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Freon or Water

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RyanK27

Registered
Joined
Jun 10, 2003
Location
Florida soon to ve Pennsylvania
I am building a PC and plan on getting an AMD 1700+xp T-bred and overclocking it to about 2100 at least. I was wondering since my dad brought up the idea would it be good to use Freon instead of water, im not sure but he was also saying if there is a leak that freon most likely wont damage anything as opposed to water will of course.This is my first build and right now all i have is about $30 but will be getting a job in about a month or less. Id like to build my own cooling sytem so any suggestions would be helpful.
Thanks
 
If your dad does have a license to handle freon, then go for it. I am not really sure how to set up a refrigeration cooling kit, which it sounds like you are trying to set up. As watercooling goes, water with a little water wetter and iodine to prevent bacterial growth makes a good water cooling solution.
 
I think the kid has hit on something THAT we overclockers MIGHT see in the not so far future FREON cooled systems instead of the water coolers..........But I have not seen the hardware for these type of applications yet, BUT if you think you can find a better refrigeration system "other than the typical watercooling" and of course the obvious YOU WILL HAVE TO USE COPPER hoses because the regular hoses WILL freeze up . but then again you have to think of the opposite effect of overheating and that overfreezing

But you hit on something good
 
thanks. But one thing i was wondering would be if i would need a complete set up compressor and the other stuff they use in the systems of refrigerators. The copper piping would b easy to get i have an uncle that runs a metal-working business. another thing is. Dont they use coolant in cars or something similar, id probably be able to use that wihtout a license... right. Ill probably get into building something when i get the money. i already got the sketches drawn up. Id probably be able to go to a junk yard and get an old fridge and tear it up, might be a little bulky though.
 
YEAP compressor would be needed SO your not talking about something you wuold want to haul to a lan party. LOL

I think the idea of Freon RIGHT NOW is a little Extreme !!!!!!!!!!

BUT hey I would like to hear some updates on this ONE THING IF it work PAtent the SOB, it will be a hit
 
If freon needs a license, how could it ever bee mainstream? Good idea, though.
 
WEll it be just like takin your car to the shop to drain the freon and reapply it ...........So there will be comp shops setup to do this BUT only unique shops
 
How many shop owners would be interested in that, though? It'd be nice if a lot of 'em were.
 
Think about it how much does it cost to fill up the freon in the car $110.00 - $150.00 shoot they could charge $60.00 for this BUT of course freon could go the life of the PC
 
The prometia and the vapochill units run off the same concept. As long as the system doesnt leak you shouldnt need to recharge it... ever. I mean the freon... well its some weird name like A682, not freon anymore.

But like my car has an AC leak somewhere. Cost me 50 bucks to recharge last year but now my AC is way weak. And the freon stuff evaporates really quickly so yeah it shouldnt cause any problems if a leak did occur.
 
yea, itd be hard to establish. But i mean a decent water system runs 125- 150$ right, and it doesnt even get your computer close to subzero...Unfortunately iv been calling around and the only type of junk yards we have around here are all auto so i dont have anywhere to go look fo old refrigerators maybe in the newspaper but all those are fairly new and cost in the hundreds... im off to Ebay:)

Edit-Ebay Finds-
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2536995198&category=633 a coolant pump hmm.
Looks like i might visit those auto junk yards for a coolant pump.
 
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Don't have any TV-type repair shops in the area? Usually one guy that repairs TVs-VCRs-Radios-Vacuums-Microwaves and all this sort of stuff. Might be the guy that fixes fridges too. Check around for one.
 
Epiphany: Just thought about those mini firdges that you can fit a 6 pack in those one hat are linke a fooot and a half tall. I can pick one of them up at wal-mart for about $30! they shouldnt be bulky either!
 
I thought about freon before. You don't need a license to use freon. You can buy car freon at any car shop that sells them. The freon you need a license for is home freon, which is R-22.

To use freon you need a compressor, an accumulator, a condenser, and an evaporator.

Here's the basic way it works:

Compressor -> Condenser -> Evaporator -> Accumulator

Compressor: compress the gas.
Condenser: cools gas, it condense to a liquid.
Evaporator: liquid evaporates, cools the fins.
Accumulator: seperates gas and liquid, gas goes to compressor.

That's the basics, but there are a lot of complications to this. There might be an easy way to make freon work. All you really need is for it to condense and evaporate. Developing something like those heatpipes you see now might even work.
 
R134a does not require a license to use and operate (its your typical car freon) you need a compressor (for those that havent head this a jillion times) to compress the gas to a liquid, by doing this you will create heat which will need to be cooled also.. then youll need an evaporator (which allows the liquid to expand and turn into a gas, hense the name evaporator) this is when it gets COLD... after that it will hit the compressor and be compressed and dried via a drying canister... the 134a is used in auto apps and SOME in home systems... most in home systems still use R22 and such wich still requires you to have a license... this is a very neat concept (freon refrigderant, but the want and need for smaller technology isnt quite there yet) coming from a mechanic (as i am) unless youve got some time and money... i wouldnt fool with it JUST yet... unless you have an already done system you can retro fit... with all the pieces... you can get a rep to give a house call and charge ya up... wouldnt be too expensive...
 
well the way my dad as explaining it is if i have enough pipiing on the inside and outside i might not need all that stuff since it might just cool off evaporate etc. by itself. Make like a coiled radiator for the outside and inside.
 
Just as a note here, Freon, TRUE freon, is R-12. It's a Chloroflourocarbon and hence it's production has been banned for some years now. That's why it's so expensive. R-134 (I know) and R-22 (I think) are actually hydroflourocarbons. They are thought to contribute to global warming but don't eat up the ozone layer at least.

Also, propane can be used in place of R-12, freon. It's just (obviously) a bit more dangerous.

I wouldn't try a mini-fridge. They really aren't made for running constantly and I'd imagine you'd burn it up pretty quick trying to cool off all the heat of a modern CPU.
 
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