Hi.
I am having a few issues with my new custom loop and I was hoping I could get some help with it.
 
This is the parts list:
EKWB SUPREMACY EVO
EKWB XTOP REVO D5 PWM PLEXI
PRIMOCHILL 10FT CLEAR 3/8 X 5/8 TUBING
EKWB EKOOLANT EVO BLOOD RED 1L
EKWB RES X3 150
EKWB COOLSTREAM PE 360 RAD
EKWB AF 45 DEG G1/4 BLACK X2
EKWB ACF 10/16MM FITTING BLACK X8
EKWB AF ANGLED 90 G1/4 BLACK X2
NOCTUA NF-F12 lPPC 2000RPM X3
 
The first problem is with the temps. When stress testing using intel extreme tuning utility and realbench my max temp on average is around 75C and when gaming ( mostly World of Warcraft ) it is around 65C on average. These temps are higher then my old AIO cooler, which was a corsair H100i with cougar fans. Those temps seems high to me. The CPU is a I7 4790K running at 4.8GHz using 1.285V.
 
The next issue is when I have the pump running at max rpm's (4800rmp) the coolant becomes fizzy and dark with a cyclone/vortex of bubbles at the top of the reservoir. When running the pump at a lower rpm's (2000rpm) the coolant become much more clear, so much that you can see the plastic EK logo in the center of the reservoir and no bubbles at the top. I did drain and refill the loop to change up the tube routing, but the only real change aside from shorter tubing is the location of the reservoir tubing to the inlet of the pump. I used one of the bottom ports. First setup did not have the bubbles or cyclone in the reservoir.
 
The loop setup is:
Pump outlet > CPU out > CPU in > Rad > Res > Pump inlet
 
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

loveha

I would reseat the block, check TIM spread, add a little more if necessary. I had just enough slack in my tubing to fix my mistake without draining and tearing it all the way apart at the CPU. Are your thumb nuts tightened down all the way?

For the coolant bubbles. How long did you leave it at that RPM? Sounds like you still have air in the loop that needs to be worked out. Put it at an RPM that causes bubbles, but doesn't let them get sucked back in.

Also if you are not CPU In > CPU Out I would change that around.

And to add to this great list:
Move your case around in all directions ; tilt left/right/forwards/backwards, tap here, tap there, shake that puppy up! while keeping the air in the res away from the pump.

Vipergtspa

loveha
First off for the CPU, you didn't make this mistake did you?

I would reseat the block, check TIM spread, add a little more if necessary. I had just enough slack in my tubing to fix my mistake without draining and tearing it all the way apart at the CPU. Are your thumb nuts tightened down all the way?

For the coolant bubbles. How long did you leave it at that RPM? Sounds like you still have air in the loop that needs to be worked out. Put it at an RPM that causes bubbles, but doesn't let them get sucked back in.

Also if you are not CPU In > CPU Out I would change that around.

Lol, I did not make that mistake. I have reseated the block a few times since installing the loop, just to make sure I did not mess up the TIM.
 
Yes the thumb screws are tight.
 
I have had it running for about a week and the bubbles/cyclone is still present in the reservoir. First time I installed the loop I was able to remove all of the bubbles and had no vortex or cyclone in the reservoir. Only 2 things that I changed from the first time was the placement for the tubing from the reservoir to inlet of the pump. And pump outlet to CPU block vs pump outlet to radiator on the first build. Also shortened the tubing threw out the loop.
 
I think one issue is what you pointed out, I have the inlet and outlet of the cpu block backwards. I am pretty sure that would cause the higher temps, but would that cause the bubble and cyclone problem ?
 
Thanks for the help.

Don't think it would cause the cyclone. That would be caused how the water is going in and leaving the the reservoir. If there is another port you could try on the reservoir, I would do that.

Turn the pump down so that it isn't creating a vortex and isn't creating bubbles. Let it run for a while at lower speed until the bubbles are gone. Then try again while keeping the pump speed lower. Coolant flowing too fast does not conduct or dissipate heat well. The coolant needs to be flowing slow enough that it can absorb heat and then dissipate that heat into the radiator.

If it is flowing fast enough to create a vortex and keep bubbles suspended in the fluid, it is flowing too fast. I assume that yiu have heard that a car engine can overheat if you leave the thermostat out, right? Same theory there.

I have that same EK pump/res combo unit and I think that they do give you some foam inserts and other items to cut down on that cyclone effect. IDK, I haven't looked at it lately since it would not fit into my case past the video boards. My 4790k @ 46 MHz and 1.295v runs at 55 under load with my D5 pump running at 4600 RPM. At Desktop when at idle my temps are rarely above 1 to 2 degrees above ambient using an EKWB Supremacy EVO full copper CPU block.

Cool GTX
EK-RES X3 150 manual
 
see step 3 & 4 & TIPS AND ADVICES:
 
 

+1 This 
 
 
The vortex if bad enough can cause the coolant to not cycle through the loop properly. meaning the coolant temp can get way to high if stagnant in any of the blocks. IF the coolant has reached a temp passed its operating temprature it wouldnt be a bad idea to replace it. After thermal breakdown some of the pastel coolants nano particles can settle a little more than normal.
 
Also i have run those same blocks backwards and forwards with the different jet plates and sometimes the wrong ones. even having the inlet and outlet reversed I have never seen more than a 3C temp difference  
 
 
edit: remember to bleed the pressure if there is any buildup also. leave the plug in the res cap open for a few minutes a day when running. or every couple of days open the cap and release the pressure. 

Cool GTX
EK-RES X3 150 manual
 
see step 3 & 4 & TIPS AND ADVICES:
 
Looking at the photos in manual which port Numbers are you trying to use ?
 
What is your PC case?
 
How is the airflow setup ?
 
What rpm are your case and radiator fans set to?
 
What is your ambient / room temperature?
 

 
 

I have not tried using the foam insert yet, I was waiting to see if any of the other suggestions workout.
 
Using ports 1 and 3. Port 3 has the extender in as well.
 
Phantek Enthoo Luxe Tempered Glass.
 
Front 2 140mm Intake. 3 120mm on the radiator as exhaust, in push. Rear 140mm exhaust.
 
I use my asus MB bios to control the fans and pump and all of the fans are set to standard, which runs the radiator fans at low speed until needed. With no load they are around 900 RPM but ramp up under load.
 
House is usually set to 64 or less.
 
Thanks
 
 

Zuhl3156
I think I would ditch that extender first as it raises the intake level of coolant. I liked that EK plastic insert so I took the foam and cut out a slot so that after I inserted the foam I could also stick that plastic EK emblem back in there too. All of my radiator fans run at 100%. I found that it is much easier to keep something cool than it is to cool down something that is already hot.

Sorry for the late response back, been super busy at work.
 
I put the extender in the bottom port because EK says that when using port 3 and 4 you must use the extender, is that not true ?
 
Tomorrow I have the day off so I will be draining the loop again and putting in the foam insert into the reservoir, hopefully that takes care of the vortex issue when the pump is at high rpm's. Also I was thinking about changing the fans on the radiator to pull configuration instead of push, hoping that will help the temps drop.
 
I dropped my overclock to 4.6GHz running at 1.225V and still hitting low 60C while gaming. So something is not right.
 
Will update tomorrow, thank you every one for the help thus far.

Vipergtspa

Zuhl3156
I think I would ditch that extender first as it raises the intake level of coolant. I liked that EK plastic insert so I took the foam and cut out a slot so that after I inserted the foam I could also stick that plastic EK emblem back in there too. All of my radiator fans run at 100%. I found that it is much easier to keep something cool than it is to cool down something that is already hot.

Sorry for the late response back, been super busy at work.
 
I put the extender in the bottom port because EK says that when using port 3 and 4 you must use the extender, is that not true ?
 
Tomorrow I have the day off so I will be draining the loop again and putting in the foam insert into the reservoir, hopefully that takes care of the vortex issue when the pump is at high rpm's. Also I was thinking about changing the fans on the radiator to pull configuration instead of push, hoping that will help the temps drop.
 
I dropped my overclock to 4.6GHz running at 1.225V and still hitting low 60C while gaming. So something is not right.
 
Will update tomorrow, thank you every one for the help thus far.

Yes, you Need the extender as those ports {External "Vertical Port" in bottom of reservoir as pictured in Post # 10 & 13} are counterboared (step cut into them) and a standard fitting will NOT Seal

Yes, different
 
I've never used the internal extender tubes that EK offers for inside the reservoir
 
I was talking about the External "Vertical Port" in bottom of reservoir as pictured in Post # 10 & 13
 
I'll edit my post for clarity

Vipergtspa
 
 
... Also I was thinking about changing the fans on the radiator to pull configuration instead of push, hoping that will help the temps drop.
 

So right now you're pushing air from inside the case through the radiator to outside the top of the case? 
 
That should help a little bit pulling in cool air in reverse if that's true. The only other thing I can think of is try distilled water instead of the coolant. At this point it's worth a shot. The only other thing I can think of is maybe the jet plate on your cpu water block is not installed correctly? Have you taken this apart? It should be fine out of the box but you never know. 

My EK logo has a shoulder on it that you can see right at the top right side of the foam insert.
 

 
I cut a rectangle out of the center of the foam and that shoulder holds the foam down once I snap the EK insert into place. No reason to push it down that I can see. It should stay put with the EK logo holding it down. IDK what kind of Voltage you're using but that can effect temps. The radiator is the most important to remove heat. You're not even cooling video boards yet, are you? When I first got my Swiftech Maelstrom V2 pump/res dual bay combo I used their Apogee XL CPU block with a 240 radiator and 1/2" hoses. My temps were exactly the same as the Swiftech H220 I was using. I got some EK blocks for my GTX-980 boards and used everything except the CPU block because I put the H220 back on the CPU. I gotta tell you that the heat blowing out of that single 240 radiator cooling two video boards was hot enough to blister your skin. The video board temps were fine at around 45° while Folding but the hot air from the radiator was ungodly hot. My friend bought me that Monsta 360 and the Koolance mounting bracket and the air is now only warm. https://www.amazon.com/Koolance-BKT-HX001-Radiator-Mounting-Quick-Release/dp/B004236N3E/ref=sr_1_13?
Other than adding a second radiator you could try a radiator that is thicker. I didn't know much if anything when I bought my first radiator and I grabbed a 'low profile' 240 mm model from Amazon because it was cheap and I was worried about it hitting my Heatsinks around my CPU. I guess it depends on the case but you can see that I could have squeezed another 1/2 to 3/4 inches of rad thickness in there.

Is this the case you're using? https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811854043
If it is then from looking under the "Overview" tab it looks to me like you can remove that honeycombed insert and place a nice 180 mm radiator up top with your fans on the inside. Personally, if I were to do that I would have my fans inside blowing up and out to keep any warm air from affecting your video boards. It's not as big a deal now as it was when I had EVGA GTX-680 boards in SLI and air-cooled because they would throttle at 70°C causing me some serious chatter and stuttering while gaming. I had to turn the fans around to get things back to normal.