The AquaComputer Water Filter model 34018

The AquaComputer Water Filter model 34018

by Dark Mantis

This is a very nicely designed and manufactured product as with most of AquaComputer's

range and is made in Germany of Delrin, Stainless Steel and Plexiglas. The size overall

of this filter unit without fittings is 84 x 67 x 40 mm.

http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/3...oxedfilter.jpg

http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/9...oxedfilter.jpg

It is supplied in a fairly standard cardbord box but well cushioned inside in bubble

wrap. It comes complete with mounting fixings consisting of four stainless steel allen

bolts and nuts with a set of plastic washers to bed onto. At this point I should

mention that there are no pipe fixings or allen keys supplied as standard so you will

have to arrange your own.

http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/3...seupfilter.jpg

The other thing that was noticably lacking was any instructions or template. This in

particular was a let down as you are expected to find your own optimum method of fixing

with no idea of even whether horizontal or vertical mounting is advised.

http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/2700/4rearfilter.jpg

When you have decided on the fixing position you will need to cut a square hole of 48 x

48 mm for the viewing port to fit through. When you have that completed you can then

use the front bezel as a template to mark the holes for fixing, for this you will need

a 4 mm drill bit. These holes are at 53 mm centres. You will also require a 2.5 mm

allen key for these bolts. Why the manufacturers didn't supply the same size as the

rest I don't understand as I am sure they would have been strong enough.

http://img847.imageshack.us/img847/1369/5sidefilter.jpg

Right well onto pulling it apart so that you don't have to!

Firstly I will remove the parts that you would need to take out when cleaning the

filter as this is going to be a job that everyone is going to have to do at some stage.

http://img855.imageshack.us/img855/8...ntlefilter.jpg

http://img46.imageshack.us/img46/261...rnalfilter.jpg

http://img858.imageshack.us/img858/3...lessfilter.jpg

You will need to aquire some allen keys for this and the rest of the strip down if you

intend to do any of it. Get hold of a 2, 2.5, 5 and 6 mm keys. These will fit

everything on the unit. Looking at the front use the 2 mm allen key to remove the four

inner bolts that hold the Plexiglas window to the body of the filter. Once done the

viewing port can be removed although it is a fairly tight fit. With that out of the way

you can then access the two inner bolts that hold down a ring that secures the

stainless steel filter mesh itself. This is very fine and should stop all but the

finest of particles which shouldn't cause any problems even with the fine matrixes of a

lot of the newer CPU cooling blocks. I have been informed that these filter mesh disks

will be available as spares shortly.

http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/4907/8portsfilter.jpg

On the back side of the device are located two valve handles. They are wrongly marked

as per the stamp on each but the proper way is engraved onto the backplate. These allow

you to isoplate the rest of the cooling loop from the filter medium for cleaning. There

are also indicators for in and out connections.If this plate is removed it gives access

to the ball valves. To remove these first the handles and plate have to be removed

using the same 2 mm allen key as previously. Then inside the two connector ports there

are screw compressors that hold the ball valves in place. These need a 6 mm allen key.

Once loose the ball valves are free to come out of the ports. These valves are a little

restricive in my view as they only have an opening of 5.43 mm. This probably won't have

any effect on those using smaller bore piping eg 8 or 10 mm ID but for people with

larger bore loops of 1/2 inch it is a huge difference.

http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/4...sassembled.jpg

Also on the rear is a 1/8th inch BSPP port with a supplied blank. This can be removed

and replaced with a LED fitting instead to add some internal lighting.

http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/1...seupfilter.jpg

In conclusion I think it is a nice piece of kit and knocks spots off the in-line type

of filter in many ways not least of which is surface area so clogging of the filter

would be very unlikely. Apart from being let down by some minor but annoying things

like the sharp edges on stainless steel faceplate should have been deburred, there

should be instructions included, the valve handles incorrectly marked and the

restrictive valves I really like it. The design and quality of manufacture is good, the

shut off valves to isolate it from the loop are a brilliant idea, the viewport is

excellent and in my opinion it is good value.

Photo of the Aquacomputer filter in action with UV light!

All in all a very capable product and of excellent quality. I wouild rate this as 9/10. Well done Aquacomputer!

http://img827.imageshack.us/img827/1...isreviews9.jpg Review sample supplied by CandC Central http://www.candccentral.co.uk/

Supplier: http://www.candccentral.co.uk/aquaco...ate-34018.html
Price: £26.99

http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/6650/sysd7.jpg

It's beautiful like most of their products. I just don't see much use for it.

I've had my share of problems with "gunk" clogging up the fine matrix of some of the CPU blocks especially so I'm hoping it will stop that.

that is really cool, thanks for reviewing it, nice job!

Thinking of picking one of these up. The only problem would be mounting it. Also don't know where I could stash more hoses.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by sin0822

that is really cool, thanks for reviewing it, nice job!

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Glad you liked it. I have more reviews I can post if members like them.

Quote:

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SovietKitsch Thinking of picking one of these up. The only problem would be mounting it. Also don't know where I could stash more hoses.

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Yes the problem of finding somewhere to mount the sucker can be a problem especially in a small case like my testbench.

Seems to me like more unneeded maint...added to your loop...I will pass. Expecially since they cant seem to put instructions or label the valves properly..

Seems like they just threw this together..

I wil reserve my judgement for now until I have tested it thoroughly. It seems like a good idea compared to some of the clog ups I have seen in the past but we shall see.

As an update I changed the blank on the back for a standard clear LED fitting. This wouldn't fit right into the recess so I would advise purchasing the correct part for this item or be ready to modify the ouitside diameter of a standard one.

Don't suppose you have a flow meter to check how much restriction it adds?

Not at the moment but it is something I am considereing for the future and wll do the test and update the thread when I get one.

Very nice review !

i've installed the AC filter in my test loop.
It is sitting at top/front of the case ) laid flat horizontal in a square hole i drilled in the case roof

I played with it a bit as was testing loop and i noticed it was the better noise arrangement...i mean vertical it was terribly noisy
I noticed, still in the horizonal position, it produces a bit of noise (like water mixing up to come close to the kinda noise it produces)...no drama but still some noise...

I was wondering if you had same experience with it

A last question is do you see any issue by using inlet as outlet and viceversa (i think in this way though the particles would be captured by the bottom of the mesh grid wich is indeed pretty suboptimal...

Thanks

Yes I did notice a little noise with it being mounted vertically but didn't have any option with my setup, although I did think that as far as cleaning goes it would make more sense to have it mounted horizontally. You could then shut off the valves and take the front plate off to clean without losing any fluid at all. The noise abated as I reduced the flow of the pump anyway.

The ports are quite clearly marked as inlet and outlet but I did find that if I connected them up this way it was much harder to clear the air from the unit. Maybe there again that could be down to mounting vertically. I then swapped the pipes around and the air was cleared much easier. It does mean that any debris is trapped on the front side of the filter now as opposed to behind it. In my opinion that is a good thing as it makes it visible.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dark Mantis

Yes I did notice a little noise with it being mounted vertically but didn't have any option with my setup, although I did think that as far as cleaning goes it would make more sense to have it mounted horizontally. You could then shut off the valves and take the front plate off to clean without losing any fluid at all. The noise abated as I reduced the flow of the pump anyway.

The ports are quite clearly marked as inlet and outlet but I did find that if I connected them up this way it was much harder to clear the air from the unit. Maybe there again that could be down to mounting vertically. I then swapped the pipes around and the air was cleared much easier. It does mean that any debris is trapped on the front side of the filter now as opposed to behind it. In my opinion that is a good thing as it makes it visible.

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:) i did exactly same, swapped terminals, and indeed much more practical to have potential debris on the face of the mesh rather than behind...so they all fall back in loop when you open filter for cleaning
Something wierd i have to say the default arrangement...

Mine is mounted on top of case (i drilled it out) next to fillport

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_2...0/IMG_0602.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_2...0/IMG_0603.JPG

I noticed it takes ages to bleed but once it is it gets silent

Thanks

:D

Nice neat little installation there. I would have to agree that if possible that is the best mounting option and the reversing of the flow makes more sense. As soon as I get a flow meter I will do some more tests on it.