I'm about to go to a liquid cooling system, so I've been doing some research. It looks as if most people here have been using a mix of water/antifreeze/stuff to cool their systems. I have been doing some research, and have discovered that pure antifreeze is completely non-conductive. This leads me to question why everyone is using any water whatsoever in their systems. Is there something I'm missing here?
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Liquid Cooling Question
- Thread starter Boomerang
- Start date
- Joined
- Jul 9, 2001
- Location
- Land of OZ
i believe it's due to the thermal conductivity...water transfers heat much much better
- Joined
- Apr 23, 2001
- Location
- San Francisco Bay Area
If your system is properly set up, then you don't have to worry about leaks since what we do is relatively low pressure. Therefore it is better to use water as it transfers heat much better than antifreeze. The only reason people use it is because it has anti-corrosion properties. Most people use Redline's "Water Wetter" to protect against corrosion and yet maintain the thermal efficiency of their coolant mix.
One more thing...alot of people (me included) use distilled water which you can buy at supermarkets. I've read a few articles where some have said it doesn't conduct electricity at all, and others have said it doesnt conduct it as well as normal water. None of them havd put it to the test though.....but if it makes you feel better ...use some of this...heh heh.
One more thing...alot of people (me included) use distilled water which you can buy at supermarkets. I've read a few articles where some have said it doesn't conduct electricity at all, and others have said it doesnt conduct it as well as normal water. None of them havd put it to the test though.....but if it makes you feel better ...use some of this...heh heh.
W
William
Guest
yep, water is a ton better at transfering heat. Antifreeze is generally mixed in to keep gross things from growing in your system and Water Wetter is used to reduce the surface tension of water to increase its thermal transfer abilities.
- Joined
- Jun 29, 2001
Completely de-ionized water does not conduct electricity. This is why people use distilled water, but even the most minute of impurities and the non-conductive properties are gone. Good luck keeping water non-conductive unless you live in a sterilized bubble.
W
William
Guest
actually distilled water really is just better at preventing corrosion, you don't want leaks period and over time your water is going to ionize.
This is quite correct. The metals in the system will all oxidise to some extent with water and hence will form salts which will dissolve in water and hence the distilled water is not going to stay pure for very long so save your money.
Another thought for most of you. Water wetter is generally just a detergent (QAC). You can achieve the same thing by adding a few drops of dishwasher. The best I have ever seen is a product called Teepol. It is used industrially and was sold in 12 gallon drums but at one stage I saw it sold in half gallon bottles.
As the man said- Leaks = Bad
Even if you are using supercool Star Trek Fluid, if you've got leaks, you've got trouble- bad for pump, bad for air in the lines, bad for loss of coolant.
So we try to reap the bennefits of H2O - its cheap, readily available (accept in LA), and has rather good cooling properties, much better than AF.
Even if you are using supercool Star Trek Fluid, if you've got leaks, you've got trouble- bad for pump, bad for air in the lines, bad for loss of coolant.
So we try to reap the bennefits of H2O - its cheap, readily available (accept in LA), and has rather good cooling properties, much better than AF.
- Joined
- Jun 29, 2001
lol, the two posts after me both quoted me and said basically the same thing.
- Joined
- May 9, 2001
- Location
- A hot spot in Ca
ummm TWO of the MAIN things that anti-freeze does in cars is RAISE the boiling point of the water. That way your car can get pretty hot and the water won't start to boil over. The other thing that anti-freeze does in cars is ACT as a lubracant for the water pump. EVER felt anti-freeze? Notice how it feels REAL smooth? I'm sure that they put stuff in it to help keep down corrosion.
Hope this helps.
cool on
Rob
Hope this helps.
cool on
Rob
W
William
Guest
when I first got it my chem teacher asked to see it, read the bottle, smelled it, touched it, and pronounced it be some dish detergent. I have thought of doing this, but glad to know other people have found the same results.
