Pelt Questions

Thinking of going this route but was wondering about condensation.

What is the best route to keep condensation in check? I've heard of foam, silicone, etc but can't find much in the way of explanations as what works best, application, etc. Since I'm in TX the temp and humidity hover around 100F (yeah. it's fun) and while the AC keeps things cool humidity is still higher than in drier climates.

What do you pelt guys use? What works, what doesn't? What are other considerations when using a peltier?

Things I would worry about when using a pelt:

Condensation
Power Supply
Removing heat from your TEC

Probably the best way to prevent condensation is to use closed cell foam all around the socket area. Dangerden or McMastercar has excelent closed cell foam for the job. Dont forget to use foam around the back of the socekt also. Just foam works well but if you want to be sure of no condensation use dialectric grease to seal your foam gasket. You can even use the dialectric grease in the socket holes. Dangerden or an autoparts store will have dialectric grease

Power is a very big concern when using a TEC. ATX PSUs are ok for low wattage pelts but for anything more they arent great. If your using a 15-16v TEC you can try to find a PSU for radio equipment or lab equipment. Anything from 12-16v is ok for a 15-16v TEC. Make sure the PSU hase more than enough amperage to power the TEC or you run the risk of a fryied PSU.

Peltiers with a high output CPU will generate insane amounts of heat. Even with water cooling it can be tricky to remove enough heat for a TEC to work at its full potential. A single radiator is ok for low wattage TEC systems but if you stick a 226 watt TEC on an overclocked XP, even a big heater core probably wont be enough to cool the water.

If you can overcome all that, TECs are great!