Swiftech MCR X20 DRIVE User Manual

Page 2

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Information subject to change without notice

2. Installation orientation considerations and guidelines

The primary consideration in the notes below is safety. Because this type of
pump is not self-priming, it is essential to configure the liquid cooling system
so that it remains self-purging, in other words, that any air travelling through
the lines could never accumulate in the pump, thus causing coolant circulation
to stall.

In its default configuration, in other words vertical and right-side up, the MCR
Drive pump can never lose its prime unless the coolant level was abnormally
low. Therefore, a

s in any other “open-loop” liquid cooling system it is

essential to monitor the coolant level every few months by simply checking the
reservoir fill-cap gauge.

Alternate orientations to the factory default are discussed below, and may
require an additional reservoir to safely operate the MCR Drive.

(*1): Vertical upside-down orientation, typical of an installation behind the front
bezel, or at the back of the PC. This orientation would require an external
reservoir; however, it is not recommended because depending on the
reservoir location there is a risk for the pump of losing its prime if a sufficient
amount of air was to travel through the lines: this could result in catastrophic
failure of the cooling system. Additionally, it is not recommended to run the
pump upside-down.

(*2): Horizontal & flat face-up orientation, typical of an installation at the
bottom the PC. This configuration necessitates the use of an external
reservoir but is fully acceptable as long as that such reservoir will always be
located higher than the radiator.

(*3): Horizontal & flat face-down orientation, typical of an installation on the
upper panel of the PC. This orientation would require an external reservoir;
however, it is not recommended because depending on the reservoir location
there is a risk for the pump of losing its prime if a sufficient amount of air was
to travel through the lines: this could result in catastrophic failure of the
cooling system. Such orientation is ONLY acceptable if an external reservoir
was located above the pump, but this is typically impossible since the radiator
is already located at the highest point of the PC.

(*4): Side orientation and fill-port facing up, typical of an installation in a lower
compartment of the PC. When used in this orientation the radiator integrated
reservoir will only be fully functional if completely filled-up. Furthermore as the
coolant level drops over time, the uppermost radiator channel(s) may not
circulate fluid, resulting in cooling performance degradation. Use of an
external reservoir located above the radiator is recommended to avoid this
risk.

(*5): Side orientation and fill-port facing down, typical of an installation in a
lower compartment of the PC. This orientation would require an external
reservoir; however, it is not recommended because depending on the
reservoir location there is a risk for the pump of losing its prime if a sufficient
amount of air was to travel through the lines: this could result in catastrophic
failure of the cooling system. Such orientation is ONLY acceptable if an
external reservoir was located completely above the radiator.

Advanced/Extreme applications:

It is also possible to install two MCR Drive in series. In such case it is
recommended to install one of the units in the factory recommended default
orientation; this will allow installation of the second unit in ANY orientation,
including the orientations listed above as not recommended. The reason is
that the primary unit in default orientation will naturally and safely purge any
air going thru the lines, thus eliminating any risk that the second pump might
stall.

This manual is related to the following products:

MCR DRIVE