A water cooling idea! (Dream comes true?)

spolitta · Post by **spolitta** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 1:53 pm

Today I opened this discussion on another local forum but since it has to do with tottal silent and good performance then it also belongs here.

I'd like to know what SPCR thinks about this idea.

El Doug · Post by **El Doug** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 2:48 pm

the only problem with that is your water bill will skyrocket

StarfishChris · Post by **StarfishChris** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 4:05 pm

Not for the green (/cheap

) silencers!

Someone on an overclockers forum lived next to a stream and suggested using that for watercooling - bad idea, the warmer water would harm life downstream. Keep to closed loops. Relocating the pump would be a much better idea if silence is your concern.

Edit: No need to relocate the radiator, that's silent unless you really mess up

thanks Shining Arcanine

Shining Arcanine · Post by **Shining Arcanine** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 4:23 pm

Not to mention the little tiny particles (i.e. dirt and algae) would build up inside the water blocks and various tubing. A better idea would be to put the radiator in the stream. If nuclear power plants can do it, we can too.

By the way, do you not mean relocating the pump?

|Romeo| · Post by **|Romeo|** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 4:28 pm

StarfishChris wrote:
Not for the green (/cheap ) silencers!

Someone on an overclockers forum lived next to a stream and suggested using that for watercooling - bad idea, the warmer water would harm life downstream. Keep to closed loops. Relocating the radiator would be a much better idea if silence is your concern.

An argument that ignores the fact that you could extract energy from the stream by means of a simple turbine/waterwheel arrangement. Since the reason given for not allowing electricity generation is the cooling of the water, this solution would be quite neat. However, I'd suggest using a closed water cooling system with a radiator in the stream, rather than attempting to use the stram water directly, as it is likely to contain enough "foreign matter" to clog up your water block.

spolitta · Post by **spolitta** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 5:22 pm

as I said in the original thread you could simply use a filter for this project.
also in apartments the water bill is included in the rent.

StarfishChris · Post by **StarfishChris** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 5:30 pm

|Romeo| wrote:
StarfishChris wrote:
Not for the green (/cheap ) silencers!

Someone on an overclockers forum lived next to a stream and suggested using that for watercooling - bad idea, the warmer water would harm life downstream. Keep to closed loops. Relocating the radiator would be a much better idea if silence is your concern.
An argument that ignores the fact that you could extract energy from the stream by means of a simple turbine/waterwheel arrangement. Since the reason given for not allowing electricity generation is the cooling of the water, this solution would be quite neat. However, I'd suggest using a closed water cooling system with a radiator in the stream, rather than attempting to use the stram water directly, as it is likely to contain enough "foreign matter" to clog up your water block.

I'm not sure what you're getting at. The only way the stream would be useful in this case is as a coolant i.e. something to dump energy onto. Yes, you could generate electricity from it and use a heat pump & air cooling, but that's not relevant (you already have electricity in your home).

El Doug · Post by **El Doug** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 5:33 pm

well, if you arent charged for water (youre lucky - my landlady wont let me get away with anything), then theres no reason not to try as long as youre not combining metals (the ions in the tap may have bad affects on aluminum/copper combos)

as for computer-heated water affecting the ecology of a stream - the heat output of even the hottest overclocked prescott would not alter the stream enough to in any significant way alter the amount of O2 that the water could hold, nor would it simply get hot enough to hurt wildlife.

Stjopatron · Post by **Stjopatron** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 2:19 am

Here in England most households pay a flat rate for the water. That is because it is cheaper than having to install tamper-proof meters everywhere and sending someone from an employment agency to check the readings (basically, the whole concept of UK inc. is 'cheap 'n quick').
It is an incredible waste of our scarce source of drinking water, but while you're at it, why not damage the environment further more by combining it with an office water cooler?

|Romeo| · Post by **|Romeo|** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 3:41 am

StarfishChris wrote:
|Romeo| wrote:
StarfishChris wrote:
Not for the green (/cheap ) silencers!

Someone on an overclockers forum lived next to a stream and suggested using that for watercooling - bad idea, the warmer water would harm life downstream. Keep to closed loops. Relocating the radiator would be a much better idea if silence is your concern.
An argument that ignores the fact that you could extract energy from the stream by means of a simple turbine/waterwheel arrangement. Since the reason given for not allowing electricity generation is the cooling of the water, this solution would be quite neat. However, I'd suggest using a closed water cooling system with a radiator in the stream, rather than attempting to use the stram water directly, as it is likely to contain enough "foreign matter" to clog up your water block.
I'm not sure what you're getting at. The only way the stream would be useful in this case is as a coolant i.e. something to dump energy onto. Yes, you could generate electricity from it and use a heat pump & air cooling, but that's not relevant (you already have electricity in your home).

Simply that there is no requirement for the water in the stream to be hotter than it otherwise would be (I come at this problem from the other side; wanting to generate electricity from said stream, but not being able to because of the cooling caused by a waterwheel (or similar). This probably tells you how reliable my electricity supply isn't)

Overconfidence · Post by **Overconfidence** » Fri Jan 13, 2006 3:50 pm

StarfishChris wrote: Someone on an overclockers forum lived next to a stream and suggested using that for watercooling - bad idea, the warmer water would harm life downstream. Keep to closed loops. Relocating the pump would be a much better idea if silence is your concern.

The amount of heat a watercooling setup puts out is negligable. Not counting that the idea isn't that smart. If you're that devoted, buy a 5x120mm++ racing car radiator and run it passive.

ddrueding1 · Post by **ddrueding1** » Fri Jan 13, 2006 4:12 pm

Just an observation, using constantly flowing water in an open-ended system as a heatsink has a special name and is illegal in the US. (I'll need to do some research to remember what it's called.)

spolitta · Post by **spolitta** » Fri Jan 13, 2006 4:48 pm

ddrueding1 wrote:(I'll need to do some research to remember what it's called.)

cool, I'd like to know if such a law exists.

Post by **Rusty075** » Fri Jan 13, 2006 6:41 pm

Usually referred to as "single-pass cooling loops" in building codes. (as opposed to "closed loop"). And yes, they are illegal in most places, although the're really talking about industrial companies dumping thousands of gallons of heated water into storm and sewer systems, but technically it applies to this situation as well. For home users its wasteful more than anything.

Yes another reason to avoid this, that hasn't been mentioned yet:

Condensation

~El~Jefe~ · Post by **~El~Jefe~** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 8:47 pm

Well, the stream would work to cool. OF COURSE! it is infinite in water volume !

However, here are my thoughts: the amount of tubing required would negate the need for the stream. If you had 3/8" inch inner diameter tubing, that connected to a copper pipe that was 15 feet long..... you would have cool liquid by the time it hit the stream. Now, if the pipe is all kinked up, it wont cool as well, but perfection is a straight run for letting the heat off. I suggest just attach baseboard heating fins to a copper pipe with a far away pump (need a good one for this) that would simply make a loop very far away and return it, low flow, but all the heat gone.

30+ feet of copper tubing loses its heat very rapidly! especially if it is mostly water, it could withstand much overclocking.

condensation would build up in case if the stream was too cold.

jamesavery22 · Post by **jamesavery22** » Tue Jan 24, 2006 8:25 am

Someone over at ocforums took a 50 gallon rubbermaid garbage can and put it inline with his house's water main/inlet/whatever in his basement. Then put a heatercore in the garbage can. Naturally the garbage can remains full and everytime the water was turned on or a toilet was flushed the water int he garbage can is cycled. He got good temps. I like the idea =)

Course he had a pump to move water from his PC to the HC in the basement...