Leak testing Alphacool Core 1 Aurora Black

[MamaKinniku]

Hello, I am fairly new to watercooling and I had a question, I recently got the Core 1 block and i wanted to leak test each component just to make sure. When i tested the CPU block, the bar is slowly going down over a few minutes when testing the block alone. But when I test it with something like a filter a tube and plugs on both ends, it seems to hold the pressure over 30 minutes just fine.

I also ran the block with a eisstation pump just to see and for 10 minutes i havent seen any leaks either, I am just trying to understand whats going on. Is there a leak?

 

[Eddy]

What exactly do you mean by “slowly going down”? If it’s only 0.1 bar, that’s fine. If we’re talking about more, then it could be an issue. What kind of plug is that in the picture? A V.2 (item 17468)? That one wouldn’t seal at all here, it would be the wrong plug. You need a standard plug like item 17252. The V.2 (17468) plugs seal differently and only fit certain products, not the Core 1.

 

[MamaKinniku]

What exactly do you mean by “slowly going down”? If it’s only 0.1 bar, that’s fine. If we’re talking about more, then it could be an issue. What kind of plug is that in the picture? A V.2 (item 17468)? That one wouldn’t seal at all here, it would be the wrong plug. You need a standard plug like item 17252. The V.2 (17468) plugs seal differently and only fit certain products, not the Core 1.

Its a plug from XSPC but if it doesnt seal because of that, it would explain as well. I am going to retest since I am confused by .1 bar and .05 bar ticks.

 

[Eddy]

If it only drops by 0.1 bar and then stays there, I wouldn’t worry about it. We’ve seen this effect many times. Most likely, the air is just settling into all the corners of the block after a short time, since many areas inside are separately sealed. However, I suspect that the plug isn’t fully compatible here, as it doesn’t seem to seal on top of the block but rather inside. And the block isn’t designed for that.

 

[MamaKinniku]

If it only drops by 0.1 bar and then stays there, I wouldn’t worry about it. We’ve seen this effect many times. Most likely, the air is just settling into all the corners of the block after a short time, since many areas inside are separately sealed. However, I suspect that the plug isn’t fully compatible here, as it doesn’t seem to seal on top of the block but rather inside. And the block isn’t designed for that.

Looks like you are right, but it looks like the culprit was the EK leak tester itself, I tested it on a ball valve and closed it off with a plug as well and it is leaking like the cpu block. , it leaked the same amount of air as the cpu block. The larger loop test with tubs and a filter took longer to leak so it looked like it stablized.

I tested the block with a small pump and it didnt leak , and that probably was a better test. It sucks because I am new and tried reading around and some say leak testing is good but if the leak tester leaks, it would drive someone new crazy.

Thanks for the responses, it helps a lot trying to work it out and make sense of it.

 

[Eddy]

A leak tester is definitely useful. But yes, if the leak tester itself is the problem, it can be very confusing. In general though, it helps to quickly identify issues. Even professionals sometimes forget a stop plug or don’t tighten the fittings properly.
Once the loop is set up and the leak tester shows no leaks, it’s still good practice to place paper towels throughout the PC and let it run for a few hours. Then you check again to see if anything has dripped.