new to watercooling and setting rig up!

[taranatar]

so im going into my first go at water cooling, ive orderd all my parts woot!

first of all the kit im getting is -
FuZion Waterblock
Alphacool DDC Ultra
PA120.2
Clear Bay Res

and the tubing and everything. im planning to mount the radiator on top of the case just sitting on top is this ok?
also i also bought some stuff to put in the loop in the water but i just relised i havent got any distilled water blah! is there anywhere i can get some cheap for tomo? or can you name some places where i can pick some up or something which will be a good subsitute?

also i see people wrap some plumping stuff around the barbs before they put them in the radiator and other stuff what is this tape called? and is it worth it?

thanks guys!

[fivecheebs]

HI taranatar, welcome to WizD.

Rad on top of the case is fine. Just make sure it has plenty of unrestricted space to breath on both sides.

Distilled is quite hard to find in the UK IME. De-ionised is almost as good, and can be found in most supermarkets, or halfords.

That tape is called PTFE tape. It is only used with tapered fittings. If your fittings seal with an o-ring then dont worry about the tape.

[taranatar]

im going to use some old pc case legs to stand the radiator on top,
im going to cut 2 holes at the rear, or thread the pipes thro the pci slots.
the teflon tape stuff your saying i shouldnt have to use it with the kit i bought?

also i havent got a fan controller is there a way to make the fans slower without a controller?

[AWACS]

you could feed them 5V but most fans don't run well on that... I suggest picking up some sort of fan controller as it'll allow you more room to manouver like turning the fans up if it's a warm day or heavy usage going on

[ỒĊBłůē]

^^^ Distilled isn't that hard to find online, you just have to know where to look ;-)

As Cheebs said, if your barbs have a rubber seal at the bottom of the thread you won't need to use PTFE tape, if they don't have a seal then you'll need to use some.

[fivecheebs]

im going to use some old pc case legs to stand the radiator on top,
How thick are they? You really should account for at least 1-1.5 inches of unrestricted space both sides, although my preference is for much more than that.
im going to cut 2 holes at the rear, or thread the pipes thro the pci slots.Make sure the holes are smooth to prevent wearing through the hose. Depending on the hose you are using, it can be very soft.
the teflon tape stuff your saying i shouldnt have to use it with the kit i bought? Dunno... Do your barbs have o-ring seals? Are your threads parallel or straight for both the barbs and the components? Now would be a good time to read the thread thread (http://www.wizdforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2606&highlight=thread).

also i havent got a fan controller is there a way to make the fans slower without a controller?http://www.cpemma.co.uk/ - you'll probably be particularly interested in the 7 volt trick.

^^^ Distilled isn't that hard to find online, you just have to know where to look ;-)

Mate, remind me where you find the distilled again please? I'd forgotten you found a place.

[ỒĊBłůē]

^ Just 'Google Products' yourself R8207 :thumb:

[AWACS]

just a warning about the 7v trick... it might make your computer unstable and even bust your power supply(seen live examples of this)

[taranatar]

ok well i got some teflon tape to go along with my barbs. is there a certain way to put it on??

thanks guys

[ỒĊBłůē]

^ Looking from the thread end of the barb fitting, you'll want to apply the tape clockwise to stop it from unraveling when you screw the fitting into a female thread -

1. Holding the barb in your left hand with the thread pointing to the right

2. Start with the end of the tape hanging down at the front of the thread, then keeping the tape flat against the thread, wrap the tape over the top and down the back.

3. Bring the tape reel back underneath the thread, then back up and over the top of the PTFE tape end to trap it.

4. Lightly pull the tape to ensure it's quite tight against the thread, then keeping a firm pressure on the tape reel continue to wind it around the thread, keeping the tape flat and overlapping each previous pass slightly, making sure all threads are covered, apart from the first and last threads (you'll want to leave these clear).

5. Ensure all threads (other than the first and last) are covered with 2 to 3 turns (layers) of tape, before snapping the tape and laying the tape end flat against the PTFE tape on the thread.

I hope that makes sense to you; question anything that isn't clear :thumb:

[taranatar]

hmm i think i got it right apart from your last point what did you mean by that?

so with the thread in my left hand pointing right i wrap the tape clockwise around the thread a few times and leave the first and last clear?

if this isnt right, think u could do a pic explaining it please. :)

[ỒĊBłůē]

No problem [grabs camera, fitting and PTFE tape] - I've got a reducer rather than a barb; the principle should be the same though.

I've repeated my previous post with pics - with a short thread like this it's difficult to avoid taping over the last thread (the one furthest to the left); the first thread is the most important to leave clear, as any tape that overhangs could get caught up and end up either partially obscuring flow or unraveling the entire run of tape when the thread is screwed into a female threaded part.

1. Holding the barb in your left hand with the thread pointing to the right

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a207/OCBlue/Ptfe01.jpg


2. Start with the end of the tape hanging down at the front of the thread, then keeping the tape flat against the thread, wrap the tape over the top and down the back.

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a207/OCBlue/Ptfe02.jpg


3. Bring the tape reel back underneath the thread, then back up and over the top of the PTFE tape end to trap it.

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a207/OCBlue/Ptfe03.jpg


4. Lightly pull the tape to ensure it's quite tight against the thread, then keeping a firm pressure on the tape reel continue to wind it around the thread, keeping the tape flat and overlapping each previous pass slightly, making sure all threads are covered, apart from the first and last threads (you'll want to leave these clear).

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a207/OCBlue/Ptfe04.jpg


5. Ensure all threads (other than the first and last) are covered with 2 to 3 turns (layers) of tape, before snapping the tape and laying the tape end flat against the PTFE tape on the thread.

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a207/OCBlue/Ptfe05.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a207/OCBlue/Ptfe06.jpg

Job done :thumb:

[fivecheebs]

Kickass post mate :thumb:

[ỒĊBłůē]

Why, thankyou! ^_^

[taranatar]

wow thanks very much that was very helpfull. im starting to feel alot better by it all now. i think i got everything in the post and kinda know what im doing. so looking forward to trying to fit it in my case. :-p

[ỒĊBłůē]

No problem.

For a thread of this length you'll just wrap it around two or three times as the width of the tape covers the whole thread - reading back through there's no need to worry about the 'slight overlap' - that's my generic instructions incorporating much longer threads.

Good luck.