Chiller/ac unit

[wdrzal]

it was 6:08am and have not slept for several days.

[godsgifttoearth]

what are the fins on the evaporator usually made out off on aircons? are they aluminium? if they are, is there ever any problem with mixing those with copper waterblocks? or does the use of alcohol prevent this?

[Starkiller42]

Alu, usually. But if you mix in lotsa antifreeze, you should be well protected (just like your car's cooling system ).

I don't think that alcohol confers any corrosion benefits; in fact I think methanol at least exacerbates the issue.

[TopherTony]

reread and....nvm
wow this hasnt been touched in a while

[Unoid]

ever through of putting two rads in 1 cooler? That way you won't have to circulate alcohol whatever mix inside the cooler. Just put the computer loop radiate submerged inside the cooler. Warm coolant in the cooler will rise to top Not as efficient but close.

[HawaiianSupermn]

Been using my home brew setup for a bit now and using antifreeze has prevented any signs of corrosion on the blocks. The biggest draw back I've found is what appears to be cavitation on the pumps, 1 swiftech and 1 alphacool 24v @ about -30c .

submerging rads in a closed loop into the evap bath with a sharp temp change could cause contracting and expanding within the loop and I'd guess cause some fitting to break loose or blocks to crack. Just a noob shot at it.

[Axiomatic]

wow, great thread. i read the whole thing!

I am and have been interested in building a chiller system for a hobby computer for some time. I have built 2 water cooled (radiator) systems and feel it's time to move on to cooler things. What i plan to do is take the evap on an A/C unit and submerge it in a liquid like what you guys are doing. However, I will be moving that coolant through a radiator that is submerged in a mineral oil bath that is shared by the computer.

current system:


so evap chills coolant and then coolant chills oil bath. to alleviate the issue of hot spots in the oil i will be incorporating a full water-block system on the mobo of the computer (cpu-block, ram-block, north and southbridge-block, gpu/vram-block, etc) the pump in the oil bath will move oil through the block system to assure that oil is always moving over those components. the oil starts by being sucked through the grid of the radiator (chilled by coolant) into the block system and then when the oil has passed through it is ejected into the ambient oil bath, thereby keeping the non-blocked components cooled. the oil bath is to keep any and all condensation off any of the components. (no water present means no condensation! wewt!)


sound plausible? i think it may be a little overly complex BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE SO MUCH FUN! you guys seem to give good advice on these forums and so i sought you out for an opinion.

i have some crude drawings to follow.

[Axiomatic]

the promised drawings. lol these are not meant to convey specifics, just the general ideas of what i'm trying to accomplish.

[Axiomatic]

BAH! you guys aren't any fun =(

[[p]wnzor]

Been using my home brew setup for a bit now and using antifreeze has prevented any signs of corrosion on the blocks. The biggest draw back I've found is what appears to be cavitation on the pumps, 1 swiftech and 1 alphacool 24v @ about -30c .

submerging rads in a closed loop into the evap bath with a sharp temp change could cause contracting and expanding within the loop and I'd guess cause some fitting to break loose or blocks to crack. Just a noob shot at it.

Hey Soups!

I was having the same issues, not sure the Swiftechs are real happy at -30c, lol. I ended up going to the hardware store and picking up a "coy pond" fountain pump. If i recall corectly it was 500 GPH...though at -20 I'd give it around 200. It plugs into the wall and thus far has been treating me pretty well. It will churn bubbles for a bit, but after a while it's smooth sailing.

[cooling storm]

cool man

[gasiads09]

Nice thread Eligray. I did make a post there but ill also ask you here. Would the eraser work in a 24/7 setup like im building here? Should i use Dielectric grease in the cpu socket? Also i want to keep my mobo in my case and not use a bench. Is that going to work for me? I am only coling the CPU with this chiller all my other components will still be cooled with my ambient water cooler.

[Calathea]

Thread revival. Found this cheap used unit here in sweden: http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/20...or_Cooler.html

Not bought yet, wondering if it's enough for pc water chiller. R134A and max 280W power draw, more of a dehumidifier than a real AC. Anyone?