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Custom Water Cooling Loop Kit Installation General Tutorial - Mount, Fill, Leak Test, Bleed
Custom Water Cooling Loop Kit Installation General Tutorial - Mount, Fill, Leak Test, Bleed
TL;DR: This general tutorial walks through assembling a custom water cooling loop kit in a desktop PC: mounting the radiator and fans, fitting the CPU and GPU water blocks to their respective sockets and PCBs, installing the pump-reservoir, routing soft or hard tubing, and tightening G1/4 fittings. It...
Common Applications
This general tutorial walks through assembling a custom water cooling loop kit in a desktop PC: mounting the radiator and fans, fitting the CPU and GPU water blocks to their respective sockets and PCBs, installing the pump-reservoir, routing soft or hard tubing, and tightening G1/4 fittings. It then covers leak testing the dry loop on a 24-pin jumper or paperclip before powering the rest of the PC, followed by filling with non-conductive coolant and bleeding trapped air over 15 to 30 minutes of pump-only operation with the loop tilted in multiple orientations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Should I leak test before powering on the rest of the PC?
A: Yes. Run the pump alone for at least 12 to 24 hours using a 24-pin ATX jumper, with the rest of the PC unpowered, before plugging the motherboard 24-pin in.
Q: How much coolant should I prepare?
A: Around 500ml for a typical CPU plus GPU loop with a single 360mm radiator. Larger loops with multiple radiators may need 750 to 1000ml.
Q: What order should I fill and bleed in?
A: Fill the reservoir, run the pump in short bursts to draw coolant through, then tilt the case front, back and on each side over 15 to 30 minutes to release trapped air.
Q: Can I use distilled water instead of premixed coolant?
A: Distilled water plus a biocide works mechanically, but premixed non-conductive coolant is preferred because it includes corrosion inhibitors tuned for copper, brass and nickel blocks.
Q: Do I need to mix metals carefully?
A: Yes. Keep the wetted loop to copper, brass and nickel. Avoid mixing aluminum radiators or blocks with copper components or galvanic corrosion will eat the aluminum.
