 20 years, without leaks.
one, I change my O-rings every 3 years, at a penny a piece, why not?
two, for rotary fittings only get bits power fittings, even they wont last forever, but they will last a lot longer than the other guys.
three, secure all the water loop components, like the pump, reservoir, and radiators, the water loop system with the pumps running, has a vibration to it, and over time if the components are not secured, the fittings may loosen up causing a leak.

-One suggestion I have would include having a plastic back cover for the GPU (I have a Gainward Geforce GTX 960) with a slant and some edges to lead water down to a small container in the bottom of the cabinet, keeping it away from the PCB. Is this a good idea, or is heat an issue?

to answer this, I have done a build where I had the PC case on its side, so that all the blocks and fittings where facing down away from the PC components, this was my third build and after three years with no leaks, I stopped doing it.

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Water cooling - Protection of components

Jenachy

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rubix_1011

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toolmaker_03

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