View Full Version : My pump quit working while I was at work! and my MCW60 melted
cyriene
11-11-2007, 05:57 AM
AAHH! So I work 3rd shift and came home to my computer screen being blank but the computer was still running. I noticed a big air bubble chillin in my loop and realized that my pump wasn't pumping!! I touched around the socket of the cpu and it was HOT and my video card was kinda warm as well. Anyway, I powered down and tried to run the pump with a spare PSU but it would not turn on :( This was a rather new pump, Swiftech DDC 3.2 with Petras Top I purchased maybe in August or around there.
I dont think the cpu fried because I tried to boot the comp and it would boot and I saw the first screen, but since the pump wasn't pumping I shut the comp back down.
I guess I will go to Microcenter later today after I sleep and maybe buy a new pump. I guess I'll get another DDC but maybe I should thinkabout a D5 instead? What do you guys think?
Oh, and I would like to thank everyone here as I learned most of what I know about water cooling by lurking on this forum and even though this is a little set back, I have been quite happy with the fun associated with setting up my system.
SiGfever
11-11-2007, 06:34 AM
It is hard to go wrong with a D5 Vario. :up:
Jedda
11-11-2007, 07:07 AM
Guess you checked the plug.
Any sign of damage to the pump?
cyriene
11-11-2007, 09:46 AM
Guess you checked the plug.
Any sign of damage to the pump?
The plug didn't look damaged. I tried to power the pump on with the molex plug and the little 3 pin plug but neither worked. After I get a replacement pump I guess I'll take this one apart and mess around with it.
I knew I should have ordered the D-tek nozzles too! Here I am draining my loop with the pefect time to add one and I doubt Microcenter will have any. Oh well, off to see what Microcenter has available.
Sparky
11-11-2007, 10:27 AM
Hmm..... RMA the pump instead of buying another one?
fingers crossed my DDC-1 doesn't give up the ghost....
teyber
11-11-2007, 10:32 AM
yes d5 vario, and get some gell stuff. I cannot hear mine(literally!) at 5 on the petras gell stuff...
cyriene
11-11-2007, 10:43 AM
Hmm..... RMA the pump instead of buying another one?
fingers crossed my DDC-1 doesn't give up the ghost....
I may RMA it but until I get new pump my computer is down...although I could put the stock fan on, but I'd have to do that for the gpu as well which would be a pain. If I get a new pump I could eventually go with 2 loops in the future...or have one as backup I guess.
HotGore
11-11-2007, 12:30 PM
When ever I see one of these threads I look over at my res to make sure water is moving around.
dengyong
11-11-2007, 12:36 PM
Two pumps in series is the way to go. I like the aquaxtreme 50z.
NickS
11-11-2007, 12:40 PM
Another DDC to go. Yay. :rolleyes:
Get a D5 Vario like everyone else says.
Sparky
11-11-2007, 12:46 PM
Another DDC to go. Yay.
Get a D5 Vario like everyone else says.
I can see if you don't like the DDC for their reliability issues, and I agree the D5 is more reliable, but why must you take glee in other people's dying hardware? Heck I'm an AMD/ATI guy but that doesn't mean I'm happy when someone's intel/nvidia part dies... :shrug:
NickS
11-11-2007, 12:48 PM
I can see if you don't like the DDC for their reliability issues, and I agree the D5 is more reliable, but why must you take glee in other people's dying hardware? Heck I'm an AMD/ATI guy but that doesn't mean I'm happy when someone's intel/nvidia part dies... :shrug:
Sarcasm doesn't work on the internet, I should have put :rolleyes: next to Yay.
Edited for ya.
Sparky
11-11-2007, 12:49 PM
My bad.... sorry
NickS
11-11-2007, 12:51 PM
My bad.... sorry
No problem. :up:
cyriene
11-11-2007, 01:23 PM
Well, I picked up a D5 Vario so now it is time to drain my loop. Too bad I can't use Petras Top now. I'll let you all know how it all goes once I get it up and running.
ls206
11-11-2007, 01:31 PM
good luck :)
can I trouble you for a quick comparison of the two pumps when you've got it sorted?
like size, noise etc... is the "vario" feature useful?
Waterlogged
11-11-2007, 01:46 PM
Well, I picked up a D5 Vario so now it is time to drain my loop. Too bad I can't use Petras Top now. I'll let you all know how it all goes once I get it up and running.
You could always use the Koolance top for the D5.:rofl::ROTF::rofl: :ROTF:
I'm a DDC user and I don't even think twice about mine. It's just the vocal minority of ppl that have had a DDC die on them that makes it sound worse than it is. Personally, I'd wish they'd just shut up, all their doing is :horse:.This may be the first confirmed(?) 3.2 to die here.
Jedda
11-11-2007, 02:00 PM
You could always use the Koolance top for the D5.:rofl::ROTF::rofl: :ROTF:
I'm a DDC user and I don't even think twice about mine. It's just the vocal minority of ppl that have had a DDC die on them that makes it sound worse than it is. Personally, I'd wish they'd just shut up, all their doing is :horse:.This may be the first confirmed(?) 3.2 to die here.
Yeah, always the same folk.
Wonder how the D5 does if its re-assembled before use.
IIRC nicks has been saying for ages ddc are crap and die pretty often
cyriene
11-11-2007, 04:51 PM
Well, I think my DDC overheated or something, the Petra Gel Stuff it was sitting on was kinda melted and distorted in shape. And more bad news...my MCW60 melted!! Which caused it to leak my water out onto my sound card :( Here are some pics...
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/cyriene/meltedmcw60.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/cyriene/meltedmcw602.jpg
Well, I wonder if this is covered under warranty, especially since it was the swiftech pump that died on me causing this meltdown...
yonton228
11-11-2007, 05:21 PM
WOW!.....thats sucks mate.
-yonton228/timmy
NickS
11-11-2007, 05:31 PM
Holy crap dude :|
cyriene
11-11-2007, 05:53 PM
Well, I did need a good excuse to give up the 7900GS and get an 8800GT.....trying to look on the bright side here :rolleyes:
The video card may still work. Before I realized the pump wasn't pumping and restarted my comp I could see the normal bootup screen. Of course that doesn't mean it will work once I try to run 3D applications. I could always send the card back to BFG I guess, they have a lifetime warranty.
NickS
11-11-2007, 05:59 PM
Well, I did need a good excuse to give up the 7900GS and get an 8800GT.....trying to look on the bright side here :rolleyes:
The video card may still work. Before I realized the pump wasn't pumping and restarted my comp I could see the normal bootup screen. Of course that doesn't mean it will work once I try to run 3D applications. I could always send the card back to BFG I guess, they have a lifetime warranty.
Sweet, at least you know you can get an RMA if its busted :)
that's the way to think, always try to make the best of it because you'll feel like :banana::banana::banana::banana: if you don't (I know the feeling, especially when I thought I had destroyed a cpu when removing the ihs):up:
As for the warranty, yeah I would definitely try to get swiftech to give you a new block, especially since it was their pump that failed
kevinbo03
11-11-2007, 06:01 PM
It's entirely possible your card lived, Nvidia cards can take ALLOT of heat. I've had my 7900GS hit 150c when a fan got unplugged, And it still ran BF2 for an entire round before I noticed. It was a bit choppy, But it didn't crash, And surely didn't kill the card.
Sorry to hear about your pump, That seems to be the first reported death of a 3.2 that I've heard of. Open it up and get some pictures, Maybe we can tell what killed it.
LinusTech
11-12-2007, 03:18 AM
I have an MCW60 that looks just like that. I fried it on a BFG 7950GT. Haha. My card ended up being dead.
Also, I tried to make the block still usable by sealing it up with silicone and it ended up being near-impossible :(
Linus
FallenCow
11-12-2007, 03:39 AM
I wonder if that Petra's gel pads aren't doing more harm than good for these DDC pumps. They're great for silencing the pumps, but the bottom of the pump gets really hot sitting on top of that gel. The gel had the bottom of the pump imprinted on it, just like you described. I've had my DDCs quit a few times, luckily they turned back on and have been working since. I try not to run them on top of the gel pads anymore.
Best of luck to you... i hear those 8800GTs kick serious butt!:)
C'DaleRider
11-12-2007, 03:51 AM
I had a DDC2 sitting on a gel pad.....and noticed the pump was getting rather warm. Shouldn't be surprising, though, considering the bottom of the pump is the only other place the motor's heat is dumped.....the other place is into the water itself.
Got rid of the gel pad and am now using dense foam blocks, about 1/2" cubes, stuck on the bottom corners of the pump and it's sitting in a fan's air stream. Runs much cooler now....and very quietly. I'd very much recommend that the gel pad, if anyone is using it on a DDC variant, be thrown away and seek alternate solutions for quieting the pump.
Marci
11-12-2007, 03:54 AM
Take it you didn't have the RPM wire hooked up to CPU Fan Header and Bios set to handle such a situation appropriately? Or is it one of the mobos that doesn't have such options available?
hehe ;) its easy to be "aftersmart"
for ME the wire doesnt reach up to my cpu header..im in a big PC70 case...
smart idé though :)
regards.
dinos22
11-12-2007, 05:22 AM
i am yet to see a bios allow you to shut down a computer if fan drops too low or is it software that does that :confused:
Marci
11-12-2007, 05:28 AM
Every mobo I've ever used has had that option in the bios... (eg: Asus A8N-32SLi, Abit KV8-Max3) ...however, that doesn't include many s775 boards unfortunately... still sat on s939 here :D
Sabre2
11-12-2007, 05:34 AM
I dremeled my MCW (retention clip was hitting against a capacitor) and fear that I might have melted it too since the metal burnt my finger and it looked like the plastic melted... but then the plastic was seperated by another piece and seemed to be the same on the other side...
Well, I hope it doesn't leak... if it does then my vid card will take a beating.
dinos22
11-12-2007, 05:35 AM
i used to have the first board a looooong time ago lol :D but i remember looking into it once and gave up
i havethe damn thing connected and it's showing the RPM and all but i would love to be able to set that as i fear the same as the OP's incident having a DDC pump and all lol
Grafton
11-12-2007, 07:32 AM
yeah i have my dcc up on a rubber mount so i dont have to worry about it getting overheated
Jimmer411
11-12-2007, 03:09 PM
Id definately go with a D5 vario. On petras gel its dead silent at 5 and it dont get warm.
Did you run your gpu on its own loop seperate from the cpu? Auto temp shutdown and no rpm wire on my D5 (ordered it before they added it) is why I run 1 loop only
[XC] DragonOrta
11-12-2007, 03:21 PM
My abit QuadGT has a fan failure shutdown feature. I'd imagine most abit mobos have something like that now.
dinos22
11-12-2007, 03:28 PM
DragonOrta;2552072']My abit QuadGT has a fan failure shutdown feature. I'd imagine most abit mobos have something like that now.
Abit is probably the best motherboard on the market when it comes to uguru chip
shame about some of the other aspects of the mobo otherwise i'd have mine in a 24/7 machine
RickCain
11-12-2007, 04:47 PM
That picture just made me take my DDC off the Petra gel square.... It was HOT and had molded itself to the bottom of the pump.
Nate P.
11-12-2007, 05:21 PM
Holy sh1t!
Spawne32
11-12-2007, 05:36 PM
its amazing they use such cheap gaskets that could melt under that kinda heat, i wonder if you were to use formagasket for engine cooling system repair you wouldnt have to worry about a leak if it melts again. RTV sealant or even small gaskets at your autoparts store if you can find a size that fits would handle higher temps.
cyriene
11-12-2007, 06:22 PM
I have the BIOS set to shut down the computer when it gets to 75 C but for some reason it did not shut down and locked up instead.
I had my CPU and GPU on the same loop. I bought a D5 Vario from Microcenter yesterday, but it only has a molex plug and not a rpm wire.
I'm gonna try to get things up and running to see if it still works or not as soon as I can, but working 12 hour days and going to school isn't giving me much time at the moment. Actually, tomorrow after work I'll hook up the stock cooler and see how things go. I am going to order some nozzles for my Fuzion so I might as well wait for those to arrive before I rebuild the loop.
edit: Here are a couple pics of the gel the pump was sitting on, as you can see it has become deformed or melted
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/cyriene/gel1.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/cyriene/gel2.jpg
RubberDuck
11-12-2007, 06:44 PM
Abit is probably the best motherboard on the market when it comes to uguru chip shame about some of the other aspects of the mobo otherwise i'd have mine in a 24/7 machine
Yep the uGuru chip is great. Mine will shut down if the Laing DDC-3.1 pump falls below 1200rpm :up: I also run my 24/7 runing Folding at home :yepp:
dinos22
11-12-2007, 06:49 PM
Yep the uGuru chip is great. Mine will shut down if the Laing DDC-3.1 pump falls below 1200rpm :up: I also run my 24/7 runing Folding at home :yepp:
stop talking nicely about abit or i'll have to stick it in my 24/7 machine :mad: :D
Sparky
11-12-2007, 07:04 PM
AFAIK my board (A8R32-MVP deluxe) doesn't have a RPM or temp shutdown in it so I'm just stuck hoping something doesn't go awry I guess :/
NaeKuh
11-12-2007, 07:41 PM
Sweet, at least you know you can get an RMA if its busted :)
uhh.. that doesnt count if you broke it because your pump died.
The RMA only applies to accidental deaths.
Were big kids now, if we break our toys, we buy new ones, not try to cheat the company and get it replaced. :down:
About the gell stuff, its normal for it to sort of melt and distort like that. It keeps memory of that shape, and still works at silencing and vibration dampening.
Borgod
11-12-2007, 07:41 PM
Another DDC pump bites the dust.
Do what I have just done, fit 2 of them in series and monitor the RPM for both.
Spawne32
11-12-2007, 08:31 PM
wow that gel got cooked, im gona have to talk to petra and see if somthing like that is also a fire hazard.
AAjax
11-12-2007, 08:50 PM
Take it you didn't have the RPM wire hooked up to CPU Fan Header and Bios set to handle such a situation appropriately? Or is it one of the mobos that doesn't have such options available?
I was thinkin the same thing, though I had a meltdown years back myself. :(
Old ac pumps were prone to such things.
[XC] DragonOrta
11-12-2007, 10:35 PM
stop talking nicely about abit or i'll have to stick it in my 24/7 machine :mad: :D
I've had my QuadGT refuse to boot up because I forgot to plug in the power to the pump.
It took me about 15 minutes to finally realize why it would turn on for a second and turn back off. I switch out RAM for my always boot RAM (This one stick will boot no matter how messed up the timings are), switched out VC for a PCI VC. Finally saw the power cord for the pump swinging around. :doh: lol
dinos22
11-12-2007, 10:36 PM
DragonOrta;2552976']I've had my QuadGT refuse to boot up because I forgot to plug in the power to the pump.
It took me about 15 minutes to finally realize why it would turn on for a second and turn back off. I switch out RAM for my always boot RAM (This one stick will boot no matter how messed up the timings are), switched out VC for a PCI VC. Finally saw the power cord for the pump swinging around. :doh: lol
runs down and buys a QuadGT .... not
hahah but good try :D
cyriene
11-15-2007, 08:40 AM
Well, I took apart the failed DDC and shot these photos. Looks like the pump lube leaked into the circuit area causing corrosion or something.
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/cyriene/pump1.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/cyriene/pump3.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/cyriene/pump2.jpg
Also, I put the BFG 7900GSOC into my old Dell with the stock fan and it works! haha, I opened ati tool and let it look for artifacts and it didnt find any, so that is amazing. Here is another pic of the MCW60 delrin after I took it apart.
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/cyriene/mcw601.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/cyriene/mcw602.jpg
I tried to test the processor, but I think the mobo might have gone bad. It got soem water on it which leaked out of the melted MCW60. I let it dry for a couple days but it might be futile. I will try get it running again but I have to work a hell of a lot the next 3 days so it might not be until Sunday. But if my mob did die, I will have to decide if I want to get another abit IP35-E or get the PRO version instead...
G H Z
11-15-2007, 11:20 AM
I noticed my gel pad was oozing fluid last night and deformed, and the pump base is running hot. It's very quiet but I'm gonna figure something else out...
Xilikon
11-15-2007, 11:44 AM
cyriene, I don't think there any lube in the pump since the only moving part is the impeller and water would be the lube. Do you happen to use a green fluid ? I think it may be leaking due to a improperly screwed top.
RubberDuck
11-15-2007, 11:49 AM
stop talking nicely about abit or i'll have to stick it in my 24/7 machine :mad: :D
You know you want to run your Abit 24/7 :yepp: :yepp:
back on topic
MAn that pump looks bad & the GPU block also :( :( :( WOW talk about hot water
Waterlogged
11-15-2007, 11:49 AM
Actually, that "lube" looks like it might be Petra's gel. I think it liquefied, oozed up into the pump and shorted it out.
Xilikon
11-15-2007, 11:53 AM
Actually, that "lube" looks like it might be Petra's gel. I think it liquefied, oozed up into the pump and shorted it out.
Make more sense, I forgot about that... It mean that putting the DDC on the gel pad would be a bad idea now.
cyriene
11-15-2007, 03:21 PM
I don't use green fluid I was using some light blue fluid though, distilled water with pentosin G11 actually. I had the top screwed down tightly and I don't think I would have wanted to screw it any tighter, but I guess maybe there wasn't a tight seal from the o-ring. And I don't exactly know what that fluid is from, it was sort of brown and greasy-like so I assumed it may be some sort of lube. I still can't believe the video card works after looking at the MCW60 though!
silverphoenix
11-15-2007, 05:32 PM
I have my DDC's rpm sensor hooked up to the mobo to detect and make sure its working. falls below its standard rpms machine shutsdown.
I also noticed the DDC gets toasty, so mines elevated and sits about 1" from the sanyo denki blowing through the single rad.
The_Beast
11-15-2007, 05:53 PM
that sucks, glad your comp. is all right
Get a D5
G H Z
11-15-2007, 07:29 PM
Actually, that "lube" looks like it might be Petra's gel. I think it liquefied, oozed up into the pump and shorted it out.
I think so, sorry Petra's I love you guys but this does appear to be a potential problem.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/canny/gs1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/canny/gs2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/canny/gs3.jpg
I put the stock neoprene between the Gel and the pump, that should take care of it :up:
dinos22
11-15-2007, 07:40 PM
no :banana::banana::banana::banana: heh
i actually use some soft neoprene on the edges myself but the whole area underneath is not touching anything :up:
kevinbo03
11-15-2007, 07:52 PM
My pump is on it's side, And I have no issues... It's cold to the touch.
That's the trouble with the DDC pump platform. Lotsof people complain that the D5 dumps a lot of heat into the water and the DDC series doesn't dump anywhere close to that amount of heat. The heat has to go somewhere, right? Seems like a no win situation.
kevinbo03
11-15-2007, 08:59 PM
That's the trouble with the DDC pump platform. Lotsof people complain that the D5 dumps a lot of heat into the water and the DDC series doesn't dump anywhere close to that amount of heat. The heat has to go somewhere, right? Seems like a no win situation.
I think it would be fine, But using the Gel or Neoprene on the base insulates all that heat! I think if there was something like a min-radbox that could sit ontop of the gel, and the pump ontop of the mini box, It would allow the base to make contact with air and keep cool. Mine is on it's side, With no fans near it, And the base is only slightly warm to the touch.
As it is, people are trapping all that heat.
Edit: Something like this:
http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/6899/scoobylaingddcpetrasteccc5.png
G H Z
11-15-2007, 09:33 PM
Thats a good idea kevin :)
Now for the other news, my loaded temps (3650MHz Q6600 crunching) have dropped 4° since I changed what's underneath my pump. I should mount it sideways like you have done and see what difference it makes.
cyriene
11-15-2007, 10:04 PM
I like the idea of propping the pump up so air can circulate and keep the bottom cool. I will probably get another DDC to go with my PT top sometime when I want to put in my second loop and will look into a way to keep the bottom cool. A little platform with a fan would probably work well.
Daemonfly
11-15-2007, 10:14 PM
Imho, the pump itself should not get hot enough to cause any problems, Petra's gel or not. That seems more like a manufacturing/engineering problem.
Waterlogged
11-15-2007, 10:26 PM
Imho, the pump itself should not get hot enough to cause any problems, Petra's gel or not. That seems more like a manufacturing/engineering problem.
Tell you what, why don't you spin around at ~4200+ rpm's, while surrounded by electronic components, and tell us how hot you and your feet get. :p:
There's no flaw, it's just the gel trapping the heat (as it's somewhat dense) and transmitting it back into the pump. The less air flow over the gel the warmer it's going to get, until it fails, which looks to be what happened here.
kevinbo03, good idea. :up: Maybe hard mount the pump to that and have 4 small square gel feet.
Jedda
11-16-2007, 01:09 AM
Stood mine on alphacool couplings.
Two DDC2 + PTS head 10mm off the case floor and the base is only just warm to the touch. Any airflow at all and it wouldn't even feel warm.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v408/sulk/alphacoolcouplings.jpg
kevin, this is nice you suggest. But the main heat comes from the peripheral parts of the bottom. So you would need at least a little more of a hole there.
Also I think Jedda's method is best. I've got mine on a very small peace of neoprene just supporting the edge of the pump. Actually it's hanging on the tubing going to the rad. An gets quite warm - sub 50C. I am considering putting an 80mm fan at the bottom of it (next to it actually), since I have the Alphacool top, which has the appropriate mounting holes for such.
turtletrax
11-16-2007, 02:32 AM
I have 2 DDC2 Petra Topped pumps and one has been running trouble free for 9 months. I had the other stop, but I think it was a airlock that caused the stopage.
Both are mounted on the side and run very cool. I did try the Gelstuff and found that my pump ran way to hot so I got rid of it, and that is what prompted me to side mounting them. I had no idea it could get so hot to melt the Gelstuff... Amazing.
silverphoenix
11-16-2007, 02:42 AM
This is an older wc setup but the pump is still exactly the way it is shown, gets a little warmish but sitting in front of the fan and lifted up like that does not get warm enough to even melt butter.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v106/silverphoenix/PC%20forums%20stuff/WC182/IMG_6522.jpg
jinu117
11-16-2007, 02:46 AM
Surprised no one uses sorbothane based feet for mounting this anymore?
ShambleS
11-16-2007, 03:00 AM
That pump looks to have fried itself.
thers serious signes of heat and electrical damage that 12V should not have been able to produce through using water as the only conductor .
It looks as if it has been given moe power than it wanted. (my prime culprate would be to much power)
Having said that if the "gel" that you are all talking about is higley conductive i can imagine that having caused the short.
In all honesty. water alone is not conductive enough to transfer 12v of electricity.
Ud need to put lots of salt or something in it..
And brown ooze stuff is probably some residue of solder and the silicone after they were exposed to heat..
Having said all that maby what i think im seeing in the pic is not what im actualy seeing at all :):up:
Xilikon
11-16-2007, 05:34 AM
My own design that I submitted to welshtom for a prototype is a kind of a 3 1/2" bay mount for a DDC with a circle hole to clear the base so a fan can blow thru it. Jedda showed some kind of mount which would be ideal for my design. Like that, it can be mounted on a bay drive and get airflow from the front case fan.
bluep3ace
11-16-2007, 08:07 PM
Surprised no one uses sorbothane based feet for mounting this anymore?
if i had a water cooling setup, i'd definitely use sorbothane. my brother has some around in the house.
sorbothane was made to absorb vibrations, it's use is more than practical for this.
Lekko
11-16-2007, 09:45 PM
I used what was available and elevated my DDC on some soft tubing (old UV tubing from earlier build 1/2 in.) cut in half to make a nice "u" shape. Two of those act like rubber stilts, both allowing air to circulate under it, and then also are soft enough to keep it silent.
I'm kinda glad I skipped the gel. Glad your videocard still works though :up:
[XC] DragonOrta
11-16-2007, 10:13 PM
I just thermal epoxied some heatsinks to the bottom of my DDC-2, and then put that on the Gel Stuff. Works pretty well for me. Slight indents in the Gel Stuff from the sinks, put nothing worth worrying over.
Jedda
11-16-2007, 11:15 PM
1K words =
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v408/sulk/Pumpmountstandoff.png
HotGore
11-17-2007, 12:18 AM
I think we may be over thinking things here a little too much :D
I don't think we're over thinking. I do feel the bottom of mine is quite hot.
Jedda - nice work man - show'em! :D
Here's my suggestion:
http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/6046/ddcultradv5.png
Which is some isolating material - neoprene, gel, etc. Just covering the edges of the bottom. Actually I think about 5mm on all sides is quite enough. It's easy to do, and does the job. Although - again, you trap heat under the pump. So I think Jedda's way is best - "rubber feet" under the pump, and mounted somewhere with at least a little ventilation.
PS: My eyes still hurt from the looks of the melted MCW60. Farewell, good warrior! :(
PS2: Gotta unhang my ddc from the tubing. Damn laziness... :shakes: