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Corsair H100i push/pull with splitter? HELP

3K views 36 replies 5 participants last post by  jpm888 
#1 ·
Hey guys, I currently have an arorus gaming 3 motherboard x299 with the i7 7740x CPU, I have been using an h100i cooler for quite some time now. I managed to easily overclock my CPU to 5.1ghz stable at only 1.27v and I also have my corsair vengiance 3000mhz I XMP profile overclocked to 3200mhz. Currently I run about 28c at idle and on average 50-60c during gaming. I have pushed my CPU to 5.3ghz at around 1.4v stable but it gets around 80-85c when stress testing. I love my h100i it does very well but my plan is to run a pushpull setup, if I'm amble to squeeze another 3-8c cooler temps out of it I would be happy for the money, cuz temps are everthing when overclocking and noise does not bother me.

I'm currently running my radiator at the very top of my case with two Fans on the bottom of the radiator pushing air through the radiator and out though the top of my case (as an exhaust) so I would like to add two more fans on top of the radiator as pull which will be hidden underneath the top panel of my tower which can wailer be snapped on or off for cleaning and fan mounting.

My current delemma... the two fans I am currently using are the grey and black stock SP 120 fans that come with the cooler, at first I was just gonna buy two more of those exact fans and run them up top in pull, but when i looked online I saw corsair has sp120 (high performance fans) as well as (sp120 quite fans.) the performance fans have a higher rpm as well as a higher amperage .8amp each I think, and the quite ones are around .5amp each I think. MY QUESTION to you guys is will I be able to just run a splitter off the corsair pump and plug in all 4 fans to the corsair fan controller and then into my CPU fan header? From what Iv read online the fan controller is only a 4amp, so I feel I will be pushing the limits of both the corsair fan controller as well as the CPU header on my motherboard. I really don't wanna burn it out but I would really like to have all 4 fans controlled though the corsair software. I also found a splitter cable that has a molex on the one end for a sata power cable, would that work? Would I then be able to run all 4 fans off the 1 corsair controller and the 1 CPU fan header? I would think that the molex adaptor would allow for this to happen while not overloading the single CPU fan header with too many amps..

If neither of these solutions work, then I was thinking about connecting all 4 fans to the fan controller on my tower, I have two fan controller knobs that can control up to 3 fans each, so what I was thinking was connecting my push fans to one knob and my pull fans to another knob, eliminating the corsair controller all togeher; This way I would be able to find that perfect balance of rpm for both push and pull fans separately.

Last option of mine would be to leave the two Fans controlled though the corsair controller and then just simply plug the two other fans into the motherboard fan headers (which I really don't wanna do)

I also plan on buying some 1/8" rubber door sealer from a local hardware store and using it between the fan and the radiator so that there is less static pressure being lost. The rubber foam has a sticky backing so I plan on lining the frame of the fan with it before mounting the fans back onto my radiator, this way there is a much greater seal between the radiator and the fans thus making for better airflow across the fins of the radiator resulting in cooler CPU temperatures.

Let me know what you guys think about all this.. also are the grey and black fans that came with my water cooler basically the same as the (sp120 high performance fans) cuz from what I saw I think the RPM is the same. The only real difference I noticed was that the high performance fans have the color changing rings as well as tubby bushings to quite the sound of the fan. I think they use the same amperage tho as the grey and black stock cooler fans.

If you guys have any input or can help me with my delemma I would be greatly appreciative. Also if you have any other SP fan suggestions that would possibly cool even better than the corsair sp120s then please let me know. Like I said I'm not so worried about noise as I am performance, After all cooler temps is what I'm after.
 
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#2 ·
First off, nice chip.
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What I would do:

Purchase ML-120 fans to go between the case and radiator. They are higher static pressure fans and you'll need that because those fans will have to pull air through the radiator and then push though the case top. SLs are not near so powerful.

If you can, keep your pump and fans on different circuits. You might want to run your pump at a higher speed near idle than your fans.

It's fine to split your fans into 2 circuits. I run my outer fans together on one circuit and my inners on another and differ the curves enough to prevent annoying harmonics issues.

Use a cable adapter to run multiple fans off the same MB PWM connector and pull fan power directly from the PSU.

I squish small rolled-up strips of Scotch 2228 sealing tape to seal my fans against my case and rads.

Good luck.
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#4 ·
The chip has been great, I was actually able to hit 5ghz at just 1.6v vcore! I truely feel that I won the lotto or at least god a darn good chip. I know guys who can't hit 5ghz at 3.8v with the same chip. Once I was stable at 5ghz at 1.2v which was stock voltage I decided to work my way backwards in voltage just to see how low I really could go. I managed to hit 1.6v before it finally crashed during a benchmark.. but anyhow..

Thanks for your input. You mentioned SL fans? Do you mean the corsair SP series? Are you saying that the fans you recommended have a higher static pressure than the sp120 performance fans? If so I would be happy to buy those instead.. and as far as the fans and what they would have to pull through. The top fans will have to pull air though the radiator as well as though the steel panel with holes for air flow that the fans would be up against.. and the push Fans would have to push air up though the rad up to the second fan (pull) is it more important to have stronger fans on push or pull for this type of setup? And does anyone know if the stock corsair sp120 fans are the same static pressure as the sp120 performance fans? Cuz if so I would rather go with the sp120 performance cuz they have the rubber gromits and the colored ring so they will look much sleeker in my case being that they will be visable.

About using different circuits. That's a good idea, which is why I thought about keeping just the pump on the CPU fan header and having only control just the pump in the corsair link software.. this way I could put just the pull fans on one of my case controller knobs and Just the pull the other controller knob , this way I can find the perfect rpm with both push and pull fans separately for best performance vs noise.. only issue with that is I don't think I will be able to see the fan speed on my computer. Which would really suck. Cuz I always like to watch them, so I would have To buy a special controller just so that I could control the pull and push fans separately just so I could see the rpm of the fans as I adjusted them. Otherwise I could only go by sound .. this is why my only other two options are really to put them all on the same header with a splitter and a molex, then again they will only come up as one single fan speed anyhow. So I just don't know what to do..

Maybe I should just plug each individual fan into a separate motherboard header - cuz I think I have enough of them .. and then just set my motherboard to PWM.. cuz I can program my motherboard to do voltage only, power only, curve, static, or PWM.. what would be the advantages of setting it to PWM and would I need to make sure the fan is a 4pin? Cuz I think most sp120 fans are 3pin only
 
#5 ·
I'm just so confused.. my goal is simply this.. to allow for the best possible air flow performance to go though my radiator making sure I choose the best possible fans for the job, but I also want to figure out a way I can control all 4 fan speeds, or at least both push fans and both pull fans meanwhile being able to monitor their RPM.. that's what I want lol. Just harder to figure it out than I thought it would be... maybe my best bet is just to keep either the push or the pull fans on their own header, and leave the rpm fixed to full speed, and then run the other two fans though the corsair program and at least I will be able to alter the flow of those two to minimize sound or to find an rpm that works the best
 
#6 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by NoBiffBetter View Post

I'm just so confused.. my goal is simply this.. to allow for the best possible air flow performance to go though my radiator making sure I choose the best possible fans for the job, but I also want to figure out a way I can control all 4 fan speeds, or at least both push fans and both pull fans meanwhile being able to monitor their RPM.. that's what I want lol. Just harder to figure it out than I thought it would be... maybe my best bet is just to keep either the push or the pull fans on their own header, and leave the rpm fixed to full speed, and then run the other two fans though the corsair program and at least I will be able to alter the flow of those two to minimize sound or to find an rpm that works the best
Buy a fan controller to control the rad fans. Bypass Corsair Link completely.
 
#9 ·
if you like corsair link software then just get a 1>4 pwm bridge (extender) (or even a 1>8 if its cheaper and just blank off the excess headers with some insulation tape)

connect the pwm extender to the 4 pin fan output from the pump unit and all 4 fans to the pwm extender, you get them all running in the same profile (that's how I have my ml pro's connected on the h115i)

one thing to be wary of if you go for the ml fans they cannot be turned upside down, so you would need to mount them as intakes on the top of the case and pull on the underside of the radiator in the case ...

btw corsair website you should be able to just by 2 new fans for your h100i, they can be mounted anyway you need and bonus they already match your current fans so no problems with odd harmonic noises never mind them being way cheaper than ml fans
 
#10 ·
What your saying is exactly what I had first planned to do, this way I can run everthing off the corsair software. All 4 fans will show up as only one single RPM which kinda sucks but I would be ok with it if I can use the corsair software for everthing still..

Here's the problem tho, I have read multipul times that just using a splitter like you suggest won't work, cuz each fan is .50-.80 amps and a single fan header is only 4amp I think, so wouldn't I be overloading it? Also heard that the corsair controller is only rated for 4amps.. so again I feel I may overload something and risk frying my pump or worst, my motherboard header.

If you have an h115i and your doing the same thing, then I guess it would work, cuz I'm almost Positive the h100i and the h115i uses the same pump and all that? If that's the case maybe it will be fine..

The splitter your talking about does it also have a molex connector for additional power? Cuz this would eliminate the issue of overloading the fan header with the 4 fans because the molex adaptor would supply additional power to the fans to lessen the load off of the fan header.. if you really don't think it's needed, and say that a regular fan splitter with OUT a molex is ok, then maybe I'll give it a shot.

And about the fans, im not sure what fans you are taking about, but the fans I planned on using was the sp120 high performance fans.. I wanna use 2 of those cuz I am pretty sure they are identical as far as the static pressure ratings and everything else of the stock grey and black fans that come with the cooler.. I will have to double check tho.. cuz if the high performance fans do indeed pull more amperage then I will not go with them to be safe and will just stick with two more of the stock sp120 grey and black fans instead.. I just like how the sp120 high performance fans look, they are all black with a colored ring that you can change between red, white, or blue, and they also have rubber gromits on the corners so that they don't vibrate as bad as the stock grey and black sp120s.. but other than that I feel like it's prolly the same exact fan.. I'll check the specs and make sure before I purchase.
 
#11 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by NoBiffBetter View Post

What your saying is exactly what I had first planned to do, this way I can run everthing off the corsair software. All 4 fans will show up as only one single RPM which kinda sucks but I would be ok with it if I can use the corsair software for everthing still..

Here's the problem tho, I have read multipul times that just using a splitter like you suggest won't work, cuz each fan is .50-.80 amps and a single fan header is only 4amp I think, so wouldn't I be overloading it? Also heard that the corsair controller is only rated for 4amps.. so again I feel I may overload something and risk frying my pump or worst, my motherboard header.

If you have an h115i and your doing the same thing, then I guess it would work, cuz I'm almost Positive the h100i and the h115i uses the same pump and all that? If that's the case maybe it will be fine..

The splitter your talking about does it also have a molex connector for additional power? Cuz this would eliminate the issue of overloading the fan header with the 4 fans because the molex adaptor would supply additional power to the fans to lessen the load off of the fan header.. if you really don't think it's needed, and say that a regular fan splitter with OUT a molex is ok, then maybe I'll give it a shot.

And about the fans, im not sure what fans you are taking about, but the fans I planned on using was the sp120 high performance fans.. I wanna use 2 of those cuz I am pretty sure they are identical as far as the static pressure ratings and everything else of the stock grey and black fans that come with the cooler.. I will have to double check tho.. cuz if the high performance fans do indeed pull more amperage then I will not go with them to be safe and will just stick with two more of the stock sp120 grey and black fans instead.. I just like how the sp120 high performance fans look, they are all black with a colored ring that you can change between red, white, or blue, and they also have rubber gromits on the corners so that they don't vibrate as bad as the stock grey and black sp120s.. but other than that I feel like it's prolly the same exact fan.. I'll check the specs and make sure before I purchase.
Don't use just a splitter. Use something like this: PWM Fan Cable adapter. It's not expensive and can power 5 fans on one molex connector. Get 2 and run the outer radiator fans off one PWM header and the inner two fans off another. I've done something similar, yet more involved in my GPU-controlled radiator fan project.

The newer Corsair AIOs use a blander version of the SP-120 fans. The older models actually used the precursor to the current Corsair ML-120s which are a very strong fan. I've had all three models and the SP models are inferior as radiator fans. Definitely don't get the AF versions for radiators.
 
#12 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by NoBiffBetter View Post

What your saying is exactly what I had first planned to do, this way I can run everthing off the corsair software. All 4 fans will show up as only one single RPM which kinda sucks but I would be ok with it if I can use the corsair software for everthing still..

Here's the problem tho, I have read multipul times that just using a splitter like you suggest won't work, cuz each fan is .50-.80 amps and a single fan header is only 4amp I think, so wouldn't I be overloading it? Also heard that the corsair controller is only rated for 4amps.. so again I feel I may overload something and risk frying my pump or worst, my motherboard header.

If you have an h115i and your doing the same thing, then I guess it would work, cuz I'm almost Positive the h100i and the h115i uses the same pump and all that? If that's the case maybe it will be fine..

The splitter your talking about does it also have a molex connector for additional power? Cuz this would eliminate the issue of overloading the fan header with the 4 fans because the molex adaptor would supply additional power to the fans to lessen the load off of the fan header.. if you really don't think it's needed, and say that a regular fan splitter with OUT a molex is ok, then maybe I'll give it a shot.

And about the fans, im not sure what fans you are taking about, but the fans I planned on using was the sp120 high performance fans.. I wanna use 2 of those cuz I am pretty sure they are identical as far as the static pressure ratings and everything else of the stock grey and black fans that come with the cooler.. I will have to double check tho.. cuz if the high performance fans do indeed pull more amperage then I will not go with them to be safe and will just stick with two more of the stock sp120 grey and black fans instead.. I just like how the sp120 high performance fans look, they are all black with a colored ring that you can change between red, white, or blue, and they also have rubber gromits on the corners so that they don't vibrate as bad as the stock grey and black sp120s.. but other than that I feel like it's prolly the same exact fan.. I'll check the specs and make sure before I purchase.
your best in terms of eliminating dodgy noise from dissimilar fans having all 4 of them be the same, different fans have different specs the sp120's x4 or 4 of the standard fans is the best way to do this job

use something like this which is powered or the one someone else linked to that's just a lead based version of the same thing (I prefer the blocks because easier cable management)

2 reasons to have all 4 fans the same, 1 rpm values, 2 power values, the sp120's are similar but different to the cooler fans, they have different power curve and different rpm specs, this means that whilst they can all be connected to a single channel there not going to be doing the same job on the cooler, add in the fact you will have one fan providing more or less suction than the other and airflow can actually be decreased whilst noise is increased.

personally as I said I have 4 ml pro led fans (140's for me) whilst I was waiting for them to arrive (stock issues) I used 2 x sp140 and 2 x cooler fans, the cooler didn't perfrom that well and it was noisy, I changed the fans so they operated in pairs (sp140 front and back, and then cooler fan front and back) this fixed the performance issue but not the noise issue....

one thing I noticed was at a fixed duty cycle the fans were spinning at noticeably different speeds, but then one fan was listed as 1800 rpm max whilst the other was 1500...

anyway hopefully that helps you and gives another option

*note that whilst I linked to a specific product if you llok on amazon (or wherever) there are literally dozens of different pwm extenders, some come with cables and are better than others, however stay away from things like the corsair commander, those units are all prone to power problems and have issues with actually working for more than a few weeks...not to mention they happen to be vastly overpriced and are effectively just beta products for new ranges, wait until revision 3 or 4 to get something you actually want to use XD
 
#13 ·
Thank you for your awesome feedback. I appericate it.. yes I plan on using all 4 of the same exact fans cuz I understand that the rpms and fans need to be exact match in order for the fans to work with one another and not work against one another.. as I said before I have the stock grey and back sp120's currently and only 2 for push, I want to get two more. I have been asking if the sp120 high performance is the same fan as the grey and black stock sp120s I have now, they look identical other than the performance model has a colored ring that you can change out as well as rubber gromits to reduce noise.. other than that they seem to be identical to the fans I am using now, that's why I am asking if anyone can tell me for sure if they are the same rpm or not, I once read that the sp120 high performance fan IS the same exact fan as the stock sp120's that come with the AIO kits.. only they added the color changing ring and added the rubber gromits to eliminate vibration noise. If it fact this is true, and they are the same fan, then I would like to buy 2 of these cuz they will look much nicer on the bottom as push fans, meanwhile the ugly grey and black sp120 fans will be mounted on top as pull (where nobody can see them) that's my plan and I'm just wondering if they are the same specs or not.

Now about the splitter, I would rather run all 4 fans off the corsair link software along with the pump if possible. The only way I see that happening with out overloading the fan header is to get a splitter that has a molex connector on it as well as a fan header plug, this way it can help to relieve the stress off just the fan header. This is the plug I was wanting to use (or something similar to it)

Let me know if this will work, as I said I really don't want to split the fans up but will if I have to.. I just want to make sure I'm not overloading the corsair fan controller as well as my fan header off my motherboard. I would hate to burn something up..

If you think the sp120 high performance fan is different than my current stock grey and black sp120s then I will just settle with buying two more stock sp120 grey fans to match the two I already have and be done with it. As I said I really only want the sp120 high performance model for the push fans cuz they will be visible from inside the case and this way it will look very sleek and clean to march the rest of my setup
 
#15 ·
Yah? And you used it with all four fans on s push pull? It worked fine?

Can you send me the link to the one you use? Cuz that's all I wanna do is have all 4 fans running off the one program .. then only thing left that I gotta do is just figure out if I wanna buy two sp120 performance fans to go with my current stock sp120 black and grey fans.. (I'll only do this if the fans are the same RPM and SP tho) and if not then I'll just buy 4 sp120 performance fans and be done with it.. as I said before I really like the performance models cuz they have the color changing rings to match my setup as well as the rubber bushings to quite down the vibration noise which is a nice extra
 
#16 ·
Ok here is the fan I am taking about

This fan is a much better solution to the stock Fans specially when it's gonna be visible on the bottom of the radiator.. but I can't find the specs to a stock grey and black sp120 that comes with the AIO kit.. if anyone can tell me whether or not the specs are the same or not that would be great. If they are the same then I could get away with just buying 2 of these high performance models instead of 4, and using the two high performance models for push and the two stock grey and black fans for pull (where you won't see them)

There is also specs on that picture of the sp120 quite edition fan, maybe those match the grey and black model fans instead.. if so I'll use 2 of those..

If neither of those two fans will work in harmony with my current stock sp120s then I will just ditch the stock ones all togeher and just go with 4 high performance sp120s.. but it's just gonna cost me a lot more :/ something I'm clearly trying to avoid doing
 
#18 ·
I found the specs of my h100i v2 fans.. looks like the stock fans are slightly different in specs.. so do you guys thing I should stick with buying two more stock grey and black fans to match? Or just buy all 4 of the performance fans? Or will I be able to run 2 high performance and 2 grey and black stock fans cuz the difference doesn't appear to be that much in spec.

 
#19 ·
If you want Corsair fans and to run them PWM, you have to buy some form of ML-120s or ML-140s or more stock fans, which I earlier mis-labeled as versions of 'SP' - they are versions of 'ML'. ALL the latest SP models are Variable Voltage, not PWM.

Plus, if you look at the static pressure rating, the ML models are much more powerful than any SP.
 
#20 ·
Thanks for the info. What is the difference between PWM and variable voltage? So your saying that none of corsair newer sp120 fans will work with the corsair link by plugging them in along with a splitter to the pump?

Also you say the ML models which are the new style SP120s are more powerful than the stock sp120's PWM? But if you look at the pictures of the specs I just posted, it shows that the stock grey and black fans not only have more rpm, but more static pressure and air flow as well.. so I'm not sure that's correct.

Based on the specs alone it appears that the stock grey and black sp120s that come with the coolers are more powerful than any other sp120 fan out there right now, and if your saying the stock ones are PWM and the newer sp120s are not. Then I guess I'll just stick with 4 of the ugly grey and black stock. Sp120s
 
#22 ·
Dang this is getting complicated lol. All I wanna know is if I can connect 2 stock sp120s in pull with 2 sp120 high performance in push, and if they will work togeher ok or if they will work against one another given that the rpm and static pressure is slightly different between the two based on specs..

Also I want to know if I will be able to run all 4 of these fans with a splitter off the same pump plug so that I can't control them all though corsair link and not Have to control them all seperarly.. one guy posts and said he just used a regular splitter on his and it was fine, but I feel a better idea would be to use a splitter that has both a fan header plug as well as a molex connector so that it won't have to rely on only the fan header off the motherboard for all of the amperage.. this way it can handle more load with out having to worry about burning my motherboard fan header or pump up.

That's all I'm really trying to figure out lol. Sorry if this is getting confusing.
 
#23 ·
I know that's what you want to know. It matters if your current fans have 3 or 4 wires and how they are controlled.

If you have been running your fans with the pump, they are likely PWM-controlled.

It has been my understanding that currently only Corsair ML fans are 4-wire and, therefore, PWM controlled, but now I'm not so sure...
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Here is the Corsair website. If you can find and order SPs that are PWM-controlled, you should be fine.
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#24 ·
Thanks again for your feedback buddy. Well I am pretty sure the pump is a 4 pin but the 2 stock fans that came with my cooler are a 3 pin which connect into the pump though a Y harness coming off the pump.. so basically what your saying is just make sure whatever Fans I buy have the same pin count.. 4 being PWM and 3 being voltage controlled .. so if my current fans are 3 pin then I would be fine buying an sp120 performance fan long as it's a 3pin correct?

And does anyone know how the slight difference in RPM and airflow between the two fans will hurt my airflow? I couldn't see it being much of an issue if any, because the difference is very minimal, it's only about a 100rpm difference and the airflow and static pressure isn't far off either. So I would assume that they wouldn't really fight each other
 
#25 ·
Here is a good picture I found, it's kinda hard to make out, but yes like I thought the harness for the pump which comes out of the pump and gets plugged into the CPU fan header is a 4 pin, and then there is a separate harness that comes out of the pump which is for the fans, this harness is only a 3 wire and has a Y splitter for 2x3 pin connectors.. so what I want to do is buy two 3 wire splitters and put a splitter on each 3pin plug coming off the 3 pin pump wire. This will allow me to connect all 4 fans.. but the issue is this.. I heard that the pump pulls 2.8 to 3amps alone, so that only leaves me with around 1amp for all 4 fans.. the fans are about .5amp a peice so I will be pushing it.. that is unless my CPU header supply's more than 4amps which it might. I'll have to look in my Manual to see what kinda amperage my CPU fan header can put out.. if it is indeed only 4amp then I will few safer running splitters that have a molex connector for additional power so that the load of the fans doesn't burn my CPU header out on my motherboard.


Or I could just be overthinking it all and maybe should Just use a regular splitter(with out a molex) and see what happends lol
 
#26 ·
the two leads for the fans off your pump unit does one side have a 4 pin and the other side have a 3 pin with one pin missing or are they both just 3 pins ?

its important to check since theres no point getting a pwm fan if your pump doesn't run them, most of the sp range of fans are indeed 3 pin fans and not pwm fans, not that it matters to corsair link it just runs them in voltage variance mode, however it is important to get 4 of the same type of fan becase 3pin non pwm fans will just run at full speed on a pwm output /

there are also several different grey/black fans available from corsair

the best performance version is this one
Quote:
Max RPM: 2700 RPM
CFM: 74.42
Dimensions: 120mm X 120MM X 25MM
Connection: 4-PIN PWM
Fan Noise: 37.68 Dba
the worst is this one
Quote:
Max RPM: 2000 RPM
CFM: 53.61
Dimensions: 120mm X 120MM X 25MM
Connection: 4-PIN PWM
Fan Noise: 30.85 Dba
as to swapping out the fans, or just getting new ones, I'm probably slightly weird in that like a car light cluster if one side blows I will replace both sets of bulbs and so I replace all the fans on the radiator at the same time, so if I need 2 fans I will buy 4 and put the still working spares into the aio box and leave them there in case I need something in the future ....

if cost is the issue then it probably works out cheaper to get the spare parts fan from the hydro cooler range, just email corsair support which one is for your particular aio so you get the right one (or ring them if its not too expensive) or buy the ones you like most and whack them on,

as you noted there is very little real difference between the specs for your desired fans and the ones listed on the cooler's product page so there is no reason not to get them and just use them with the pwm extender /splitter of your choice

just make sure you plug the extender lead into the 4pin output from the pump unit otherwise your stuff might chuck a fit XD
 
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