Found Moisture. Need help determining where it may have come from.

[cesthree]

Keep in mind, all images are clickable thumbnails. I didn't want to inundate your screen.

I went to install some different fans on my radiator in the top of my HAF 932 yesterday and found moisture all along the top of the radiator, nowhere else, just along the fan mounting tabs.



I was like WTF is going on here, its not a lot of moisture, but where on earth is it coming from?

Pulled the system out, completely connected (so glad I decided to design it that way) so I could run it just outside the case on some paper towels.

Installed the stupid Intel stock cooler. Man, I miss my LC already. The system has been running on the desk like this for almost 24 hours.



I started this thread awhile ago and came to the determination that I had to use different o-rings with those DD/BP Fat Boy fittings.

I used that D'Tek Fuzion V2 for about six months. It always appeared to have moisture around the fittings. I didn't think too much of it, I always thought that a major leak would be more to worry about, like seeing actual drops forming or water gushing out everywhere.

Since I fixed that problem, I have changed to a different waterblock, an Apogee XT. It has been great, no leaks, no seepage.

The Delrin T you can see in this photo has always seeped a little.



It used to be situated lower in the case, closer to the pump. I didn't realize that it seeped until I re-routed all my hoses. It is now mounted up closer to the radiator. I put different o-rings and that didn't stop the seepage, but again, I didn't think it would be a major problem. EDIT: If you look at my Avatar, you can see where the T used to be, it's just above the pump in the lower right of the picture. That was when I had this system on an DFI X48 mobo.

I have these to use as a replacement for the T. I will try the BP Y fitting, and if it leaks, I have two nylon fittings that I can choose from.



What I am wondering is if the seepage from both the D'Tek Fuzion V2 and the Delrin T were evaporating and settling just on top of my radiator? Does that sound plausible?

I don't see any signs of moisture on the radiator anywhere else, like as if it had a leak.

Any help in figuring this one out would be greatly appreciated.

I don't want to sell all this stuff and replace it with a decent air cooler or Corsair H50, but I might. I just can't stand being pecked at with little seepage problems. I would almost prefer a major failure, at least that way it would be easy to determine the cause of the problem!!!

Thanks all.

[NaeKuh]

This is when you use a Dye...

:X

And a UV one is best prefered.. because it lights everything up where it leaked.

[cesthree]

This is when you use a Dye...

:X

And a UV one is best prefered.. because it lights everything up where it leaked.

Can you recommend a dye? I use straight distilled and an iandh Silver KillCoil only.

I don't want to add something that will coagulate my system making maintenance a frequent and painful thing.

Thanks though, I will def pick something up.

[NaeKuh]

well i would say try getting some of Mlwood';s clear UV.
No staining... and its invisible until a black light is used. (wont work great with blue LED's... needs to be a black light.)

IF you have a blacklight, it really lights things up.



vs. No dye..


You would see blue patches where u leaked, even if it dryed out.. which is why i say UV dyes are great only when finding a leak.

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...d.php?t=230290

Just make sure you grab a UV, however the clear UV would be the least messy.

[voigts]

As long as you are just using the dye temporarily to find your leak, it shouldn't cause a problem.

[cesthree]

http://efproducts.com/proddetail.php?prod=375

Ok, I found this stuff at the local parts store. Anybody heard of it before?



I think I'll give it a try and return my results.

[eth0s]

You have a leak in the radiator, that is where the moisture is coming from. There is a very tiny hole somewhere in one of the tubes. The leak starts small, and will eventually get bigger and bigger. However, at this stage it is extremely hard to find, because you will get like one drop of water every 24 hours or so, right? Using the UV dye with a UV light is good advice. But I'm pretty sure it is the radiator. The best thing to do is just replace the radiator, so you can get on with your life. And then, when you have time, leak test it outside the case. If you have two pumps that you can set up with that leaky rad, great, because two pumps will help you will find the leak faster, as the double head pressure will expose the hole for you faster. And if you can prove the rad is leaking, take a picture, and Gabe should give you a new one, if you are still in the warranty period. If you do not have time/money for the leak testing, just replace the rad, as I am sure it is leaking.

[cesthree]

I haven't had any drops form anywhere, in fact had I not removed the fans to replace them I would have never seen the moisture.

The fans are on top of the radiator, pulling air through the radiator out the top of the case.

The only places I have seen moisture are at the fittings on my old D'Tek Fuzion V2, and now on the Danger Den Acetal T.

I found the seepage on the T before, but after adding some dye tonight, I swabbed around the fittings with a Q-tip and it was lit up bright under a black light.

So, I am leak testing outside the case right now, as indicated with the photo above and the whole system sitting on some paper towels.

I have added some dye. The stuff from my previous post.

I found where one leak is coming from, and I will continue to monitor the radiator.

All I really want to know is if it is possible for the leaks (really, just seepage) at the water block (my old water block) and the DD T fitting would be enough to accumulate very small amounts of moisture on top of my radiator, between the radiator and the fans??

[Serpentarius]

what's your ambient temp?

seep normally drip down not up on the rad ....

[cesthree]

In the room that the computer is in, the ambient temperature is 20-22C.

In the case I am not sure, but both my GPU's read around 42C according to PCB Temperature of GPU-Z.

[cesthree]

See, that's what baffles me, I haven't seen any drips forming on anything. The moisture was up on top of the radiator only between the fans and the radiator mounting tabs. If I had a decent camera I would have taken some pics of the moisture.

I found this dye around the fitting at the "base" of the T. In the pic, it is the part of the T pointing up.

Will insert pic here of leak found as soon as I can host the image on Photobucket. Site down for maintenance.

Those Bits Power o-rings are just too big. They bulge too much as you tighten them, and get pinched. I solved that on my Apogee XT by using the smaller o-rings that came with the block on the Fat-Boys. No leaks whatsoever at that location.

[eth0s]

All I really want to know is if it is possible for the leaks (really, just seepage) at the water block (my old water block) and the DD T fitting would be enough to accumulate very small amounts of moisture on top of my radiator, between the radiator and the fans??

I still say the moisture around the top of the radiator is coming from a leak in the radiator. I saw this before in one of my rads, although the moisture was on the bottom side of the rad, between the radiator and the fans. I think you just caught it very early, and the hole is still very, very small; so small in fact, that it's not even forming droplets yet. At this stage it probably will never form droplets, because my guess is that the air from the fans evaporates if faster than a droplet can form, leaving only a patch of moisture, but I'm sure that if you leave it alone, it will worsen to the droplet stage. It is simply impossible that the leak from the T is traveling to the top of the rad. And finally, I have no idea why you say "seepage" rather than leak. A leak is a leak is a leak (to paraphrase Gertrude Stein). If water is coming out, no matter how slowly, that is a leak. Seepage implies some sort of porous membrane that is oozing water, which is not the case here.

[irenedakota]

Can't help you with the leak, but for image hosting look at imgur.com, much nicer than photobucket imo

[cesthree]

Ok, for clarification then.

My leaks are just seeps, as apposed to full on drips that you can see with ease.

Its hard to tell if its a leak when it is a seep. When you can hold out your hand and capture droplets, that's a different kind of leak, Sir.

Really, its a Class I vs. a Class III according to PMCS. If this were a Class III, I would have already reported it to my supervisor. LOL.

[Serpentarius]

maybe the room is both humid and cold?

maybe if you could .... wipe clean the rad, dab some cooking oil on the rad surface, and check any water spots?

i think maybe the air is slight humid in this case ... kinda strange to have a seepage without any tiny jets of water ... the pump is pretty strong, the pressure would drive a small jet of water if there's a tiny punctured hole ... seepage like this doesnt makes sense

[eth0s]

My leaks are just seeps, as apposed to full on drips that you can see with ease.

Its hard to tell if its a leak when it is a seep. When you can hold out your hand and capture droplets, that's a different kind of leak, Sir.

Hmm, now that I think about it, maybe your use of the term "seep" is appropriate. But I still think water is seeping from a tiny hole or holes in one of the radiator tubes. One more question: are the fans blowing up? That might account for why the "seepage" is accumulating on top of the rad. And please don't call me "Sir" even in sarcasm, it makes me feel old, and that hurts my feelings.

[cesthree]

I was just trying to be clear, eth0s, not trying to make you feel old. I use sir all the time, just out of habit.

Yeah man my fans are pulling up and out of the case. The rad is situated in the top of my case when mounted in it. The fans sit between it and the inside of the top of my case. Screws are from the top through the fan and into the radiator. I have triple checked that they are not too long.

It is indeed a weird situation. I haven't seen any little jets of water at all.

What would be cool is if we could pressurize these systems, like automotive systems, to check for leaks. The purpose for pressurization in automotive is to raise the boiling point, but it comes in handy for leak testing too. I would just be scared to put too much pressure on this little system and damage the radiator or tubing.