Water cooling quality question.

[Csevans]

So I have a question and it's just one to come to my recently watching Linus hook a fire hose to a computer. Yeah I know there's been a lot of videos on cooling and in particularly water cooling but I've never seen a video on the quality of water that should be used when cooling a PC. This is coming from A strictly working in a pharmaceutical grade background where the water also known as (WFI) actually does have to be 99% pure. Not the 99% pure it says on drinking water fun fact, 99% clean water will kill you it will leach the element out of your cells and kill you do not drink it. But I've also seen that the temperature of actually super clean water can reach mass highs and lows extremely quickly. So I've never seen a video on the quality of water being used, but I'm curious to see the effects that it would have.

[Thomas53]

If your water is potable from the tap, you're good to go, it just depends on the mineral content. If you're not sure distilled water is the better way to go.

[Csevans]

No, my real thought was, wouldn't WFI be better because it reaches temperatures faster, both hot and cold. My only concern with using WFI, or any water for that matter, is that water is a leaching agent and, over time, it would probably start to degrade whatever tubing it was running through. Not right away, maybe a year down the road, but it would still happen.

[Thomas53]

ADDED TO MY POST ABOVE

 

The problem isn't in the chemicals, it's in the minerals that are in hard water that cause the problem.

What happens is that the minerals start to block the fins and other tight places and cause poor flow.

 

For hard water, boiling the water in a pan will cause the minerals to sink to the bottom and by being careful and ladle the top 2/3rds or you'll be fine. Just leave a llayer if water in the pan so you don't pick up any of the sunken minerals.

 

Or, you can boil the water and use trap the condensation from the steam.

 

But, quite honestly, distilled water mixed with what ever eater cooling additive is a lot easier. There are also some pre-mixed solutions available, if you don't want to go through the bother of doing it yourself.

 

And no matter what you do, you're going to run across problems, there inevitable when you have 2 objects touching. BUT, by using the same metal in all of the couplings, you'll have fewer.

[thrasher_565]

99% desteld water was tested long time ago and after some time metal and things just get in so its no longer 99%

 

is there a coolant you could put in there that is not mixed with water probably but cost alot.

 

tube lasts a vary long time. even if it looks dirty it can be cleaned and reused just people dont.

 

the fire hose is a joke its not being daly used just made in the video then deisasembled and left in a corner probly.

 

 

 

 

[Wh0_Am_1]

You are going to want distilled water as it has a reduced mineral content, as far as water cooling the cleaner the better as the more minerals that are introduced the lower the resistance of the coolant, thereby the greater the effect of galvanic corrosion i.e. your cooling loop turning into a battery. Ideally you would also use similar charge metals, or if possible a single metal for the entire loop as this reduced the chances of corrosion, also make sure to acquire corrosion inhibitors like those that are commonly found in high quality coolants.