My Bathtub Water Cooling System Project for Audio System

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jaedaliu

Platinum Member
Feb 25, 2005
2,670
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AHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA

Most definitely... Lego Pirate Ship => EPIC!

He could personalize the name of it and call it the "Jack Sparrow" edition... lol..

Or he could also float a imperial star destroyer too, as that would be epic...

I don't know how heavy his pump is, but it may be easiest to use a beach ball painted as a death star to suspend it.
 

cheez

Golden Member
Nov 19, 2010
1,722
69
91
AHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA

Most definitely... Lego Pirate Ship => EPIC!

He could personalize the name of it and call it the "Jack Sparrow" edition... lol..

Or he could also float a imperial star destroyer too, as that would be epic...
It's too big. I also need to keep the water surface as large as possible for evaporation and work as a heat exchanger...

2004-11-21-DSC06386.jpg


Even if they got the smaller one will it float that is the question hmm....

I want a 1940's american battleship that floats! That would be good in the bathtub.

I am still thinking about the Pirate ship.... I tested my pump by lifting it in the water. It's pretty heavy.:( If I get a pirate ship and tie the anchor and the pump and try to lift it I think the ship might sink.... I don't know... I never tried the pirate ship and what their floating strength is.. They got a cheaper and smaller one.. a pirate boat? It's going for 20 something dollars. Maybe I could try that.


UPDATE guys:

Yesterday I got the silk strings from my Mommy.... And tied it on my drywall sander stick and the the pump!

853df18d-c31f-43ba-8f88-c2858b5a1ec2_1000.jpg


It's got the extension with knobs so I was able to adjust the length of the stick and placed it between the walls above the tub. I took a thick rubberband from bunches of broccoli I bought at the groceries... very useful. I tied the string to the rubberband and wrapped that around the pump! The pump is now lifted from the bottom of the tub. Vibration has been minimized. I now only hear some noise but that could only be heard in the living room if I stick my ear on the drywall...

I took a video of this, but because I don't have internet at home I could not upload video... I will try to get it uploaded at work or at my Mommy's house. This may take a day or two. Please be patient. "Good things happen to those who wait."

This was Agent11's idea. The video will provide all the answers to the questions you may have.

Stay tuned...


cheez
 
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aigomorla

CPU, Cases&Cooling Mod PC Gaming Mod Elite Member
Super Moderator
Sep 28, 2005
20,894
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It's too big. I also need to keep the water surface as large as possible for evaporation and work as a heat exchanger...

2004-11-21-DSC06386.jpg


Even if they got the smaller one will it float that is the question hmm....

I want a 1940's american battleship that floats! That would be good in the bathtub.

AHAHAHAHAHAHA

that is one awesome star destoryer... lol

If ur gonna go with WW2 battleships... the greatest battleship in that era was the yamato.

yamato%20battleship%20model%20%2822%29.JPG


now if u had that thing floating... its game overs man... game overs!
 

cheez

Golden Member
Nov 19, 2010
1,722
69
91
AHAHAHAHAHAHA

that is one awesome star destoryer... lol

If ur gonna go with WW2 battleships... the greatest battleship in that era was the yamato.

yamato%20battleship%20model%20%2822%29.JPG


now if u had that thing floating... its game overs man... game overs!
That looks awesome :$ I would love to have one of those. I bet those are expensive. I need one that floats. I will hope to eventually get one of those for bath.

I also need to grab a thermometer for bathtub water. I can either get a standard one for a few bucks or spend a little more and pickup a ducky meter from Amazon.

My 10+ year old hose clamp on the new pump is all rusted and starting to fall apart.:( I think it has reached its life. I think it's making the tubing coming loose from the pump hence the drop in pressure.

I'm gonna stop by at hardware store and pickup a new hose clamp today after work. I got some CPU & GPU temp monitor app so I can get the reading on desktop.


cheez
 
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cheez

Golden Member
Nov 19, 2010
1,722
69
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Guys, I have a bad news. I know some of you guys were probably waiting for this to happen but... I'm announcing what I'm experiencing. I am honest! :\

I got the pump lifted up with silk string and noise is lowered but now the water flow rate is decreased by over 3 times! I think there is a blockage somewhere in the chain. :( The new pump is trying hard to push that water but some of the water going in the inlet of the pump is being pushed out!! I checked the tubing and all looks good. So somewhere in either CPU or GPU block (or both?) is getting clogged up?

I will take video of this to show you exactly what's happening today and post it tomorrow.

P.s. ruled out the pump as I also tested it with the old (failing one) pump and there was no improvement in the water flow. So it's not the pump motor that's going bad.


:(


cheez
 
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cbrunny

Diamond Member
Oct 12, 2007
6,791
406
126
What happens when you take the hose off the pump and run the pump in the water? is it pushing enough water then? Maybe your hard water (assumption) clogged up the pump. I've seen that happen in hot water tanks when water is particularly hard.
 

cheez

Golden Member
Nov 19, 2010
1,722
69
91
What happens when you take the hose off the pump and run the pump in the water? is it pushing enough water then? Maybe your hard water (assumption) clogged up the pump. I've seen that happen in hot water tanks when water is particularly hard.
When I took the hose off the pump while it is running it flew off the tub like a balloon flew off. If I hold it with my hands tight it pushes water like an heavy duty industrial pump.

industrial-pump-photo.jpg


This was tested on both the new pump and the bad pump. Both had equal pumping power so we know the pumps are good. (I didn't throw away the bad one as it still can be used for backup / test)

I use soft water. I have water softener built in the house.


cheez
 
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cbrunny

Diamond Member
Oct 12, 2007
6,791
406
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Could be the physics of it then. To pump the water out of the hose, it would have to push the water up an incline, at the end of your 80 ft run of hose & around several tight corners, including inside the water blocks.

This might sound odd, but what happens when you suck (literally, with your mouth, suck the end of the hose) the water out of the return-hose so that there is no longer any air in the hose? Like siphoning something. If you can get a proper siphon going, it would work such that the water coming out of the hose will have a pull effect on the water going up the incline to return to the tub. If you can just get it started, it might continue properly. Might be something you have to do from time to time.

I dunno if that would help, but it might. Worth a try.

Edit: if this is the case, I'd assume your pump isn't strong enough for the length of the run you have.
 
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cheez

Golden Member
Nov 19, 2010
1,722
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Could be the physics of it then. To pump the water out of the hose, it would have to push the water up an incline, at the end of your 80 ft run of hose & around several tight corners, including inside the water blocks.

This might sound odd, but what happens when you suck (literally, with your mouth, suck the end of the hose) the water out of the return-hose so that there is no longer any air in the hose? Like siphoning something. If you can get a proper siphon going, it would work such that the water coming out of the hose will have a pull effect on the water going up the incline to return to the tub. If you can just get it started, it might continue properly. Might be something you have to do from time to time.

I dunno if that would help, but it might. Worth a try.

Edit: if this is the case, I'd assume your pump isn't strong enough for the length of the run you have.
I will try that out when I get home and see what happens.^_^

I can't have any down time on my audio system. It must stay on 24/7!!! :twisted:


thanks,

cheez
 

felang

Senior member
Feb 17, 2007
594
1
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Guys, I have a bad news. I know some of you guys were probably waiting for this to happen but... I'm announcing what I'm experiencing. I am honest! :\

I got the pump lifted up with silk string and noise is lowered but now the water flow rate is decreased by over 3 times! I think there is a blockage somewhere in the chain. :( The new pump is trying hard to push that water but some of the water going in the inlet of the pump is being pushed out!! I checked the tubing and all looks good. So somewhere in either CPU or GPU block (or both?) is getting clogged up?

I will take video of this to show you exactly what's happening today and post it tomorrow.

P.s. ruled out the pump as I also tested it with the old (failing one) pump and there was no improvement in the water flow. So it's not the pump motor that's going bad.


:(


cheez

Wow nobody saw this coming!!! I mean people could have warned you! Oh, wait...
 

cheez

Golden Member
Nov 19, 2010
1,722
69
91
Wow nobody saw this coming!!! I mean people could have warned you! Oh, wait...
You know.... some people they run into problems they don't post the problem and just let the thread die. Me, I post up anything happens.... so you guys can watch and find new discoveries...

It's not over yet... there may still be light. God help me. Help me solve the problem and still be able to keep my long distance loop system!


:cool: I will let ya know what I find out today.

cheez
 

BrightCandle

Diamond Member
Mar 15, 2007
4,762
0
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You do have a slight kink in your loop I spotted on the video on the right hand side in the cabinet but its nothing serious, but it will affect flow.

The first thing I would check is the CPU block, there is a high chance it got clogged up. Its unlikely to be in the tubing itself but in the very fine pins of the block, maybe the GPU as well but far more likely the CPU. Could just be general gunk (dust and other particles you find in water that is stagnant) building up and rapidly increasing the pressure necessary to push through the block.

Also go over every inch of your tubing and make sure you don't have a kink or a chair leg sat on it. Simple things but with such a long loop its possible that you have moved something and its caused a problem there or elsewhere in the tubing. Take you flashlight and shine it on the tubing and since its clear you should see if there is any build up of material on the inside (already looks like there is to me from the videos) but you are looking for a blockage.

While idle temps aren't moved much you need to be really careful at load. That isn't enough flow to really cool a system so your best taking the audio system offline until you can determine the cause.
 

cheez

Golden Member
Nov 19, 2010
1,722
69
91
This might sound odd, but what happens when you suck (literally, with your mouth, suck the end of the hose) the water out of the return-hose so that there is no longer any air in the hose? Like siphoning something. If you can get a proper siphon going, it would work such that the water coming out of the hose will have a pull effect on the water going up the incline to return to the tub. If you can just get it started, it might continue properly.
Aww man I don't want mold / contaminated water going down my throat...D: But I did try with a test pump by plugging to it and suck... both pumps running; one pushing in water, one sucking out water at the return-hose. The water was flowing better but not too much of improvement. :\

So I tried this. I took the test pump and connected directly behind a new pump so it runs in serial = Double Pushing Powa .. The result is that water flow did increase, but still not as good as what it used to be the first time bathtub cooling was setup. :\

So I said hmmmmm..... let's try something! I unplugged the new pump from the hose that's going out, and plugged to the return-hose to push water instead... HOLLY CRAP it pushed water so hard it was farting (trapped air) like hell at the other end of the hose. The water was flowing at full blast, much better than when it was setup the first time in tub. While it was farting a few dead bugs and other debris came out of the hose. It's like you take a dump after you ate wrong food. I went to check my PC CPU temp and it dropped down to 26C in just seconds.:eek: That's wrong direction of flow though. According to my blocks it's supposed to flow the other way around.

So I let it flush for a few minutes. Water flow was solid, I didn't see any more air coming out of the hose.

I then pulled out the pump and put it back in the other hose like the way it was set before. What do you know. It lost water flow right away. It's a little bit better than before, but still the water flow is too low. :( So I plugged the pump on the return-hose again, and I was getting high flow rate. Repeat the cycle with same result. What da hell is going on here....:colbert:

I will take video of this today and will try to post it tonight, or tomorrow morning at the latest.


Could be the physics of it then. To pump the water out of the hose, it would have to push the water up an incline, at the end of your 80 ft run of hose & around several tight corners, including inside the water blocks.
That's what I thought too, but when reversing the direction of the loop the water was flowing at very high rate! So apparently there isn't much restriction in the loop.


cheez
 
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red454

Senior member
Oct 7, 2011
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Sounds like some build up is acting like a check valve. Keep cycling water back through the return line. You might want to run some sterilizer in the water once in a while to keep bacteria from building up in the lines. Check for compatibility with the materials in your system first. Of course, they do make inline UV sterilizers for aquariums...

Maybe hook the hose ends to the inlet and outlet of the pump - making a loop, so you have push / pull going on back and forth a few times until the clog releases.

Do you have access to an air compressor? You may be able to blow the lines out. Start with low pressure - 10 psi.

:whiste: If none of that works, maybe some Liquid Plumr and a Godzilla toilet plunger?
 

BrightCandle

Diamond Member
Mar 15, 2007
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That narrows the gunk potential position quite a lot. It clearly has to be in a place where it can block in one direction but moves out of the way on the other. A highly likely candidate is the injector plate in the CPU block. That is specifically designed to only work with water flowing one direction and its got the right characteristics for a fly/big gunk thing to get trapped there and block flow but only in one direction.
 

cheez

Golden Member
Nov 19, 2010
1,722
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Here is the video of water flow testing by reversing the direction in the loop I was talking about yesterday.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uypT4wfmRSY



Thanks for the tip on the sterilizer. Looks like I'm gonna have to get one to keep water clean as my pussy cat tends to drink water out of bath tub. D:

That narrows the gunk potential position quite a lot. It clearly has to be in a place where it can block in one direction but moves out of the way on the other. A highly likely candidate is the injector plate in the CPU block. That is specifically designed to only work with water flowing one direction and its got the right characteristics for a fly/big gunk thing to get trapped there and block flow but only in one direction.
Good point. Thanks for narrowing down problems. Would stuff like this work to unclog stuff out of my CPU block?

1448-1307-full-gunk_driveway_cleaner_1ltr-90.jpg


Oh well it's good for now that water flow direction has been reversed and water is flowing at full blast. The water is now going through graphics block first, then CPU. :colbert: The CPU temp now hovers at 27C.



cheez
 
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cheez

Golden Member
Nov 19, 2010
1,722
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So you're back in action then? Running proper?
Oops sorry for the late reply. Yes I'm back in action. 80ft open-loop bathtub watercooling as usual. The only difference is that the direction of water flow path has been reversed as mentioned a few posts above. It's running great that way, no pressure. Pump running great.

I closed the door in my bath as my cat kept drinking water off that. She got a little sick. Her fur was rough not healthy. :( So I closed the door 2~ 3 weeks ago. I'm gonna have to get me that water deionizer thing the members recommended here.


cheez
 

serpretetsky

Senior member
Jan 7, 2012
642
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http://www.truaqua.com/in-line-uv-sterilizer-10w.html

Something like that would work to keep nasties out.

Or you could drop in several lbs of silver into your tub... lol...
The silver option could gain investment over time.
Doesn't the op have a problem where physical debris is getting stuck? Would a UV light help with this? I was thinking just put some sort of physical filter on the input of the pump. Probably wanna clean out your blocks now too.

edit: heh, i see i replied pretty late. Excuse me
 

Rinaun

Golden Member
Dec 30, 2005
1,196
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This thread is just magical. I'm honestly amazed at how many people don't realize how notorious cheez is for threads like this. For example, he is asking if driveway cleaner will work for cleaning his blocks.......... If that isn't obvious retard levels of trolling I don't know what is. If he isn't trolling then I really don't know what to say about someone who thinks a five thousand dollar cable will make better sound.

That being said, +1 on the check valve gunk theory. It's only a matter of time before it gets clogged again. I'm a bit lost as to why cheez didn't put a micron filter on the intake; it's what, a dollar max? I also have no idea why he didn't just go buy a large PVC pipe and make a tank reservoir or something less ghetto. Using your bathtub as a reservoir isn't even practical in any long-term setup..... its teenager "look what I can do" levels of DIY which will cost more in the long run. I wouldn't also be surprised if the blocks are (very) slowly corroding from the waters composition.

edit: 1/4 cup of propelyne glycol (non-toxic) wouldn't of hurt, either.
 
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cheez

Golden Member
Nov 19, 2010
1,722
69
91
This thread is just magical. I'm honestly amazed at how many people don't realize how notorious cheez is for threads like this. For example, he is asking if driveway cleaner will work for cleaning his blocks.......... If that isn't obvious retard levels of trolling I don't know what is. If he isn't trolling then I really don't know what to say about someone who thinks a five thousand dollar cable will make better sound.

That being said, +1 on the check valve gunk theory. It's only a matter of time before it gets clogged again. I'm a bit lost as to why cheez didn't put a micron filter on the intake; it's what, a dollar max? I also have no idea why he didn't just go buy a large PVC pipe and make a tank reservoir or something less ghetto. Using your bathtub as a reservoir isn't even practical in any long-term setup..... its teenager "look what I can do" levels of DIY which will cost more in the long run. I wouldn't also be surprised if the blocks are (very) slowly corroding from the waters composition.
There is a lot of wrong going on in your post. Only except for may this comment below, you are here to troll. Trolls are not welcome here.
edit: 1/4 cup of propelyne glycol (non-toxic) wouldn't of hurt, either.
As for the Driveway cleaner comment, I was serious. Since I never tried it maybe that is an idea solution to unclog the block(s). Who knows, it might be a very effective solution. I was even thinking of Gunk from vehicle engine cleaner. Also power cables have nothing to do with this thread. You are only bringing disturbance to the community. If you continue to derail the thread with such trolling I will have to report your post. Also, the watercooling here is all serious. It may look fun or ghetto, but it is extremely effective. Constant low CPU temp explains this as well as the low GPU temp and keeping the system ultra quiet for audio. And I don't have clogging problem anymore so far. The water flow is at full blast by reversing the direction as mentioned many days ago.

Also the bathroom door has been closed in the last 3 weeks. It seems less amount of debris (dust) get on the water now. No cat hair flying around either because the door is closed. A little bit swampy in the bathroom now.


cheez
 
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