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Watercooling on the cheap.

O

Obliterous

n00b
Joined
Jun 5, 2004
Messages
14
FInally making the jump to a WC system, after nearly going deaf with all the fans I have, And I thought that I'd share with Y'all.

First, the case: I'm using A CaseEdge Diabolic Minotaur As seen here.
The Mobo is a GigaByte GA-7S748, CPU, AMD XP 2800+, Video is a GF5700 W/256MB.

I've tried a few different heatsinks and cant seem to get My idle temps below 109f, so I'm going to go with some water.

I had a friend pick up these waterblocks for Me (thanks dude!)

I can fix the leaks, having lots of acrylic laying around.

I have lots of wires and cables that I need to move around in the case, just to make it clean, and then with the tubing, we'll see how far I can get.

My plan is to use copper tubing as much as possible for the interconnects between the waterblocks, 1/2 inch tygon tubing where copper is not practical, and between the case and external res/rad.

the res/rad is an old Humidifier that I picked up at the thrift store for $2, a gallon of capacity. pump is an ornamental fountain pump, capable of 150 l/hr@12vdc/.6A.

the rad is going to be a coil of 3/8 id copper tubing (aprox 10 feet) in the non-tank side of the humidifier chasis.

All copper is going to be polished and clear coated, to limit corosion, and a small block of zinc is also going to be installed as a sacrificial element.

I'll be posting pics as soon as I get around to it. Either using a decent webcam, or borowing a friends Fuji.

Feedback will be great, so go ahead and share...
 
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The zinc is a sacrificial block. basicly it get's all of the electrolytic corosion, leaving the copper intact.

just have to make sure that the zinc is grounded.
 
Obliterous said:
The zinc is a sacrificial block. basicly it get's all of the electrolytic corosion, leaving the copper intact.

just have to make sure that the zinc is grounded.
Click to expand...



hmm...i think its easy said then done.

i've just done a chemistry lab, trying to protect iron with a sacrificial metal (zinc) and it was extremely difficult to do. many uncontrolled (and unpredictable) things...at least in my lab :rolleyes:
 
hmm... even if you do close up those waterblocks... you have to remember that they are broken, and eventually the stress will more then likely crack them...

I wouldnt put my computer in danger with broken waterblocks...
 
Obliterous said:
The zinc is a sacrificial block. basicly it get's all of the electrolytic corosion, leaving the copper intact.

just have to make sure that the zinc is grounded.
Click to expand...

Are you going to be having any aluminum in your water loop? IIRC, that's the only reason you'll need corrosion protection. Besides, why not use an anti-corrosive additive to your water, instead? Something like anti-freeze or water wetter.
 
Bot> Going to completely replace the acrylic on the cpu. I've got material lying around...

Timmee> Antifreeze and/or watter wetter are also in the plan, but I've seen pure copper cooling settups corode after a while, and I dont want that...

Ballz> ground both peices of metal, together, and THEN get a lot of free ions in the water.

it really does work...
 
Obliterous said:
Bot> Going to completely replace the acrylic on the cpu. I've got material lying around...

Timmee> Antifreeze and/or watter wetter are also in the plan, but I've seen pure copper cooling settups corode after a while, and I dont want that...

Ballz> ground both peices of metal, together, and THEN get a lot of free ions in the water.

it really does work...
Click to expand...


You don't need a sacrificiall anode if your metals are close enough in the galvanic series. If you have all copper components, then the corrosion is probably not galvanic and putting zinc in there will not help. In fact, by adding zinc you'll actually be promoting corrosion, why would you want this?
 
You bring up a good point. Now go away. :p

seriously, tho, I have seen galvanic corosion in system that only include copper. the primary reason for it, as far as I can tell, is that with sections electrically insulated from each other, potentials build up...


OTOH, it probably wouldn't hurt Me to wait on the anode, either...
 
My understanding is that it's scientifically impossible for galvanic corrosion to occur in a loop that only has one type of metal. The only way it could happen is if there were impurities (read: other metals) in the main material. Then it could happen but it's unlikely.
 
yea, you cant get galvanic corrosion in a loop with all copper...cause you cant have galvanic corrosion between the same metal. For galvanic corrosion to occur you need either...
A) Two dissimilar metals in an electrolyte
B) Two similar metals in two dissimilar electrolyes
You have none of those in a watercooling loop with all water.

Now water however given enough time will corrode any metal, even gold....just takes a long time. And usually when you see corrosion in a system its because the people did not use their additives properly.
 
DaMiEn said:
My understanding is that it's scientifically impossible for galvanic corrosion to occur in a loop that only has one type of metal. The only way it could happen is if there were impurities (read: other metals) in the main material. Then it could happen but it's unlikely.
Click to expand...

This is true, some alloys can corrode themselves even! But i doubt this will happen with copper or even brass parts.

Obliterous - having the parts electrically in contact is actually a requirement for galvanic corrosion. For example, your waterblock could have metal mounting hardware connected to your case, which is also connected to your radiator. But you say in your case, all the components are isolated. I would all but guarantee you that galvanic corrosion will not be a problem :)
 
Okay. maybe I'll get lucky...


Now then, on to more of the important questions...

We all know that both distilled water and antifreeze work as coolants, but I'm looking to try something different.

Not being able to afford a few gallons of saphire, Has anyone experimented with other coolants?

I'm wondering about using rubbing alcohol, and I'd like to get input on this one...
 
To clear up a little confusion here he is a overview of the corrsion process.....Corrosion is nature's method whereby metals and alloys return to their un-refined naturally occurring forms as ores and minerals. For corrosion to acure you need 3 things, and electrolyte (water), disvolved substances in the electrolyte (oxygen, chlorine) using distilled water will eliminate that, and corrosion cells where 2 portions of the metal surface become electrically connected.....

This is why water heaters have a sacrificial anobe in the top of them (looks like a metal hex bolt, sometimes with a plastic cover of it, but they ALL have them)....

Thus I dont see the need for them on a closed system water cooling system, even using tap water. Using distilled water will make it totally impossible.....
 
poison123 said:
Wouldn't that evaporate quickly?
Click to expand...

Not necesarilly. I'm planning on a sealed system to start with, and a pressurized sustem is not terribly different. A low pressure expansion chamber wont be hard to build, al will allow Me to keeps pressures at a minimum, while preventing mass evaporation of the alchohol...

I suspect that I'll be doing a few tests to see what sort of results I can achieve with alternative coolants.
 
a. if you decide to use acrylic, do NOT use alcohol
b. if you decide to use acrylic, please use THICK acrylic, as it is brittle
c. if you decide to use 'a plastic' use polycarbonate/lexan as an alternative...
d. i can't tell from the pictures, but it doesn't look like those blocks use an o-ring... how are you going to seal it?

Just a few things to think about
 
Obliterous said:
We all know that both distilled water and antifreeze work as coolants, but I'm looking to try something different. Not being able to afford a few gallons of saphire, Has anyone experimented with other coolants? I'm wondering about using rubbing alcohol, and I'd like to get input on this one...
Click to expand...
Straight antifreeze is dumb, since it has much worse thermal properties than water. The only reason to use it - diluted - is its anti-corrosive properties, but there are other things that can do that without the thermal sacrifices. Remember, it's called anti-freeze, not anti-heat. It isn't designed to remove heat - that's what water does.

The only reason to even consider alcohol is when using a chiller where water would freeze. Again, water has much, much better thermal conductivity (and viscosity) than alcohol.

I use distilled water, an anti-fungal, and some of this stuff:

prod_cool.gif


I've also used a dash of this and water:

fluid-redline-water-wetter-1-200.jpg


But it leaves a white residue in your tubing, not pretty.

CynicX said:
using distilled water will eliminate that, ...Using distilled water will make it totally impossible.....
Click to expand...
Finally, someone speaks truth in this thread. Yes, distilled water prevents the corrosion. It's dissolved trace metals in tap water that cause corrosion - and make it conductive. Yes, distilled water is not even electrically conductive.

Bottom line, nothing beats water as a base, although you can include additives.
 
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