Mixed metals and water considerations

[porina]

I have some ideas for an open loop water cooling system I'm about to try out. The question I have is, are there any considerations for mixed metals in water? I think I saw from the "whole room watercooling" video series that was not a good thing. I will have copper and aluminium in contact with each other and water, and there is likely steel elsewhere in the system too.

[W-L]

2 minutes ago, porina said:

I have some ideas for an open loop water cooling system I'm about to try out. The question I have is, are there any considerations for mixed metals in water? I think I saw from the "whole room watercooling" video series that was not a good thing. I will have copper and aluminium in contact with each other and water, and there is likely steel elsewhere in the system too.

The best is to just avoid it completely and not do mixed metals in a custom loop, but as for aluminum and copper you will require a compatible mixed metal fluid or premix or you will have issues with the copper being corroded away. 

[porina]

To be honest the idea I have is pretty crazy but low cost, and I doubt it'll be effective in the long term anyway. I could replace a key component with an all copper version later on if I decide to continue with it, but will take it a step at a time.

[Roawoao]

14 minutes ago, porina said:

I have some ideas for an open loop water cooling system I'm about to try out. The question I have is, are there any considerations for mixed metals in water? I think I saw from the "whole room watercooling" video series that was not a good thing. I will have copper and aluminium in contact with each other and water, and there is likely steel elsewhere in the system too.

Don't do it copper/aluminum/steel do not mix. 

 

The further apart the metals are the more galvanic corrosion may occur. Stainless steels are likely to be more resistant as well as painted/treated/anodized surfaces.

 

Also when you say open loop do you mean your just flushing cold water down the drain or something?

[W-L]

5 minutes ago, porina said:

To be honest the idea I have is pretty crazy but low cost, and I doubt it'll be effective in the long term anyway. I could replace a key component with an all copper version later on if I decide to continue with it, but will take it a step at a time.

It's doable but not exactly the best, for a compatible fluid you will want either and ethylene or propylene gylcol with a biocide or premix that has everything required. Here's an example of a sub $100 loop using low cost parts:

 

 

[porina]

11 minutes ago, Roawoao said:

Also when you say open loop do you mean your just flushing cold water down the drain or something?

I might not be using the right term, but I mean open as in "not closed". Evaporation will not be easily avoidable. I have seen people build evaporative coolers in the past, but this is not yet one of those. It might be a future upgrade. I don't want to say more until I at least have the photo to show how silly my idea is, probably tomorrow. 

7 minutes ago, W-L said:

It's doable but not exactly the best, for a compatible fluid you will want either and ethylene or propylene gylcol with a biocide or premix that has everything required. Here's an example of a sub $100 loop using low cost parts:

I vaguely remember those the last time I tried water cooling years ago, ended up using car radiator additive and no biocide.

[W-L]

36 minutes ago, porina said:

I might not be using the right term, but I mean open as in "not closed". Evaporation will not be easily avoidable. I have seen people build evaporative coolers in the past, but this is not yet one of those. It might be a future upgrade. I don't want to say more until I at least have the photo to show how silly my idea is, probably tomorrow. 

I vaguely remember those the last time I tried water cooling years ago, ended up using car radiator additive and no biocide.

It's not recommended to do an open loop as it will get stuff into the loop very easily and as mentioned evaporation will be an issue. 

[porina]

I already know my idea is a bit silly. It is more of a "because I can" not because I should idea... there will be other problems other than the mixed metals and evaporation deal with.

[W-L]

9 hours ago, porina said:

I already know my idea is a bit silly. It is more of a "because I can" not because I should idea... there will be other problems other than the mixed metals and evaporation deal with.

Well the main thing with an open loop is getting stuff into it and having something grow in the loop or clog it, with mixed metals as long as the proper fluids are used it's not really an issue just not recommended. 

[porina]

Been running the experiment all day. It is clear it is not suitable in its current form for 24/7 100% CPU load operation, but I didn't have high hopes for that anyway. It would be ok for lower loads though, but then again for that air cooling is good enough.

 

In the end I just used de-ionised water. I'm still gathering some data and will do a separate post on the whole experiment when done. Then I can start an even more insane cooling idea