Custom loop with naked copper pipes, no insulation.

[QuantumSingularity]

Ok guys, so i plan on start designing a custom loop with only copper pipes. I work with ACs, so for me it's a piece of cake to weld the knee joints, the pipes and make all the connections. My question is if condensation would be a problem if the pipes are naked, with no insulation. In theory it shouldn't be, since i won't be going sub-ambient, but i just wanted to be sure. I plan on doing 2 loops, with 2 separate pumps and in the loop the water should always be a bit warmer than ambient air. But moving water dissipates heat faster than still water and through the copper pipes it will be cooling even more. Unlike the refrigerant gas in the AC systems that i am used to, the water will be flowing through the pipes at a much lower rate and i was wondering if that could lead to potential spots where condensation would start to appear. 

 

Oh and one more question - has anyone tried coiling the pipes into a spiral shape and if so, does that decrease the flow rate a lot ?

[manikyath]

condensation only happens if the coolant is colder than the air moving across the pipe.

 

if your coolant is colder than the air moving trough your case, you have serious problems.

[Applefreak]

32 minutes ago, QuantumSingularity said:

i was wondering if that could lead to potential spots where condensation would start to appear. 

 

Oh and one more question - has anyone tried coiling the pipes into a spiral shape and if so, does that decrease the flow rate a lot ?

No, the coolant will always be warmer than ambient or equal if the PC is not running. It won't go below ambient unless you use a refrigerant and a compressor. Coiling a tube, depending on  what you have in mind can have little to a lot of effect depending on the curvature and the inner diameter. In general you want to have as little bends as possible and if unavoidable use avoid 90° angles. As for soldering, I'd rather bend them. Soldering adds points of failure and the solder may contaminate the water. If you mainly go for looks, I'd put a layer of clearcoat onto the copper to prevent it from changing color long term. I've tried copper a couple of years ago and other than a real pain to get the fittings to align properly, I couldn't make out a difference in performance to flex tubing.

[Dedayog]

51 minutes ago, QuantumSingularity said:

Ok guys, so i plan on start designing a custom loop with only copper pipes. I work with ACs, so for me it's a piece of cake to weld the knee joints, the pipes and make all the connections. My question is if condensation would be a problem if the pipes are naked, with no insulation. In theory it shouldn't be, since i won't be going sub-ambient, but i just wanted to be sure. I plan on doing 2 loops, with 2 separate pumps and in the loop the water should always be a bit warmer than ambient air. But moving water dissipates heat faster than still water and through the copper pipes it will be cooling even more. Unlike the refrigerant gas in the AC systems that i am used to, the water will be flowing through the pipes at a much lower rate and i was wondering if that could lead to potential spots where condensation would start to appear. 

 

Oh and one more question - has anyone tried coiling the pipes into a spiral shape and if so, does that decrease the flow rate a lot ?

Dude, yes DO the spirals!!!