Angled Fittings and Special Connectors Guide

Our Fittings and Tubing Guide is getting a sequel: A blog post explaining all the popular angled adapters, extenders, spacers, and other special connectors.

Not everything revolves around water blocks, radiators, distro plates, and pumps. Those with some experience in building custom water-cooling systems are familiar with the pain and stress of missing only one crucial adapter to complete the loop.

But still, we bet there are water-cooling enthusiasts out there who have at least one or two custom loops under their belt and yet aren’t aware of all the special adapters they could have at their disposal for a more convenient custom loop experience. So, without further ado, let’s lay out the basics.

Adapter Appearance

Most current EK adapters are available in four colors, i.e., finishes.

You can see the classic Nickel or “chrome” adapter fitting on the left. Next, we have the Satin Titanium variant, or “matte silver,” as some would describe it. And finally, we have the recognizable Gold and Black colors. Nickel and Black finish adapters are most often found in builds among the four variants.

Adapter Types

The most essential adapter fittings are probably EK-Quantum Torque Rotary Angled Adapters. We can distinguish two main types, the 90° and 45° Angled Adapters. There are also Offset Adapters, T Adapters, and Extenders of different sizes.

Some adapter fittings are static, while others are rotatable. The rotatable ones have a base that gets screwed into a G1/4″ port, while the top of the fitting can rotate a full circle (360°).

90° and 45° Angled Adapters

EK-Quantum Torque Rotary Adapter Fitting is a rotatable angled adapter fitting with G1/4″ threads in the form of a cylinder. It is very sturdy, and there are zero movements in the revolvable joint. The adapter allows for connections with G1/4″ threads to extend tubing possibilities in your water-cooled system for more effortless bends and better accessibility.

And if you’re wondering how rotary fittings work and how they can rotate and still not leak, we will demonstrate this in great detail as usual. Therefore, here is a cross-section of a 90° rotary adapter.

Now, you can inspect the outer elements of the adapter fitting: it has a female G1/4″ inlet at the top, an O-ring, and a male G1/4″ thread at the bottom. But here’s what’s happening on the inside, and it is pretty simple: two O-rings allow the rotation while preventing leakage, and a third component – a steel locking ring – prevents the top part from being separated from the base.

Our 90° adapters are also available in a reduced size. They are much smaller in height and can be used in Small Form Factor PCs or, in general, places inside any case that are difficult to reach.

It’s also worth mentioning that we offer Static 90° and 45° angled adapters. These adapters allow the connection of two fittings, adapters, or extenders with male G1/4″ threads to extend tubing possibilities in water-cooled systems.

These adapters are often used as interconnects to avoid tube bending or to allow for fewer bends.

Offset Adapters

Next up are our offset adapters. They are commonly used to distance or offset G1/4″ ports in tight spaces or to align hard tubing to another port to get perfectly parallel tube runs. They come in sizes of 3, 7, and 14 mm.

We also offer double rotary offset adapter fittings of 21 and 28 mm. The EK-Quantum Torque Double Rotary Offsets are male-female interconnects with G1/4″ ports offset by 21 or 28 mm. The fittings can rotate around two axes thanks to two revolvable joints. They can offset two parallel or perpendicular tubes and are best used on GPU and CPU water blocks to align tubing with distribution plate ports.

Appearance-wise, Double Rotary Offsets perfectly complement the rest of the EK Quantum Torque series fittings and adapters.

Extenders

As mentioned, some adapters rotate, and those that don’t are called fixed or static adapters. In the following images, you can see several static and rotary extenders.

Static extenders are quite compact – only 7, 14, or 28 mm long – while rotary extenders come in the size of 14 mm exclusively. Both types of extenders have versions with male/female and male/male G1/4″ ends, while static adapters also provide the female/female thread option.

Extenders and angled fittings can come in handy in various situations. Their primary role is to simplify the building process of a custom water cooling loop.

For example, it often happens that two components are too close, and both soft and hard tubing have a limited radius at which they can be bent. In these cases, the use of angled adapters is necessary. They also come in handy when lifting the fitting over the component to avoid creating an extra bend and get a straight tube run.

One of the most significant features of the Torque series that EK can be proud of is the option to tighten and release the adapters with a size 9 Allen key.

Our static extenders allow you to safely tighten and unscrew the adapters without damaging them on the outside. Spacers and fittings sometimes end up being screwed too tight, and the only way to release them is with pliers – a sure way to damage them. This is why using an Allen key inside the adapter is the perfect solution to prevent damage.

This Allen key compatibility also applies to our HDC and barbed fittings. Still, unlike some other manufacturers that use size 8 Allen key, EK chose a bigger size that is compatible with a larger, number 9 Allen key to keep high flow rates unharmed.

T Adapters

EK-Quantum Torque Adapter Fitting is a revolvable or static T adapter fitting with a G1/4″ thread. It’s shaped like a cut-off cylinder and is sturdy, with no movement in the revolvable joint. In the case of the rotary version, you get one male and two female threads. It can be used for setting up drain ports, 90-degree angles, and parallel connections between components.

The static version has three female ports with an internal G1/4″ thread. This solution helps split or combine the flow in your loop.

Valves and Pass-Throughs

Our next topic is drain valves and splitters. These two types of special connectors are commonly used together. Since every intervention in a water-cooling loop requires the system to be drained, the EK-Quantum Torque Drain Valve is the ideal solution.

You can attach the drain valve wherever you see fit using a T-Splitter, but always remember that drain valves are best mounted at the lowest point of the liquid cooling loop.

If you need to route tubing through a panel or enclosure while maintaining a sealed and secure connection, you can always rely on EK-Quantum Torque Pass-Through G1/4 fittings. Equipped with female G1/4″ threads on both ends, they enable seamless connection of separate chassis compartments.

EK-Matrix7 Standard

At this point, another nugget of important information is our innovative standard in custom liquid cooling, the EK-Matrix7. It was developed to make custom loop planning and building drastically more straightforward and intuitive while allowing for perfect build symmetry and precise tube runs.

EK-Matrix7 standardizes product dimensions, including the port position and spacing. The EK Quantum  Reflection² distribution plates, Velocity² and Momentum² CPU water blocks, Vector² GPU water blocks and active backplates, Surface radiators, and Torque fittings all follow the EK-Matrix7 standard, revolutionizing your PC building experience.

Simplify Your Custom Loop Experience

And there you have it! Now, you can confidently navigate our little army of angled adapters, extenders, spacers, and special connectors. They are not necessary, but they were crafted with precision to make your life easier when building a custom liquid cooling loop. Anyone who has already produced at least one loop will tell you to put one or two extra 90° fittings in the basket while shopping for liquid cooling parts, especially for the assembly of hard tubes.

And if you need some actionable inspiration, visit our Shop the Loop page, where you will find a variety of stunning builds to get your creative juices flowing. Once you find the PC build that speaks to you the most, you can recreate its custom loop assembly with zero guesswork. You also avoid the hassle of creating a shopping list since all the water cooling parts, including all the adapters and extenders you need, are included in the kit you order with one click.

We hope all this information gets you a few steps closer to your dream custom loop build.