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Submerged CPU fan struggles to spin

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pcgenie

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Aug 23, 2015
Hi,
I recently built a PC submerged in mineral oil, everything works except of wo things:
* the CPU fan is struggling to spin. it spins for a split second then stops, it keeps doing it over and over again. the BIOS is not happy either "error: CPU fan error". the model is a Zalman CnpS 2X. I then tried an Intel cpu fan (came with my i7), just dipped it in the oil and it did the same thing. I recently did not anticipate for this issue to happen since every video of a submerged pc on the net has the fan working okay (k they spin slowly but that fine)

* the second issue in the pump ( EK DCP 2.2) is not able to pump the oil all the way to the radiator. I think I am going to solve this by installing a regular aquarium pump.

Any suggestions or advice please :]
(attached are two pics of the setup)

ThanksView attachment 167923View attachment 167924
 

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Not surprised, and not uncommon.
Fans were not meant to work submerged, and WC pumps were not meant to pump thicker than water liquids.
When you do projects like this you have to think outside the box.
 
I would run the fan off a molex adapter so it runs on 12v and not a pwm signal or anything.
 
TransformedBG said:
just run a connector to a fan outside the mineral oil
Click to expand...

Thanks all for the suggestions, I think I want to keep the fan because it will help with moving the oil around. and gives a nice mechanical effect (just a nice show when I add air bubbles to get sucked in by the fan an then disperse in an outwards motion. That's how I am imagining it but not accomplished yet)

Scout ":run the fan off a molex adapter so it runs on 12v and not a pwm signal or anything." if I dont have a CPU fan connected via PWM then the BIOS will still be excepting one right?
 
Most motherboard BIOS will allow you to change the settings in the BIOS to ignore the Cpu fan, so it will go to Windows without an error message.
 
Aesthetics is the only reason to use it. You may have to try a fan with a higher amperage rating to get it to spin in oil. They normally just don't have the torque. You should be able to turn off the BIOS monitoring of the fan regardless.
 
Alaric said:
Aesthetics is the only reason to use it. You may have to try a fan with a higher amperage rating to get it to spin in oil. They normally just don't have the torque. You should be able to turn off the BIOS monitoring of the fan regardless.
Click to expand...

I would like to keep the cpu fan as it will help moving the oil around and it would look cool if I install an air bubbles pump just on top of the fan.

Yes I guess I will upgrade the fan with a stronger one. the questions now is how can I tell? When you say "a higher amperage rating", I am not sure what is that. is it the power input of the fan specs?
e.g.

DeepCool LUCIFER Gamer Storm PWM Multi Socket Universal CPU Cooler

verall Dimension (Without Fan) 140X110X163mm
Overall Dimension (With Fan) 140X136X168mm
Net Weight 1079g (With Fan)
Heatpipe 6X6mm Heatpipe
Fin Material Aluminum
Base Material Full-copper base
Fan Dimension Φ140X26mm
Fan Weight 143g
Fan Speed 700±200~1400±10%RPM
Rated Current 0.17±10%A(MAX)
Power Input 2.04W
Max. Air Flow 81.33CFM
Noise 17.8~31.1dB(A)
Rated Voltage 12VDC
Operating Voltage 10.8～13.2VDC
Starting Voltage 7VDC
Bearing Type Hydro Bearing
 
Last edited:
Every fan will have an amperage rating. Something like 0.2 or 0.3 amps. A higher amp draw would usually indicate a stronger motor. More current=more torque. The fan's specifications should list the rating. The amp draw is how much electrical current the motor draws from the power source.
To be honest , I've seen your same issue from several people with a mineral oil rig. The viscosity of the oil is hard for a small , low torque motor to overcome.
 
Alaric said:
Every fan will have an amperage rating. Something like 0.2 or 0.3 amps. A higher amp draw would usually indicate a stronger motor. More current=more torque. The fan's specifications should list the rating. The amp draw is how much electrical current the motor draws from the power source.
To be honest , I've seen your same issue from several people with a mineral oil rig. The viscosity of the oil is hard for a small , low torque motor to overcome.
Click to expand...

Okay the cpu fan problem is soled :) No the pump problem!.... I went and bought the most powerful pump I could find : 12V XSPC Laing D5 Vario but now ran into another issue which is the pump runs for 5 seconds then stops, it keeps doin this. I checked all cables are and the PSU power is okay... Any suggestions?
 
Are we talking about the pump circulating the oil as if it were aquarium water ? If so , an aquarium pump may be your best bet.
 
Last edited:
Aquarium pumps still pump water on the same principles as a PC water pump and might not be able to push the heavier oil without a larger pump like a pond pump.
 
I'm the guy who build the horse laxative pc.

I can confirm that stock cpu fans for intel chips will not run very well while immersed in mineral oil. You need a decent aftermarket fan. I suggest the NH-D15 by Noctua, because I can confirm it works while immersed.


Also I have tested using an aquarium wave maker, and while it does bring the cpu core temperatures down a couple degrees it doesn't do nearly as much as the Noctua heatsink + fans. Admittedly though I have the wave maker about a foot away from the end of the heatsink.

How many gallons of mineral oil are you using? If you're only using maybe 10 gallons or less of mineral oil, eventually that oil will heat up and may start giving you problems with extreme overclocks.
 
I didnt read every post, but most.

I would get a far more heavy duty pump, minimum would be a d5, but i would opt for one for an aqauerium. As far as cpu fan, why not just tell bios to run it at higher speed as the lowest speed, or force it to max speed.
 
Last edited:
Perhaps you should have read every post...

*He bought a D5...
*12v/full pwoer or not, most fans will struggle if they work at all in the viscous oil.
 
EarthDog said:
Perhaps you should have read every post...

*He bought a D5...
*12v/full pwoer or not, most fans will struggle if they work at all in the viscous oil.
Click to expand...

You are misunderstading what I am writing. I actually stopped reading where he said he bought a D5, which is why i have written, it would be my Minimum choice, and i dont do minimum well as im sure you know.

As far as CPU fan, i stand by what i wrote, he just wants it to move, and if the means constant 12v, then so be it.
 
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