Bubbling in my EXOS 2 resevoir

[Gagan]

Hey guys,

I am on my way from becoming a watercooling noob to a vet,

but there's a slight problem with this intergrated Lian Li case I bought, it's bubbling too much.

I popped the case open while it is running to see that the coolant is very frothy and it's getting carried throughout the case.

The worry I have is that the bridge between my 2 video card gpu coolers is going to explode because I can kind of see some sort of fog in the pipe...

How do I go about fixing the bubbling without aflush since the fluid is really recent(like 3 weeks)

It's the exos 2 guys,

Thanks alot for the help

Gagan.

 

[TrevorRC]

First and foremost... please tell me that you bled the system to get the original air bubbles out?

Check for leaks, make sure no air can get in/out (And water, too!)

Odds are you forgot to bleed the system, and the bubbles are stuck in there. Open a top part of the loop and let the bubbles rise/escape.

 

[hardcandy2]

Once finished, replace the reservoir refill tap and stand the system upright. The reservoir should not be completely filled. It is designed to continuously filter air from the liquid as the system is run.

Did you fill the resevoir? I think you leave some space.

Koolance

 

[Gagan]

I did fill it and left space
I did bleed it Trevor, I don't know how this is acting up

No it's not leaking I check everyday it's so annoying it's so loud

 

[Painman]

What kind of brew is your coolant? Sounds like it lacks a defoaming agent. I'd get rid of it ASAP and go with distilled + HydrX or Zerex Super Coolant. Both contain defoaming agents. Frothy coolant may damage your pump due to inadequate lubrication.

 

[Gagan]

I am using the Koolance fluid I Never knew it didn't come with an anti frothing agentI"ll get my PC shop to do it ASAP
THanks!

 

[HardWarrior]

Originally posted by: Gagan
I did fill it and left space
I did bleed it Trevor, I don't know how this is acting up

No it's not leaking I check everyday it's so annoying it's so loud

How long since you intially setup the loop? Someone else here mentioned an Exos problem like yours here. I THINK he had a crack or a loose barb, something like that.

 

[boyRacer]

Originally posted by: Gagan
I am using the Koolance fluid I Never knew it didn't come with an anti frothing agentI"ll get my PC shop to do it ASAP
THanks!

You will most likely void your warranty if you add anything other than the Koolance's own coolant in there... they would probably also never know but heh.

 

[TrevorRC]

Water on its own should not create the problem. I'd look into what HW said, that's probably the cause (See 2 posts above, and my initial post.)

Any type of roughness could cause this, or an air pocket somewhere...etc...

Don't get an anti-foaming agent, it's not necessary.
-T

 

[Painman]

I wouldn't add a specific anti-foaming agent to the loop as is, that I agree with - but coolant shouldn't be so thick that air bubbles become suspended in it and create foam. I would dilute it, or better yet, just replace it with a proper (or even weak) mix of the additives I mentioned. It's probably so saturated with suspended air molecules, that one would have to bring it to near boiling on the stove in a pot to purge it.

Furthermore, I don't agree with the idea of leaving very much air in a closed cooling system - thermal cycling will cause that air to expand and contract, drawing air into the system via very tiny gaps which very well may be present. Expansion pressure under thermal load may not be sufficient to force much dense liquid out through such gaps, but it can allow sparse gas to get in during the compression phase of the cycle. Over time a state of equilibrium will be reached, but by then, you probably have a very gassy system.

Liquids tend to expand much less under rising temperatures than gases, so the more liquid and less gas present in the closed system, the smaller chance there is of suction/introduction of more gases, which may suspend in the liquid, then escape under heat load, and possibly contribute to foaming. Also less chance of blowing up your res, if it isn't glued together very well.

At least, that's what I seem to remember from Chem 101

I wonder why Koolance says to leave air space in the reservoir, to allow gases trapped in the coolant to escape? Seems to me, if it has a lot of gas trapped in it, that's some pretty poor coolant. I made my coolant out of Poland Spring distilled water and a 2 oz. bottle of HydrX, mixed a little on the weak side. I can check how much gas is suspended in it by pinching the inlet tube from my res to my pump, in order to force cavitation. Well I can't, there's nothing in it that will vaporize under decompression and form cavities. If I can accomplish that in my computer room with plastic bottles and jugs, a funnel, some tubing and a syringe, why can't Koolance get that done in a factory?

 

[HardWarrior]

Originally posted by: Painman

Furthermore, I don't agree with the idea of leaving very much air in a closed cooling system - thermal cycling will cause that air to expand and contract, drawing air into the system via very tiny gaps which very well may be present. Expansion pressure under thermal load may not be sufficient to force much dense liquid out through such gaps, but it can allow sparse gas to get in during the compression phase of the cycle. Over time a state of equilibrium will be reached, but by then, you probably have a very gassy system.

Very interesting indeed. This may, at least partially, explain the intense suction I experienced recently when I popped the cap on my res. The strange thing is that I've never seen it before, and this is my 5th loop. TBH, though, I've yet to see a closed loop (meaning one that lacks any air). Even with T's there's going to be at least some residual air trapped in the loop. Some people with T's have reported the same increasing vacuum condition that I noticed.

Anomalies like this indicate quite well that even though PC water-cooling has existed for years it's still a seat-of-the-pants method that sorely needs more technical exploration.

 

[Gagan]

It is a gassy system for sure.

The originating problem was I set the fan to 1 when I wasn't doing much work, the water got very hot and the resevoir screw was burning hot so I crnaked it back up to 10

I think alot of th eair that was generated from the partial evaporation of the fluid was carried in the coolant, I want better coolant, hell I may just go with plane jane water

WHat cooalnt can you guys fully endorse so I can order some, my shop doesn't exctly have the best brands

Much love!

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

I have never set-up a WCed PC but have a very extensive back ground in automotive
liquid cooling. Applications from motorcycles to engines for cranes that have to be
disassembled for transpost. Scale and operating temperature being the main differances.

Some times there can be*cold*leaks, when a system is at rest overnight. But when warm
and under operating pressure there are no leaks...Remember that.

Sometimes a restriction on the suction side can cause air to enter the system from a hose
connection point. It will not leak fluid but it will suck air. I've replaced porous hoses that
exhibited this behavior. A seam of a water block, at a pipe fitting or the hose junction on
the fittng could offer air this entry point.

Sometimes a restriction on the suction side will permit air to enter past the water pump's
shaft seal.

Entrained air in the coolent is difficult to remove...Good luck.

...Galvanized

 

[hardcandy2]

I would suggest saving your coolant, replacing it with pure distilled water, let it run for a few days and see if the problem re-appears. If the distilled water works, then add one additive at a time, starting with the anti-algae one first, run each afew days, and progress that way.

 

[Painman]

Originally posted by: HardWarrior
Very interesting indeed. This may, at least partially, explain the intense suction I experienced recently when I popped the cap on my res. The strange thing is that I've never seen it before, and this is my 5th loop. TBH, though, I've yet to see a closed loop (meaning one that lacks any air). Even with T's there's going to be at least some residual air trapped in the loop. Some people with T's have reported the same increasing vacuum condition that I noticed.

Anomalies like this indicate quite well that even though PC water-cooling has existed for years it's still a seat-of-the-pants method that sorely needs more technical exploration.

That might be evap occuring right through the tubing. A lot of it is porous, but on a very small, even molecular level. The pores may be large enough to let an H20 molecule through, but too small for a molecule like Ethylene Glycol. If the loop has been up for a long time, it might "sweat" like this over time, but you wouldn't see it since it's so incredibly gradual. That's just my theory, I don't know for sure.

 

[HardWarrior]

Originally posted by: Painman

Originally posted by: HardWarrior
Very interesting indeed. This may, at least partially, explain the intense suction I experienced recently when I popped the cap on my res. The strange thing is that I've never seen it before, and this is my 5th loop. TBH, though, I've yet to see a closed loop (meaning one that lacks any air). Even with T's there's going to be at least some residual air trapped in the loop. Some people with T's have reported the same increasing vacuum condition that I noticed.

Anomalies like this indicate quite well that even though PC water-cooling has existed for years it's still a seat-of-the-pants method that sorely needs more technical exploration.

That might be evap occuring right through the tubing. A lot of it is porous, but on a very small, even molecular level. The pores may be large enough to let an H20 molecule through, but too small for a molecule like Ethylene Glycol. If the loop has been up for a long time, it might "sweat" like this over time, but you wouldn't see it since it's so incredibly gradual. That's just my theory, I don't know for sure.

Fluid dynamics is fascinating. For the life of me I can't wrap my head around how a water molecule can find its way through what must be a maze of of passages in thick-walled tubing. Perhaps Tygon has got something better? Yeah, your theory sounds okay to me.

 

[HardWarrior]

Originally posted by: Gagan
It is a gassy system for sure.

The originating problem was I set the fan to 1 when I wasn't doing much work, the water got very hot and the resevoir screw was burning hot so I crnaked it back up to 10

I think alot of th eair that was generated from the partial evaporation of the fluid was carried in the coolant, I want better coolant, hell I may just go with plane jane water

WHat cooalnt can you guys fully endorse so I can order some, my shop doesn't exctly have the best brands

Much love!

The dissolved solids that make water taste good will jam up and accumulate in modern blocks. I've heard that they can even clump after a while and act as an abrasive towards your pump. I've been using Hydrx and distilled since my last refit and it appears to be running fine, even with the infamous Storm.