Bleeding bay drives, from low to high barbs or vice versa?

[Eddie3dfx]

I've having a bit of a problem getting mr bubbles out of my alphacool bay drives (same as bitspower, but only 3 holes, not 5)

Anywho, the back of the drive is like this.
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/images/products/Repack-SIBBL_02.jpg

I have it where the input of flow is coming from the Lower hole and the exit of flow is coming from the higher one.
(fill port is on top)

Is this correct? Any tips from bay users ..
Does it really matter if the flow is coming from up or down? ( I would only assume lower to high is better because the flow is going up (and air goes up and out)

[silverphoenix]

I would have the water go into the res through the higher port and the water go out the lower port. this should help prevent the bubbles from being sucked into the pump.

[aspire.comptech]

+1.

[Marcng]

the inlet and outlet on this specific bay res do matter.
+ 1 on the answer.
i have this res as well, and to tell you the truth, it also depends on which pump you are using.
i have a DDC+ in my loop and this little thing is sucking water in so quick the bubbles don't even have time to settle and get sucked back into the loop.
i think it's a faulty design for the res.
then, i added a T-line, bleeding became much easier and faster.

FYI here is what i have in my loop:

DDC+ w/ petra's top
FuZion V1
EK88FC GTX
EK NF4
PA120.3
alphacool bay res

[Eddie3dfx]

the inlet and outlet on this specific bay res do matter.
+ 1 on the answer.
i have this res as well, and to tell you the truth, it also depends on which pump you are using.
i have a DDC+ in my loop and this little thing is sucking water in so quick the bubbles don't even have time to settle and get sucked back into the loop.
i think it's a faulty design for the res.
then, i added a T-line, bleeding became much easier and faster.

FYI here is what i have in my loop:

DDC+ w/ petra's top
FuZion V1
EK88FC GTX
EK NF4
PA120.3
alphacool bay res

I'm using a d5 and a d5-b and 2 of these resevoirs and I can understand exactly what you mean.
Too much flow

[gazmtk]

pull the front off, and insert a custom made box, with the back complete open where the outlet is, and the front only open from the bottom :up:
this should keep all your bubbles out
im currently making one for my bitspower bay res! tho i dont take credit for my idea.... i saw it on the XSPC bay pump :yepp:

[Tulatin]

I would avoid those reservoirs if at all possible. I had the full acrylic version for a while, and though they are beautiful - absolutely, beautiful - they are a NIGHTMARE to bleed. That's because of the slight dip around the fill hole; meaning that the system has to rock back and forth to get the last of the air out :(

[Eddie3dfx]

I would avoid those reservoirs if at all possible. I had the full acrylic version for a while, and though they are beautiful - absolutely, beautiful - they are a NIGHTMARE to bleed. That's because of the slight dip around the fill hole; meaning that the system has to rock back and forth to get the last of the air out :(

I know, this is what stinks.
That dip makes life a nightmare.

[calvin]

Works better if inlet is the higher hole, with lower hole as output. If you have a low flow pump this is likely all you need to do.

But if you are using a stronger DC pump such as DDC or D5 then IME you will need to mod the res to get it working properly.

Problem with this particular design is that in stock form it cannot be completely filled. This is due to the hump feature. A small amount of air remains stuck at either side of the hump. Strong pumps will readily pull this air back into the system in the process frustrating attempts to fully bleed all air. This res has been around for a long time and was originally developed before today's generation of powerful pumps. Its really more appropriate for low flow setups but with a simple mod can be adapted to work for high flow.

A solution I have found works well is to add an extra bleed hole on the side of the lower connection. This allows for completely filling the res. Here are some shots. I added two bleed holes as I was experimenting at the time but now I use only the rightmost one.

Extra bleed hole location:

http://home.cogeco.ca/~legarep/P1010348.JPG

The result:

http://home.cogeco.ca/~legarep/P1010355.JPG

Its a beautiful res, well worth the minor effort IMO.

Another shot completely full:

http://home.cogeco.ca/~legarep/res%20640x480.jpg

[Eddie3dfx]

Do you put screws in there?? or is it just open?

[calvin]

I simply used standard fan screws. They are self tapping and have tapered tops. :up:

Only tool required was a hand drill to make the hole. I picked the right drill bit by taking a fan and using the screw holes to size the bit. For sealing teflon plumbers tape works fine, ie the white stuff you can see in the first picture.

You actually don't need to 100% fill. Halfway up the hump or so and performance smooths out nicely. (ref 18w DDC). Personally I just prefer the look of completely full. It would be nice if AC issued a revision to this design but maybe they don't frequent XS :shrug: