Condensation - watercooling

A

Arm_Pit

banned
I am thinking of making a water cooling system(May go with DIY, seems like it would be a cool project, and I could make a guide for it on the internet if it turns out well.)


My question is, In water cooling what stops condensation from happening and ruining the computer parts? It seems like it would be a problem. Thanks.
 
Depends on humidity levels and temperature of the room. If the temp is cooled then water vapour changes into liquid. Water cooling systems should not create condenstation because they are normally at room temperature. so there really is not too much too worry about condensation forming on the cables etc.

Also some water cooling systems come with a temperature control to protect against condensation and over-cooling.
 
Slackr89 said:
^^ =p not a bad idea have a PSU going through a freezer...it would take care of over-heating... lol
Click to expand...
I thought of it as one of my DIY plans, I have a Mini fride(also with a small freezer sectrion on the top) next to my next. My only idea was to have a massive coil run though it. I didn't know how I would seal and insulate where i made the holes for the tubes to go in.

I quickly scrached that plan for many reasons.


My thought about the condensation was, that night tempatures and room tempatures vary extreamly, and air warms(and cools) much faster then water.

Thanks for your replys, looking forward to here more input.
 
No, WATER cools and warms faster than air, as water is denser than air. That's why water cooling is so popular. You still need air to get the heat out of the water, hence the nice big 3x120mm fan radiators you can slap on the top of your computer.

Just get a mini fridge or freezer, and put the radiator in there. Place, I dunno, about an inch from the bottom. It heats the cool air, the hot air rises, and the cool air at the top falls down to be reheated, so there's no need for fans.
 
Last edited:
thealmightyone said:
No, WATER cools and warms faster than air, as water is denser than air. That's why water cooling is so popular. You still need air to get the heat out of the water, hence the nice big 3x120mm fan radiators you can slap on the top of your computer.

Just get a mini fridge or freezer, and put the radiator in there. Place, I dunno, about an inch from the bottom. It heats the cool air, the hot air rises, and the cool air at the top falls down to be reheated, so there's no need for fans.
Click to expand...
I've always found it easier to heat air then water....

How would i get the raddiator in the frigde without drilling a hole in it? then once im ther it would be extrealy difficuly to insulate and seal that hole so I dont get air loss from it.
 
Arm_Pit said:
I've always found it easier to heat air then water....
Click to expand...
Exactly, it takes alot more heat to warm up water than air, so the water would be cooler when it passes through the heatsink.
 
[-0MEGA-] said:
Exactly, it takes alot more heat to warm up water than air, so the water would be cooler when it passes through the heatsink.
Click to expand...
I know, I was replying to "healmightyone" who said water heats and cools faster then air, when its the otehr way around.


What I was thinking though, was from affternoon to night, when im not usnig my computer much but its still on, and the tempature lowers radidly, or mourning to afternoon when the tempature raises rapidly, just making sure there owuldn;t be any problem with condensation there. temps change quickly around where i live.
 
No-one can say for definate you won't have condensation problems. It depends on both temperature and humidity of the air.

If you want to be REALLY sure, then check your LOCAL weather, and look for the DEWPOINT. This value is the temperature that the water vapor in the air will begin to condense. But, the water flowing through the pipes is always going to be warmer than the outside air, so it's HIGHLY unlikely the heatsink is going to suffer from condensation.

Sidenote: It is a FACT that water conducts heat much better than air. Now, some company needs to manke a minature version of a zalman cooler that can be used in a water-cooling set-up.
 
thealmightyone said:
No-one can say for definate you won't have condensation problems. It depends on both temperature and humidity of the air.

If you want to be REALLY sure, then check your LOCAL weather, and look for the DEWPOINT. This value is the temperature that the water vapor in the air will begin to condense. But, the water flowing through the pipes is always going to be warmer than the outside air, so it's HIGHLY unlikely the heatsink is going to suffer from condensation.

Sidenote: It is a FACT that water conducts heat much better than air. Now, some company needs to manke a minature version of a zalman cooler that can be used in a water-cooling set-up.
Click to expand...
Conductivity of heat, and how fast it heats up and cools off are COMPTLY different idea's.(what you said was "WATER cools and warms faster than air")

Water cools and heats SLOWER then air, becuase it taqkes MORE heat energey to heat it up, which is WHY its better for water cooling becuase it takes more heat.
 
unless the water is below the dew point there is no problem with condension...

if you have a water-chiller (ive got one and its pretty bad...) then you need to insulate the tubing ect.., but otherwise its not a problem

for the kit, you may want a fairly simple one to put together, Like Alphacool (v. good IMO) Aquacomputer (expensive but good) OR Aestek (fairly cheap and fine...) dont go for a huge 1/2" custom kit straight away...
 
I was actually kind og thinking a 10 gallon water supply pumping water though my tank at 80gph with 1/4inch tubing.
 
I have a question if you shut off your computer for the night and the water cooling system. Would you have to turn on the water cooling system first and let it cool the water before turning on your computer?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top