Radiator Push Pull?

[BobRoss]

Ok So I got a three fan radiator. I am thinking of putting 6 fans on it in a push pull configuration. Does this sound like a good idea or no?

My other idea was to make a duct so that there would be 6 fans pushing through from one side?

How / where do most people mount 3 fan radiators?

[Gizmo]

I don't have a 3-fan job; mine is a home-built two-fan number. However, it has been my experience that if you really need the extra cooling, getting a larger radiator (or another radiator) is a much better use of your money than buying additional fans to put on an existing radiator.

That being said, the more air you can push through a rad, the better it will cool. Axial fans tend to be better at pushing air than pulling it, and coaxial fans (one fan in front, another in the rear, both in the same air stream) tend to hinder each other slightly (again, in my experience). The only good reason to go with a coaxial arrangement is for redundancy (if one fan fails, the other still provides air flow). This is why you often see coaxial arrangements in servers, not to increase airflow, but to make sure that even if one fan fails, there is still air flow.

So, building a duct that would allow you to gang multiple fans together so that they all push air as a unit would be your most efficient bet. However, if you are already running 3 120mm fans, my suggestion to you would be to go get a cheap box fan (a window fan) and duct THAT. You can get a good-sized window fan for what a good 120mm will cost you, you'll get all the airflow you could possibly need through your rad, it won't be loading the 12v rail of your PSU, it will probably be QUIETER than the eqivalent flow rate from your 120mm fans, and will be more efficient.

Just some thoughts.

[BobRoss]

That is an interesting Idea Gizmo. I am tempted to get a second 3 fan radiator in that case though… I'm not sure how to figure out if that would be too much for my pump to tackle though. Pushing fluid through two 3-fan radiators seems like a lot of resistance, no?

Anyone else use a three fan Radiator? How do you have it mounted?

[Gizmo]

Originally Posted by BobRoss

That is an interesting Idea Gizmo. I am tempted to get a second 3 fan radiator in that case though… I'm not sure how to figure out if that would be too much for my pump to tackle though. Pushing fluid through two 3-fan radiators seems like a lot of resistance, no?

Anyone else use a three fan Radiator? How do you have it mounted?

You could run the second radiator in parallel with the first one, then the pressure drop wouldn't be so great. The water would flow more slowly in each radiator, meaning that it would spend more time cooling off, as well.

[Samuknow]

I am going to test this tonight. I have a p/p setup now. I will check temps with FAH running fans on low/high
then test with the pull fan removed fans low/high.

I will report my findings...stay tuned...

[cadaveca]

3fan rad here..3 fans PULLING. push/pull didn't matter in my instance..started with pushing, went to pulling so as to not sandwich the fans between case and rad and making it more servicable.

[BobRoss]

Ok I ordered a second 3-fan radiator and some Y fittings for a parallel setup. I figure that whether I go with a box fan or 6 120 fans it will still be good cooling.

So now next thing is do I want to set then like a cross flow radiator in a car (sideways). Or a normal vertical flow (vertical with one tank on top and one on bottom). These radiators have one fitting on each tank so If I set them up vertically I would put the input at the top and the outlet at the bottom. It would still sort of be that way with the horizontal orientation also.

[Gizmo]

Which way you set them, IMHO, is entirely a matter of how best to plumb them and get air flowing through them. The water really doesn't care, with the exception that you want to try to avoid lifting the water column any more than necessary.

[BobRoss]

Originally Posted by cadaveca

3fan rad here..3 fans PULLING. push/pull didn't matter in my instance..started with pushing, went to pulling so as to not sandwich the fans between case and rad and making it more servicable.

So cadaveca, how is your rad mounted? Do you have any pics?

[cadaveca]

ontop of case. No pic ATM...re-installed windows, and things disappeared

Will be posting more pics as i continue the mod i'm in the middle of...

[BobRoss]

So based on what you have said I assume you have it on standoffs with the fans on top pulling?

[cadaveca]

no - holes cut into case. I use the fans to pull air from inside the case, through the rad, and out the fan.

See here:
MOD SQUAD: Watercooling Case mod.

[BobRoss]

Oh, very nice!

[danrok]

Ideally, if you have it pulling air through the rad, use a shroud.

Random example of a DIY shroud in the pic.