DIY radiator

[Mishka]

I was jus tlooking at some WC'ing radiators and got this idea. I'm thinking small diameter copper pipe connected w/some 90degree elbows might work. On top of that assembly run a fan combo. Has anybody else considered this kind of setup? I'm not planning on actually building this, just toying with the possibility.

 

[iamtrout]

You need fins to dissipate the heat. Smooth tubes are not going to do it.

 

[Mishka]

Yeah, without the fins it would be more like a heat pipe huh? I suppose one could take a sheet of copper and kink it a few times, then cut little 5mm wide strips, and then run water through the manifold while spot-welding on each little finn... which would be right down Dr. Frankenstein's alley

 

[mindwreck]

you can... seen some with 30-40 ft of copper piping running passive in their watercooling system. It requires a massive pump and the pipes need to be place somewhere relatively cool.

 

[Jimmah]

You can do the shower head/pvc pipe/120mm fan method. Supposedly you can get below ambient.

IMO though, simple heatercores are the best option.

 

[Mattd46612]

77 Bonneville heatercore. $20 bucks at a auto parts store. Cut the tubes down and slip your 1/2" ID tubing over the tubes. There are more in depth ways to do it, but that takes 10 minutes and works just the same. Make some kind of shroud and use 2 120mm fans.

 

[essasin]

Originally posted by: Mattd46612
77 Bonneville heatercore. $20 bucks at a auto parts store. Cut the tubes down and slip your 1/2" ID tubing over the tubes. There are more in depth ways to do it, but that takes 10 minutes and works just the same. Make some kind of shroud and use 2 120mm fans.

right on the money...I bought this heatercore once at a Napa parts store 2 years ago.

 

[Parkre]

is the 77 bonneville all copper??

 

[mindwreck]

the fins should be all copper but the out construction can be brass or copper.
moding the heatcore

 

[Parkre]

but if pipes are not copper, say aluminum, then won't corrision start from electrolysis (or whatever it is)???

 

[mindwreck]

yes. never mix the two together. even with anti-corrosion addivitives like Zerex or water wetter, corrision will still take place, just at a much slower pace. For the barbs you usually want brass or polyE fittings

 

[HardWarrior]

Originally posted by: Mishka
Yeah, without the fins it would be more like a heat pipe huh? I suppose one could take a sheet of copper and kink it a few times, then cut little 5mm wide strips, and then run water through the manifold while spot-welding on each little finn... which would be right down Dr. Frankenstein's alley

I'd imagine that if you had enough tube and buried it, say, in your backyard, it could function as a meatball heat-pump. You wouldn't even need the fins.

 

[Jimmah]

You could submerge the pipes in your pool if you have one, that might work.

 

[Fresh Daemon]

Bladerunner of ZeroFanZone buried a metal propane tank below the frost line in his garden to act as a reservoir and radiator. But that's quite a lot of trouble, you'd need a backhoe (or several days with a shovel and a pickaxe).