Does it matter?

[XyBeRz]

Does anyone know if it makes a difference whether you make the fans on the radiator in a watercooling setup to either push air through or pull air through? I've never really read anything about it on site whether it would make a difference or not.

Maybe a good question that no one really thought about? Or I've just been oblivious to it and it didn't even enter my mind? :mrgreen:

[fstroupe]

Given equal CFM, and equal ambient temp on either side of the radiator, it couldn't make a difference.

[zachig]

I think it's better to blow air on the Radiator. But, in order to cool it efficiently, it's 100% better to use TWO fans. One to blow air on the Rad and the second to exhaust air. This is what I did in my last watercooling configuration, but now I moved back to air on my new system.

GOOD LUCK. :wink:

[Bio-Hazard]

As a general rule with almost all radiators on the market except for the Thermochill PA series, it's better for performance to have the fans pull the air through the radiator. You get less air turbulance and back pressure that way. It's also better to have some sort of fan shroud to space the fan back from the core to help eliminate the dead area caused be the fans center hub. A psh/pull setup will always work better, but it's not always possible due to space requirements of all the required equipment. There has been tests with the new Thermochill PA series radiators that have shown that it makes no differance if the fans push or pull the air through the radiator. This is possible due to the reduced air flow restriction designed of the radiator cores cooling fins. I could go deeper into it, but remember, google is your friend.......... 8)

[XyBeRz]

As a general rule with almost all radiators on the market except for the Thermochill PA series, it's better for performance to have the fans pull the air through the radiator. You get less air turbulance and back pressure that way. It's also better to have some sort of fan shroud to space the fan back from the core to help eliminate the dead area caused be the fans center hub. A psh/pull setup will always work better, but it's not always possible due to space requirements of all the required equipment. There has been tests with the new Thermochill PA series radiators that have shown that it makes no differance if the fans push or pull the air through the radiator. This is possible due to the reduced air flow restriction designed of the radiator cores cooling fins. I could go deeper into it, but remember, google is your friend.......... 8)

Good info. I have the Innovatek Dual 120MM Fan Radi with the bracket already mounted on the radiator. According to their site and numerous other sites, the design of this differs than most other radiators in that the fins are all cast together when the radiator is made. Unlike common radiators where the fins are put on afterwards through welding, it proves to be more efficient.
As for researching google, what do I type in? Typing in radiator and overclock only pulls up the different radiators out there and some reviews, nothing about the efficiency of a push or pull fan setup.
I've posted another thread at:
http://forums.ocia.net/viewtopic.php?p=21921#21921
regarding reversing the polarity of the 120mm fans that I have because of the asthetics of it. See the nice side of the fan is the side that does the pulling, and if what you say is correct, then that side faces down towards the radiator pulling the air through and the uglier side that I don't want to see faces up.
Then I read somewhere else that reversing the polarity causes the fan to lose a couple of CFM because of the design of the fan blades. It's made to really go in one direction and isn't as efficient when it's reversed.
I'm not sure if this information is all correct, so please correct me if I'm wrong. But if it's possible to reverse the polarity of my fans, then I don't have to worry about the push or pull effect as I'll be able to mount it properly to have the fans pull air through the radiator.
You also mention to mount the fan using a shroud of some sort and not directly on top of the radiator to get the best results. My question is how far away should my fans be from the radiator? Is there a formula or proven height or is this something I need to go through trial and error to figure out the best solution?
I've googled a lot of information regarding this so far and there really has not been any definitive answer, just mostly theories and answers of just try it. I figured that forums are the best place to find answers as all collective minds meet in one place to help one another on problems and their solutions instead of searching blindly throughout the infinite internet.

Sorry about the rambling, but I need to make sure I get all the info I need before I go into my TEC/Watercooling setup.

Thanks for any and all info that can be given!

[Bio-Hazard]

Procooling.com has a lot of great info on radiators as well as just about anything else that has to do with extreme cooling.
http://forums.overclockers.com.au also has a ton of great info, you have to sige up there to read though.

[XyBeRz]

Procooling.com has a lot of great info on radiators as well as just about anything else that has to do with extreme cooling.
http://forums.overclockers.com.au also has a ton of great info, you have to sige up there to read though.

Unfortunately the only way to register is to use a non-free email account, ie Yahoo, Hotmail, Gmail, etc. I only have yahoo right now so I won't be able to use those forums. :cry: