how do you fill a loop using a fillport on a top mounted radiator?

taem · Feb 5, 2015

I know how to fill a loop through a reservoir, but how do you do it through a fillport on a rad?

The rad is an Alphacool XT45 with 6 ports on the hump, it will be mounted on top horizonatlly, the two downward facing ports will be the in/out, and the two top facing ports will be a fill port and a bleed port. The res/pump will be below this rad obviously.

A general tutorial would be great, but my main question is this. Do I open the top port on the res while I fill through the rad fillport? The bleed port on the rad will be open during the filling process obviously but I'm wondering if the res also needs the top open to allow air to escape.

<CRACK@> (CS:S King) · Feb 5, 2015

Uhh... yeah, i would open the res top. You dont have to but i would.

Are you wanting a diagram or links for fittings on how to do this?

Jakusonfire · Feb 6, 2015

If you have the res fill port open it could overfill and flood the PC so keep an eye on it if you do it that way. If the ports on the rad are fill and bleed ports then air will come out there but its an awkward way to do it. A rad isn't designed for filling and I see potential for spillage. I would just stick to the res, that is designed for filling and bleeding.

taem · Feb 6, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by <CRACK@> (CS:S King)

Uhh... yeah, i would open the res top. You dont have to but i would.

Are you wanting a diagram or links for fittings on how to do this?

No I've spec'd out the parts I need and know how to assemble the loop, just a matter of figuring out where I want rotaries and angled fittings. That I'll just have to play with.

I just wanted to confirm leaving the res top open, I know that's what you do when you fill through the res, but here since I have a bleed port on the rad, I was wondering if I also need an air escape on the res.

What exactly does the bleed port on the rad do then? Does it just help clear any air blockages in the rad while you fill through there? Do I also leave this bleed port open when I cycle the pump as I fill the loop? Or do I close it after each addition of fluid before I run the pump?

pc-illiterate · Feb 6, 2015

what do you mean by bleed port? got a picture?
Quote:

Originally Posted by taem

but here since I have a bleed port on the rad, I was wondering if I also need an air escape on the res.

What exactly does the bleed port on the rad do then? Does it just help clear any air blockages in the rad while you fill through there? Do I also leave this bleed port open when I cycle the pump as I fill the loop? Or do I close it after each addition of fluid before I run the pump?

<CRACK@> (CS:S King) · Feb 6, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by taem

No I've spec'd out the parts I need and know how to assemble the loop, just a matter of figuring out where I want rotaries and angled fittings. That I'll just have to play with.

I just wanted to confirm leaving the res top open, I know that's what you do when you fill through the res, but here since I have a bleed port on the rad, I was wondering if I also need an air escape on the res.

What exactly does the bleed port on the rad do then? Does it just help clear any air blockages in the rad while you fill through there? Do I also leave this bleed port open when I cycle the pump as I fill the loop? Or do I close it after each addition of fluid before I run the pump?

Yeah it just helps get out air in the rad. The reason why i suggested you open the res top as well is because its just an extra spot for the air to escape.

Can you draw up a quick diagram of your setup with MS Paint?

Bluemustang · Feb 6, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by taem

No I've spec'd out the parts I need and know how to assemble the loop, just a matter of figuring out where I want rotaries and angled fittings. That I'll just have to play with.

I just wanted to confirm leaving the res top open, I know that's what you do when you fill through the res, but here since I have a bleed port on the rad, I was wondering if I also need an air escape on the res.

What exactly does the bleed port on the rad do then? Does it just help clear any air blockages in the rad while you fill through there? Do I also leave this bleed port open when I cycle the pump as I fill the loop? Or do I close it after each addition of fluid before I run the pump?

So why do you want to fill via the rad if you already have a res? Makes sense if you had no res but with a res i dont see the point. But anyway to avoid spillage from filling via the rad you could connect a length of clear tubing to fill through.

To your question whether to leave the bleed port open on the rad while you cycle the pump.....i'm just going to let you think about that for a second before you decide for yourself

pc-illiterate · Feb 6, 2015

filling through the rad instead of the res makes bleeding so much quicker. no reason to cycle the pump to move water from the res to the rads and blocks and yada yada yada while you keep adding coolant.

taem · Feb 6, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by pc-illiterate

what do you mean by bleed port? got a picture?

With the XT45 rad mounted on top horizontally, you'd have these ports facing up:

And I would just screw one of these into each port:

To fill the loop I would just open both bitspower plugs, fill through one port via a funnel while the other one, the bleed port, allows air to escape.

Quote:

Originally Posted by <CRACK@> (CS:S King)

Can you draw up a quick diagram of your setup with MS Paint?

I'm too lazy! But basically an Alphacool XT45 420 mounted horizontally on top, an Alphacool UT60 280 mounted horizontally on the bottom, and an XSPC Photon 170 res w/D5 pump in the middle (along with the cpu and gpu blocks).

Quote:

Originally Posted by <CRACK@> (CS:S King)

Yeah it just helps get out air in the rad. The reason why i suggested you open the res top as well is because its just an extra spot for the air to escape.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bluemustang

So why do you want to fill via the rad if you already have a res? Makes sense if you had no res but with a res i dont see the point. But anyway to avoid spillage from filling via the rad you could connect a length of clear tubing to fill through.

To your question whether to leave the bleed port open on the rad while you cycle the pump.....i'm just going to let you think about that for a second before you decide for yourself

Quote:

Originally Posted by pc-illiterate

filling through the rad instead of the res makes bleeding so much quicker. no reason to cycle the pump to move water from the res to the rads and blocks and yada yada yada while you keep adding coolant.

Ok now you guys got me confused. So let's go over this step by step.

1. I open the plugs on the fill and bleed ports on the top mounted radiator.
2. I open the top of the res.
3. I add fluid via the fill port on the top mounted rad.
~4~ Here's where my question is -- before I turn the pump on, which, if any, of those three holes (rad fill port, rad bleed port, res top port) do I need to close?

Coming into this my assumption was, I would close both the ports on the rad, leave the res top port open, cycle the pump, repeat. Otherwise wouldn't fluid leak out of the rad ports? But if this is the case, what is the point of a radiator fill/bleed port? Do you only do this if your res does not have a top port or if the res is hard to access?

In terms of why I would do it this way, the Photon 170 top port looks like it'd be laborious to add fluid through:

Made that image upload large size so you guys can see. You see that plate in there blocking most of the hole leaving three arc openings along the edge? Makes it so you basically have to use a syringe or very narrow tube to get fluid in. I thought maybe the whole thing would go quicker if I'm adding via a funnel through the top rad.

pc-illiterate · Feb 6, 2015

you need to have both rad ports capped. any open port will let the water shoot out when you turn the pump on.

<CRACK@> (CS:S King) · Feb 6, 2015

Lol.. you need to close ALL holes. Except maybe the bleed (TOP) port on the res tube itself. Water isnt going to shoot "out of the res", it might spalsh around a little but, but not enough to go out the g 1/4 port on the very top.

The only point of having the opposite ports for your radiator is for: space constraints when you initially set it up, temp probes, and, potential to make it easier to fill up when you first setup your system. After you throw water in it, considered it sealed forever until you remove it and feel like draining.

No, do not leave your rad ports open at all when running the pump, it will be a disaster.

pc-illiterate · Feb 6, 2015

i just wish you would stop referring to them as fill and bleed ports. that may be what youll use them for but thats not what they are.
when you fill the rad with the pump off, youll be filling the loop. there wont be a reason to cycle the pump. just fill your loop through the rad until the rad is full. cap the ports and turn your pump on. finish bleeding your loop and top off your res as it needs topped off.

taem · Feb 6, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by pc-illiterate

i just wish you would stop referring to them as fill and bleed ports. that may be what youll use them for but thats not what they are.

That's how I read them described, as fill and bleed ports, that's what got me confused, the terms got me to wondering if it was a complete substitute fill/bleed method where the res is left out of the equation, and it really isn't is it? Not an expensive thing to do though, those plugs are only like $3 each and probably worth it just to make the fill process faster.

I'm confused about this though:
Quote:

when you fill the rad with the pump off, youll be filling the loop. there wont be a reason to cycle the pump. just fill your loop through the rad until the rad is full. cap the ports and turn your pump on. finish bleeding your loop and top off your res as it needs topped off.

Maybe I'm using the phrase "cycle the pump" wrong. I'm assuming what I have to do is

1. open both ports on the rad, and the top port on the res
2. pour fluid through the radiator fill port
3. close the ports on the radiator, leave the top port on the res open
4. turn the pump on
5. turn pump off when most of the fluid drains from the res
~repeat 1-5 until fluid level in the res no longer drops~
6. close top port on res
7. turn pump on and leave on for a while

That's what I mean by "cycle the pump", I have to run it, stop it, run it, stop it, several times until the whole loop is filled. What do you mean when you say there is no reason to cycle the pump? If you wouldn't mind, could you list the steps you would take, like I did above, to fill a loop using the radiator fill port?

pc-illiterate · Feb 6, 2015

1. open both ports on the rad, and the top port on the res or you can open only 1 port on the rad
2. pour fluid through the radiator fill port
3. close the ports on the radiator, leave the top port on the res open
4. turn the pump on
5. turn pump off when most of the fluid drains from the res the res shouldnt drain. the loop should be full or almost full. that is the point in filling from the highest point in the loop. it eliminates the continuous filling and refilling of the res and cycling of the pump. this is why it takes almost no time filling and bleeding your loop
~repeat 1-5 until fluid level in the res no longer drops~
6. close top port on res
7. turn pump on and leave on for a while

Jakusonfire · Feb 6, 2015

If you have fluid higher than the res with the res fill port open and a port open at the top of the loop all the fluid will flow to the res and over flow. Reservoirs can't normally overflow because the top of the loop is sealed so air can't get in. Opening ports in other places obviously changes that.

taem · Feb 6, 2015

Cool thanks guys.

how do you fill a loop using a fillport on a top mounted radiator?

taem

<CRACK@> (CS:S King)

Jakusonfire

taem

pc-illiterate

<CRACK@> (CS:S King)

Bluemustang

pc-illiterate

taem

pc-illiterate

<CRACK@> (CS:S King)

pc-illiterate

taem

pc-illiterate

Jakusonfire

taem

Top Contributors this Month

Recommended Communities