The one thing I've learned about liquid cooling from reading on this forum over the last month or six weeks is that you want your radiator above, not below your cpu so that bubbles in the system collect in the radiator instead of your pump.
 
Edit... that applies to the sealed units with the pump on the block.  If you have a custom loop with a separate pump and reservoir, that may not apply.  I haven't read that much about custom loop systems.

I thought I read that air in the pump would cause cavitation, loss of flow, and a dead pump from lack of cooling/lubrication... Maybe I need to read more.

I am building a new mid-tower system, and am having trouble with installation of my new EVGA 280 x 140 closed loop cooler.  
I need to be able to install, at my choice, between pulling air across or pushing air across the radiator fins.  
But this model of EVGA cooler is missing the physical markers (typically arrows) which serve to show the direction in which the fan blades will spin.  Without knowing the direction that the fan blades will spin, one cannot know the direction of air flow through the fan.  Knowledge of air flow direction is absolutely critical for intelligent installation of the cooling system.  
I am stunned by the absence of this critical piece of information.  Over many years I have built many PC's for friends and family.  I have never before encountered a cooling fan that is missing this critical marker information.  
I have watched on-line videos and searched EVGA forums without so far finding a discussion of this specific problem.  I am amused by persons in the videos relating that they had reversed the mounting of the cooling fan in order to achieve either push or pull; Hello! without prior knowledge of fan air flow direction you do not know What you are doing!!!  
 
If I am looking at the side of the fan which shows the decal (also there to hold in place the electrical lead) which contains printed information, which direction (clockwise or counter clockwise) will the fan blades be turning when power is applied?  EVGA tech support please answer, I am not looking for assumptions.  
 

1. Cavitation will always be a problem for any liquid pump.  
2. If you do not believe there is a significant difference between drawing hot air across the fins of a radiator and drawing cool air across the radiator fins, try reversing your car radiator so that lt exhausts the under hood hot air across the radiator fins and then write to tell us just how long your engine lasted.  
3. As a PC builder one is absolutely dependent upon the manufacturer of the closed loop cooling system to have eliminated all air bubbles from their product.  I have over the years installed CLC systems of three brand name providers have never encountered an air bubble problem.  Perhaps I have been fortunate.  
Live Long and Prosper! 
 
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlgfAO2Jtls
 
Here you go...

Yup, I don't disagree with you about intake vs exhaust mount.  Makes perfect sense, but the tradeoff is that your are feeding hot air into your case instead of blowing it out.  Your case temps suffer and so everything inside the case is a few degrees warmer.  The last time I messed with liquid cooling was around 2000, and I never did get it hooked up.  Lost interest before completion.  At the time, my plan was putting the radiator outside the case.  It wouldn't have served dual duty as case ventilation.  It wouldn't have been pretty or mobile, but it would have eliminated the tradeoff.  Computers these days have morphed into fashion statements with all the LEDs, vertical graphics card mounts and glass panels.  I like an old school utilitarian box that secures the equipment and is well ventilated.

All PC fans are set to "blow" in their default rotation.  The low side of the blade is the pressure side of the blade

XrayMan
 
Having two threads about the same thing is not allowed. Plus this is in the wrong section. I will merge this thread with your other one that's in the correct "Cooling" section.

LOL... I clicked on this thread again and all of a sudden there were all these extra posts in between that weren't there before.  I was confused before getting to your post.

HaywireHaywood
I thought I read that air in the pump would cause cavitation, loss of flow, and a dead pump from lack of cooling/lubrication... Maybe I need to read more.

this can be true, but with a resivore mounted as high as you can the air will bleed into it, tiny bubbles may still appear for a few days as the pump speeds up and down but it will eventually purge all the air into the res.
 

HaywireHaywood
Yup, I don't disagree with you about intake vs exhaust mount.  Makes perfect sense, but the tradeoff is that your are feeding hot air into your case instead of blowing it out.  Your case temps suffer and so everything inside the case is a few degrees warmer.  The last time I messed with liquid cooling was around 2000, and I never did get it hooked up.  Lost interest before completion.  At the time, my plan was putting the radiator outside the case.  It wouldn't have served dual duty as case ventilation.  It wouldn't have been pretty or mobile, but it would have eliminated the tradeoff.  Computers these days have morphed into fashion statements with all the LEDs, vertical graphics card mounts and glass panels.  I like an old school utilitarian box that secures the equipment and is well ventilated.

i have always ran my rad fans as intakes, the difference in a well planned and vented case is nill, the trick is to have good intake of cool air, in my case i have a 360 rad at the top, 140 fan at the rear a 2 140's on the front, the rear fan sucks all the warmer air out as the front fans push cooler air across the board.