Soap?

[Flow]

I was wondering, has anyone ever tried to add some soap to his cooling water?
I mean only a bit of soap and plain water. As far as I know it reduces surface tension quite a bit even in very low concentrations. So maybe it can equal that part of the "WaterWetter-effect"?
Ok, there is still this corrosion problem but if you're using only copper it should be fine, right?

[The Overclocker]

soap has particles that will cause errosion, not good, water wetter is quite cheap any way

[azhari]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't soap a bit acidic so it might eat your metal parts up?

[Sonny]

There are surfactants in soap but you will have to experiment with it to get the proper mix. You could use liquid detergent with antibacterial qualities to help with the corrosion & crudd but that's just me thinking about the possibilities & have no experience with watercooling. Oh yeah, before I forget, the "soap trick" is done by some people for their car radiators:eek:

[Flow]

Originally posted by the overclocker
soap has particles that will cause errosion, not good, water wetter is quite cheap any way

Ehm, cheap. Well, that depends on where you live. For me shipment and handeling, not to mention import taxes, are far more expensive than the product itself.
Can you explain the particles a bit in detail. I'm afraid that I've never seen any soap with particles in it, except some harsh rubbing soaps (don't know the exact word) to get oil and other sticky things off your hands.

[-=HN=- Wild9]

i thought that the soap trick for car radiators was to look for leaks in the system, put soap in , and if there is a hole it will make bubbles where the leak is. or at least i think its like that.

[Flow]

Again as far as I know, but I'm not an expert on this ;), soap is not acidic. I think soap is a base.
I thought about the liquid detergents like the ones you use to wash dishes.

[-=HN=- Wild9]

yes soap is basic

when something that is very basic(on the ph scale)

touches your skin it feels slippery, why, b/c it has something to do with the oil in your skin. so soap touches your skin and becomes slippery.

[flounder43]

Originally posted by -=HN=- Wild9
yes soap is basic

when something that is very basic(on the ph scale)

touches your skin it feels slippery, why, b/c it has something to do with the oil in your skin. so soap touches your skin and becomes slippery.

It gets slippery because it is basically eating the outside layer of your skin...

Dip your finger in a jug of bleach sometime, then rub your fingers together...super slippery! Sodium Hydroxide would be so slippery that you could rub your fingers down to the bone!

Also, I really don't know about using soap, but if you do, make sure it is not a foamy type of soap.

[Tiger]

There is a difference between soap (bars) and detergent which is what I think you are referring to. Both reduce surface tension. Soap bars are made by treating vegetable oils with Sodium hydroxide to make sodium stearates and all have a pH of around 11. Not particularly good for the skin which is pH 5.5. Detergents on the other hand are mostly Quaternary ammonium compounds (QAC) and have mild antiseptic qualities. They are are slightly alkaline ? pH about 8. A few drops of detergent added to 2 liters (?1/2 gallon) of water should be sufficient and should not create a much foam. Am using it in my system and there are a small number of bubbles on the surface.

[Crash893]

i think laundry dietergent works the best

but why do you want less surface area in a contained pump

all the surface is deitermaned by the hose and block and radator

[The Overclocker]

Originally posted by crash893
i think laundry dietergent works the best

but why do you want less surface area in a contained pump

all the surface is deitermaned by the hose and block and radator

things like soap and water wetter decrease surface tension so they can 'flow' other things more easilly, picking up more heat.(or something like that)

[r0ckstarbob]

word on the street is that Jetdry works especially well, though i don't know this for a fact. there was a big thread about it over on the [H]ard Forums...