Getting Started: The Parts

"Ruin, tell me what to buy!" Truth is, I can't. Each system must be designed for its needs. What I did was go to Performance PCs and started with my CPU and GPU blocks. I got two that matched, thanks Swiftech (finding a GPU block for an 8800GTX for under $100 was a challenge) and then the rest I bought for brand matching. I got the Swiftech 2 fan Quiet Power Rad, the Swiftech Micro Res, and a small Swiftech pump (that's small, sleek, and works great!) I then bought Fluid-XP's Blood Red fluid, some Tygon tubing, some hose clamps (red), and a wiring dress kit - that's for later.

Bottom line, products are being discontinued and new ones released frequently. Get online, search them, read reviews and figure out what is best for your use. Remember to take reviews with a grain of salt though.

Okay. Order your parts, and I'll see you in a week.

Installation: Organize

Back so soon? So, you've got your gear? Good deal.

Here's Mine:

First thing to do, clean them all out.

This is done simply, and does not need to be as complicated as some places online make it seem.

All you need to do is rinse each part with hot - not boiling - distilled water. That's it. Do not use vinegar, it can destroy the integrity of welds and cause very permanent leaks. Use distilled to keep the system clean. Do not separate the base of the blocks from their tops. There's a sealing gasket that can, possibly, not reseal when you put them back together. Just rinse it out. With my GPU block, I had to separate the base and the top to change out mounting brackets. This was inevitable, so I was very cautious reseating everything. Make sure when you're done your fittings are on nice and snug, don't forget their gaskets also! I have not tried it, but after a leak in my system a couple days ago, I'd consider using black silicone adhesive, if you have some, to help give extra protection in sealing the threads of the nozzles.

So, rinse, rinse, rinse. Take a good half-hour to do this. Why? Manufacturing companies save time and money on parts by not cleaning them once their finished. This means they ship to you with chemicals used in the manufacturing process. These chemicals will dirty your system, wear on your pump, and cause oxidization of your tubing, making a not so cool looking setup. So, clean everything.

Installation: Getting To It

Alright, here, you're really on your own. Follow the instructions of each piece. If you're building a new rig, mount the blocks on their parts before you install them into the PC. Where you mount things depends on your case layout and space you have. The one thing I would have done differently is to wire my PC before plumbing my WCing - Note: Do not hook up your power cables until the testing is done! Leave the components powerless until the WCing is ready to go!. Doesn't seem to have mattered too much, but it made cable management later on rather hard. Some people are weary though about hooking up parts to an untested WCing system. I understand, that's why I did the WCing first, tested it, and then hooked everything else up. No sense in inviting trouble right?

Filling is done by adding fluid to the res or T-line and letting gravity, and your pump, do the rest. Don't run the pump with no fluid though! Make sure fluid gets to it first!

Here's the best I can do for you on this:

Install the blocks, mount the pump, install the fans on the rad, mount the rad, mount the res, plumb, fill, test. Before you get carried away though, test fit everything before you start drilling holes and mounting things. Make sure your tubing has no kinks and has good flow. This comes with testing. After testing, secure everything.

You can see the temporary placement of the Res to allow gravity to work in my favor:

Installation: Testing

Okay, it's all hooked up, the loop is full, now the moment of truth.

Two ways to do this:

1) You have an AC pump. Easy, plug it in the wall, watch it go.

2) You have a DC pump (plugs into PSU). This is also easy. Grab the 24pin plug (that I know you didn't hook up to your Mobo yet, because I said not to), and grab a paper-clip. So, this defies logic and makes the heart skip some if you've never done it. I know, it did mine. This is easy. Make that paper-clip into a U-Shape and look for the green wire #4. Put one end in there, and the other end in the adjacent black pin #5. Make sure it's black! That means it's a ground wire. Connection should make the pump jump to life. Yay! It runs!

Keep adding fluid until all the bubbles are out of the system, the air is out, and you have a nice continuous flow.

Now, other sites recommend a 24 hour test period before you run it on your PC for the first time. This is up to you. I did not. I had no leaks to start, but some developed later on. I believe the first, and so far only major, leak was caused by pressure and heat, which there's no way to replicate without running your PC. Make sure your nozzles are on tight and clamps are on tight and making a tight seal around the nozzles. My second leak came from the GPU block, my mounting bracket came loose and that seal I talked about earlier began to leak. The most recent leak came from a nozzle off my CPU block. This was partly my fault. The nozzle was loose, and in moving my graphics card (to tighten the GPU block to stop leak number two) the hose twisted causing the nozzle to loosen some. This was a small drip, but enough to cause me to rip the power cable out of my PC when I saw a puddle on my 8800GTX.

Anyway, assuming you encounter no leaks, the pump works, you've got good flow... you're done. Hook up the rest and be on your merry way!

Completion: Tips and Tricks

So this section will grow, but first:

Dealing with Leaks

Immediately disconnect power from the PC. Determine the severity of your leak. Have you just severed an artery, or did you just get a paper-cut? If it's the former, try to use gravity in your favor. I grabbed my rad and held it up in the air as best I could while I struggled, with one hand, to move my res so I could drain the fluid down into a bottle so I could fix the leak. Make sure once you find the leak, fix it, and re-plumb and refill, you clean up any fluid in your case, and you test run the system (unplug your components!) first. Make sure the leak is gone.

If you drip on to the mobo, or other IC card of some sort, all I did was grab a paper-towel, ground myself, and dabbed the water off. I have no idea if this is safe, or orthodox, but it worked for me. Make sure the card is 100% dry before you return power to it though.

Hose Clamps

You can use any kind of clamp really. But, I would recommend staying away from the metal clamps that tighten with a screw-driver. Reason being, I have these on my Vette. After frustration with my fuel system and simple anger, I slight extra 1/4 turn on the screw made that thin sharp metal cut clean through my gas hose. While I've not used these with Tygon tubing, I would imagine a similar thing could happen. I used the plastic locking clamps on my system. They came in a cool red and just needed a pair of pliers to get them nice and tight.

Additional Links

Some sites that helped me get started and may have different information.

Guide to Water Cooling and Leak Testing - MaxxxRacer @ XtremeSystems.org

Water Cooled Case Gallery - scrible88 @ XtremeSystems.org | To get your creative juices flowing. I used this to look at cases, WCing parts and different setups. It's where I chose my case, and to go with a 2x 120mm rad over a 3x 120mm rad.