Extreme alternative cooling?

[ai42]

Ok I am quite well versed in the various forms of cooling. Anyway I am sick and tired of these hot processors, hard drives, etc etc. I live in Texas and well as you can imagine it costs a lot to keep my house cool in the summer. Anyway my hot AthlonXP system is currently watercooled. But all it does is move heat more efficently. It just transfers heat into the air. Well thats no good. I am looking into extreme forms of watercooling. I saw that brittish guy a while back bury a huge tank underground (if someone has a link plz post I lost it). That may be a good possibility, as the earth here is like clay and would be fairly good at that. I also considered place a super large radiator outside my house, like in the backyard. However in the winter it would freeze maybe. If I kept the pumps going 24/7 then I don't think it would freeze. But still a rather good possibility.

I need some cooling that is cheaper than A/C!! any suggestions plz post

I'm going to be looking into possibilties and do something this summer.

BTW... I am talking like 1inch to 1 1/2 hose. I only need to cool 2 computers as of now. However in about a year I will start my own company, and wish to have a quite a few rackmount servers, and watercooling for them too would be great.

 

[Howard]

You'd have to find a pump with whatever size connectors you are using - else it's the weakest link effect. You won't have to worry about freezing all that much - if it gets really cold, you can substitute ethyl glycol, the stuff they use in car cooling systems. However, it doesn't carry heat as well as water, so you're better off with a 60/40 water/glycol mix.

If you can find an good aluminum radiator (make that several) with the proper fittings, you can run them in series outdoors. If they've oxidized, they'll be nearly indestructible.

 

[ProviaFan]

I don't know if this will be of much help, as I've never had much experience in this area (mainly lack of funds to play with this expensive equipment), but perhaps you could use something like this. The chiller you see there is designed for aquaria, but certainly if this one wouldn't work, you could find another kind of device that would work.

 

[ai42]

<< don't know if this will be of much help, as I've never had much experience in this area (mainly lack of funds to play with this expensive equipment), but perhaps you could use something like this. The chiller you see there is designed for aquaria, but certainly if this one wouldn't work, you could find another kind of device that would work. >>



But see that still doesn't help. Fridge based cooler still put heat into the air. I want heat outside my house.

 

[ProviaFan]

Can't you set up a fridge based cooler that transfers the heat outside your house, like an air conditioner does?

 

[ai42]

<< Can't you set up a fridge based cooler that transfers the heat outside your house, like an air conditioner does? >>



Yes I could. But first of all it is very difficult to obtain freon unless you are certified. Second it would have to be piped very long distances, through copper tubing. That would require very good quality welding. Freon is pressurized to over 80-120 PSI in some areas. Also basically I would be building an inefficent air conditioner, which would still suck up eletricity like no tomorrow.

Would be a good idea if I put it upto solar power, and when its hot as hell outside it gives more juice to the A/C but that would require covering my entire roof in Solar pannels to get enough power. Not to mention high quality solar pannels are like 100 a square foot.

Finding a large tank still seams like the best idea. Also this setup would be using lke 4 pumps at least, because the water has to be pushed such long distances. (30-40 feet minimmum)

 

[Jeff7]

Even watercooling will consume electricity, especially for moving moderate quantities of water deep down into the ground, and then back up, then through a series of hoses in the computers. And the expense of building them would also take a long time to pay for itself, assuming that it would even be more efficient at all to do the alternative cooling you're considering.

 

[ai42]

<< ven watercooling will consume electricity, especially for moving moderate quantities of water deep down into the ground, and then back up, then through a series of hoses in the computers. And the expense of building them would also take a long time to pay for itself, assuming that it would even be more efficient at all to do the alternative cooling you're considering. >>



You are right the cost of this will be rather high. And may take years for it to pay for itself. However water pumps use around 15-20 Watts of power and even a few of them would pail in comparison to like a 1000Watt A/C system.

 

[Goose77]

i got an idea.. but its a little crazy and i dont have alot of experience in this cause i havent done it b4(put a water cooler together), but....

u get a bucket... poke a hole in the bottom, the size of ur pipe and seal it. fill it with water and ice...(ice cheap $1 for 5lbs.) and have the return pouring out on top... see bottom is cool.. hot on top ice cools and now u see the cycle. would this crazy idea work or would the water be too hot and melt the ice to fast. and if so then u could try a radiator b4 the dump out into the bucket, but that would once again heat your room....

well i tried... sorry if im no help and just taking up space!

 

[WarCon]

Why not just use a little stronger pump and an old beer keg (wonder if there are any aluminum ones available). Pump from the bottom of the keg and dump into the top as to not disturb heat layering. The water at the bottom would be using the entire surface area of the keg as a passive radiator. Use quick disconnects so you can work on your machine elsewhere if you have to . You could even set your computer on it. If it was a fairly warm day, you could set the keg in a tub of water to have it shed heat faster and for the crazy hot days you could put small amounts of ice in the tub to maintain your temp.

If you prepare properly for condensation, you could be really crazy and dump a bunch of ice in and let it chill the keg, turn your machine on and go for crazy overclocks, It would take a long time to take the heat out of the ice water, so you might be able to play a game of Unreal at 300fps. Especially if you used the lower watt Northwoods. A 2.0 might hit 3.0 for a little while. And you could even chill your wine (not a big fan of beer) in it.................

The keg is an idea I might actually look into. I would probably just build a false front and make a stand over the keg. I might even hook up a small power supply (Maybe I will just get lucky and find a 9v adapter with enough amps to push some L1A's and hook them up directly to AC) and blow a couple 120's on it.

Someone should try this........

...........edit.............
I was just thinking how completely minimal it could be inside your case, all you really need is to mount some quick disconnects that could come through the back panel above your powersupply (if your case is designed that way) and the tubing that goes to the waterblock(s). Put the pump in a small metal box outside your computer. Use a nice rubber bottom on the metal box for sound dampening and have the pump and radiator (keg) outside the box. That would minimize the work to any future system that you buy if you want to use the same cooling solution.

Future designs of the profession model could include the pump and everything in a false filing cabinet style, with professional refrig cooling built in (like drinking fountain but more reservoir capacity). This could be used for rack cooling (that has the plumbing already built into the rack for server solution.)

............edit of the edit................
Large business's that always run water somewhere in the building could tap off the natural cooling of the flowing water in their mains. Just make a heatexchanger with the same flow rating that the main has and insert it into the main. Plumb the computer room of the building with an intake and exhaust water line and run a mild pressure system. Might even make it more cost efficient to cool the computer room, since your not dumping the heat of the processor into the room.

Ok, thats it..............

 

[Goose77]

damn it WarCon... i wish i could have thought of that one!!

 

[GoldMember]

AI42, I am the perfect person to help you. I am well versed in alternative methods of cooling. I heat my room with my machine and I even air condition it.. yes.. I air condition my room.. the attic.

One method which would suite you well would be to get a 5cubit foot up right freezer. They cost about 200 bucks brand new from sears and are well worth it. Put your resevior in that.. it pretty much eliminates the need for a radiator..

Another setup would be the underground tank. This is a very extreme method.. but it would work great. It would not freeze either.. no worries just put a touch of anti-freeze in.. you will lose a few degree's on the cooling but you won't have the hassle of a freeze. Use a heavy gauge tubing.. with the netting in it.

Another thing would be to use round aluminum vent tubing .. put that up to your window and crimp the ends of the tubing down.. your window will be cracked open a bit.. but you can use some insulation methods to take care of that.. Better yet some neoprene rubber would fill the small caps and keep out water and heat. That would be your easiest method!
Drop me a PM if you care to ask me any questions or talk about more cooling methods.

 

[GoldMember]

I also have some serious external peltier cooling methods that would fit you really well. Same way I air condition really...

 

[ai42]

<< Large business's that always run water somewhere in the building could tap off the natural cooling of the flowing water in their mains. Just make a heatexchanger with the same flow rating that the main has and insert it into the main. Plumb the computer room of the building with an intake and exhaust water line and run a mild pressure system. Might even make it more cost efficient to cool the computer room, since your not dumping the heat of the processor into the room. >>



Hummm nice idea I hadn't thought of that. But since it is using regular tap water, junk and all kinds of metals etc would be depositted around the tubing...

I'm still thinking a tank would be the best however.

 

[WarCon]

The heatexchanger would be much like what is used in furnaces where the water for cooling doesn't mix with the flowing water in the main. It just uses common metal metal surfaces for heat shedding.

 

[Howard]

A keg doesn't have much in the way of surface area.

PM me ai42. There's an idea I'd like to share.

 

[Jeff7]

<<

<< ven watercooling will consume electricity, especially for moving moderate quantities of water deep down into the ground, and then back up, then through a series of hoses in the computers. And the expense of building them would also take a long time to pay for itself, assuming that it would even be more efficient at all to do the alternative cooling you're considering. >>



You are right the cost of this will be rather high. And may take years for it to pay for itself. However water pumps use around 15-20 Watts of power and even a few of them would pail in comparison to like a 1000Watt A/C system. >>




Well, a lot of that 1000W AC system is already being used to keep the place cool without the computers. But as you said, pumps don't seem to use much power.

 

[GoldMember]

If I shared my external peltier air conditioning idea with you.. You would find that for around 200.00 you could solve your problem and actually help to A/C your computer room.

 

[Wolfsraider]

shoot why not go bigger and use the underground tank(big enough) to cool your house while your at it and the savings would be even better in the long run

a lot of people are doing this underground cooling i mean

 

[Jarhead]

This works well...

http://home.insightbb.com/~danzigrules/jarspage/welcome_to_jarhead.htm

 

[WarCon]

Nice heatsink. I thought it was pretty cool that you had to get out a cutting torch to get it hot enough for the solder. Lots of surface area.