5th Port as Outlet in Dual Pass Radiator?

[travish]

In the planning phase of my WC build, I'm wondering if it's possible/advisable to use the 5th port hole on a triple 120 radiator as an outlet?

If a radiator has five ports (4 on one side, 1 on the opposite), such as this example, is it possible to:

1. Only use one of the four ports on the "far" side, and the lone port on the "close" side?

Or, could I:

2. Tee into two of the four ports on the "far" side, and use the lone port as an outlet?

Or, (3) ditch the idea and use two of the four ports on the "far" side as an inlet/outlet, as intended in a dual pass radiator?

I'd like to use the fifth port as an outlet, if possible. But it's not going to break the deal.

Thanks in advance for your time and advice. It is greatly appreciated.

 

[toolmaker_03]

what is the reason for this, is the rad restricting the flow of the system?
if so try using 2 ports in and two ports out to elevate some of the restriction.
I don't understand exactly what it is you are trying to achieve, please advise me on this?

 

[travish]

Thanks for the quick response @toolmaaker_03.

The reason is strictly aesthetics. If the radiator is mounted on the top of my case, I'd like the flow to come in from the front, where the four port holes will be, and out the back, where the single port hole will be.

So, can I have just one inlet in the front (out of the four ports) with the one in the back (setup #1)?

Im asking because I'm thinking setup #1 from my first post will not flow properly in a dual pass radiator. To correct the flow, and keep the front in/rear out configuration, I could (theoretically) tee into both sides of the dual pass radiator, and exit flow from the single fifth port from the rear (#2).

In a dual pass radiator, flow is supposed to take a "U" turn, where the inlet and outlet are next to each other (setup #3).

 

[toolmaker_03]

ok i can see that, so if you are planning to do this, I cannot see a issue with your understanding. you are still using all four ports even if not for their intended purpose. the only issue I see is the reduced time that the fluid may be in the radiator, this setup will effectively shorten that time by half. but the rad will still remove heat, as for how much, that depends on the flow rate of your system. if you have a restrictive system by nature causing the flow to be slow, your rad will work fine. but if your system flows with little to no restrictions, than the reds ability to cool, will be dropped by half of its original ability to cool. I hope this makes since to you, and if not, I can explain it differently.

 

[travish]

Thanks again for the quick response.

I think (hopefully) I understand.

#1 will work. However it will effectively reduce radiator efficiency by approx. 50%.
#2 will work. However this will cause restrictive flow.
#3 will work. Thats how it's supposed to work.

That's how it's looking to me. Or am I off?

 

[toolmaker_03]

another option would be 4 inlets at the top to the 1 outlet at the bottom maybe only a 25% loss at the most, if any, but I would half to test and see the results before i could be positive.

 

[travish]

Awesome @toolmaker_03. Thanks again for your quick responses.

I think I'll be going with option #2, so I can utilize the full potential of the radiator. A little flow restriction doesn't bug me as much as only using half the radiator.

Thanks!

 

[travish]

Best answer selected by travish.