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Thread: Word of caution

  1. #1
    Ultimate Member Billforce's Avatar
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    Word of caution

    About 6 months ago I modified a full tower and installed new MB, CPU, Ram, Video card, 320 HD DVD rom along with an ECO Coolit liquid cooling CPU cooler. It worked beautifully for 4 months but 2 weeks ago I started the PC one morning and it immediately shut down so I restarted it and it shut down again in a few seconds. I suspected CPU overheat as I had set the shutoff limit in the BIOS seup.
    I took the side off the case and was horrified, there was water all over the inside of the case drenching the MB and video card especially. The liquid cooler seal failed and blew water all over everything.
    Today I disassembled the pump and found the the "O" ring (double) on the discharge side of the pump has failed. I emailed the manufacture about the problem because it appears that the "O" rings themselves didn't fail but the plastic connector (female) had enlarged to the point that the "O" rings couldn't hold the pressure. The MB is cooked, the CPU and video card (after I dried it out) appears to be O.K.
    I held a funeral for my MSI K9A2 Platinum board though.
    Word of caution is DON'T trust water coolers.
    "Never corner something that's meaner than you are"

  2. #2
    Extreme Member! BipolarBill's Avatar
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    Good advice. I have never tried liquid cooling because my luck just sucks and it would probably happen to me as well.

    Gotta keep in mind that the people who need liquid cooling are usually in hot climates. That is exactly where these expansion problems are most likely to happen.

    If you're going to use liquid cooling, stick with the "big boys" with proven track records (read as expensive).
    MS MCP, MCSE

  3. #3
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    Have a DIY-Cooling-system

    I have a DIY-Solution from friends spread around my room waiting to be built-in since two years. That one was working properly. I too thought to add it to a container for shipping to africa.
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  4. #4
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    who need liquid cooling are usually in hot climates.

  5. #5
    Ultimate Member Beeblequix's Avatar
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    Howdy folks,

    My condolences Billforce.

    Can you use a non-conductive mineral oil on those coolers or are you stuck with using only H2O?
    "all animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others".
    George Orwell

  6. #6
    Member ua549's Avatar
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    Fill a fish tank with non-conductive mineral oil. Attach a pump and radiator for cooling. Insert the system board. Power supply and drives can be mounted above the tank or hung along the outside. The mineral oil can be expensive.

  7. #7
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    Might be interested in these then.
    http://www.treehugger.com/clean-tech...d-servers.html

    Heat generated by the PC is transferred into the mineral oil at a rate over 5 times better than air.
    http://www.pugetsystems.com/submerged.php

  8. #8
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    Buy the oil from a vet, who use it as a laxitive for horses.

  9. #9
    Member ua549's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Train View Post
    Buy the oil from a vet, who use it as a laxitive for horses.
    +1

    I bought 20 gallons of the stuff years ago for a dual Xeon socket 603 server that was too hot and noisy with 9 cooling fans. IIRC I paid about $200 for it from a local vet.

  10. #10
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    These folks us liquid nitrogen to cool the electronics.
    http://www.naic.edu/

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