Older watercooling parts

[BachOn]

I have an older set of parts I used for cooling a previous`computer.

It used an Eheim 1250 120 volt pump.

I had a 6"x6"X2" radiator that was called the "Big Momma." It was based on an older auto heater core. It was considered a solid performer way back when.
There are two 120 mm fans within a shroud, one pushing, one pulling air through the core. Each sits maybe two inches from the radiator core. These are 120 volt fans with a fan controller that allows me to control the speed and noise of the fans.

Finally, I have an older copper CPU block. I honestly do not know the brand.
It is about 2"x2" and perhaps a half-inch thick. It has two 1/4 inch (ID) fittings along the side. I've looked on the Internet to find out the maker and model number, but no luck. I'm sure it is 9 or 10 years old.

I used 3/8 inch (ID) silicone based rubber hose. This system cooled my older Pentium 3 system well. All these parts fit in a box. My PC case sits on the box. The hoses and waterblock were threaded through holes in the rear of the computer case.

I already have all these things. No investment is needed.

I've built a new Intel Core I5 2500K 3.4 Ghz. based system. (I was able to obtain an Engineering Sample with a D1 sampling.) The motherboard is the Asus P8P67 LE Rev.3. (I know, Pro would have been better.) I have 16 Gigabytes of Corsair Vengeance 1600 RAM. Just using the stock Intel cooler for now. Corsair 700 watt PSU. Radeon HD 5570 budget video card. It does fine for my needs. New $50 mid-tower case.

I've sunk my money money into the system parts, including a 27" monitor. I'm not trying to squeeze every last Hertz out of the system, though an overclock around 4.8 Ghz, would be nice. These I5 2500K's seem to put out even less heat than the earlier Pentium 3 and 4 processors.

Some folks are overclocking this kind of setup using nothing but better air coolers. I feel that even with my dated watercooling setup I should be able to achieve better performance than most air coolers.

I know that there have been big improvements in pumps, radiators, and particularly water blocks. But these will require an investment of something North of $150 to get some of the latest and greatest.

I figure that I can update the water cooling parts as funds become available.
Hey, I'm a retired old dude. Cut me a break.

What do you folks think? Am I wasting my time with my older watercooling parts? It's kind of fun to tinker with it.

BachOn

 

[Conumdrum]

New waterblock, new hose. The rad with those fans will easily cool the chip I think, you just ned hose and clamps pretty much, maybe a few fittings. There are top CPU blocks out there, since you'll be upgrading the rest of the cooling stuff someday, might as well get a top CPU block.

Your going to have a lot of problems getting the CPU block to fit the CPU mounting holes, and the TDP of the new chip vs the old block capabilities is farrr different.

I'll toss the Swiftech GT Ver 2 out there.

Read about it at Skineelabs.com.

And hit up our stckies for info about liquids etc. I'd for sure give that rad special cleaning since it prolly had ixed solutions in it, same with the pump.

 

[BachOn]

Conumdrun,

Thanks for the input. I bought a new mounting bracket for an older Zalman 9500 cooler. I decided not to use the Zalman. So I modified the mounting bracket. It fits the water block pretty much perfectly.

I took the pump apart and checked it out. It looks good. Those Eheim pumps are pretty durable. I ran water with white vinegar and (separately) water with baking soda to flush the radiator. I had left water inside. I've always used distilled water with about an ounce of 90% isopropyl alcohol to cut back on bacteria. I thought about a clorox bath, but decided against it. Even at fairly high pressure from a garden hose, water comes out of the rad looking clean. I did get some grunge at first.

In testing the water block, I placed it over a candle. It was probably about three inches above the top of the flame. I ran the water system for about 4 hours with the candle heat applied to the copper water block. With my fans running about 2/3 their top speed, the water in the system never got over 31 degrees C. And the rear of the block never got hot to the youch. I'm sure this block will remove enough heat to make it worth my trouble.

Yes, those newer blocks look sweet. But I'm not ready to pay over $75 for one of the better ones. And the very best ones are closer to $100, with tax and shipping.

One thing I was wondering about: maybe you know. I have a spare 120 volt fan control. I was wondering if I can lower the voltage (just slightly) on the water pump. This could not only make it run a bit quieter, but it might allow me to experiment with water flow rates. The fans blow air on the motor, which should offset possible warmer operation.

Has anybody tried that? I've read quite a bit on water cooling, and not seen where anyone has posted anything about it.

BO

 

[Grannie_Gigabyt]

I;m not an expert on this but my recollection from past engineering lifetimes is that: DC motors with shunt windings are often most used traditionally when speed control is desired. In general, AC motors have traditionally lacked speed control until the advent of solid state circuitry. Varying frequency would be a way. The standard exceptions are smaller AC motors found in tools, fans, and aquarium style pumps like yours. Most of these are shaded pole motors that were controlled with variac like devices, nowadays solid state controllers that incorporate timers and such. What are called universal AC motors are also 'small' and they have DC like features incorporated to allow some speed control. If do you have a shaded pole motor (my guess is your do) and the controller is for such (as most fans and controllers are), you should be able to vary speed considerably, i would think just as if the pump were a fan. Many solid state controllers out there now say they are for fans and pumps (i am sure the small print qualifies that but i haven't had a need and read it). The noise level may not actually go down however as the motor can become noisy at the lower speeds depending on motor and controller design--especially older models. (There is a different sort of controller i think for squirrel cage AC blower motors but it doesn't sound like this is what you have.)

Otherwise, to experiment with flow, you could install a bypass line. Determine what flow you need and want from that experiemtation (you need some instrumentation of course) and replace at a subsequent date.

 

[BachOn]

Thanks, Granny Gb, for the lucid response. I have used the voltage controllers designed for things like ceiling fans to control my two radiator fans. Light dimmers, as you probably know, will not work for this purpose. I used one to control a fan to cool an older monitor. I've now retired that monitor, so I have a spare.

I already have a standard wall outlet inside the box into which the power cord for my pump plugs. I was thinking of placing one of these ceiling fan controllers before this socket. I could then change the voltage.

If I see/hear/sense poor results with tinkering with the voltage, I could simply remove the controller from the circuit.

Many have observed that the Eheim 1250 makes more noise than the 1048. I constructed the box containing the water cooling gear so that there is a labyrinth of sorts to the outside. Air can be sucked through the labyrinth, but MOST sounds have more difficulty getting out. I have the pump sitting on the kind of foam that is used to cushion hard drives during shipping. With the box closed, the fans are pretty quiet at reduced speeds. I can hear a slight hum of the pump motor, though I believe it is still relatively quiet.

You are right that a valve mechanism could be used to experiment with the water flow rate. The 1250 is a fairly powerful pump. There are so many variables with water flow, air flow, and water block. I've tried to eliminate as many 90 degree turns in my tubing as possible.

Since I already own the water cooling stuff, I figure why not try it out. I repeat that even though my stuff represents older technology, I'm almost certain it will surpass even the most modern air cooling rigs.

I do appreciate your input.

BO

 

[pinky33]

Pics would be great.

Let us know how it works out and what temps your cpu gets to.

 

[BachOn]

Hi pinky33. I can't seem to figure out how to get pics from my computer to the site. I no longer have a special webpage. Any tips will be appreciated.

I'll see what I can do.

 

[[AK]Zip]

Use photobucket or imgur to upload and post pictures.

 

[BachOn]

Thanks for the tip [AK]zip. I'll take a few shots today and see what I can do. I've made a slightly larger box for the water parts. It isn't quite done yet, but it should give you an idea of just what kind of simple-minded craziness I'm up to. It will allow some of the better watercooling mavens to provide input to steer some of the newbs away from my approach. ;-)

BO

 

[BachOn]

For anyone who might care, I did a bit of experimenting with the ceiling fan controller on my Eheim 1250 water pump. I have turned the voltage down to 98 volts AC. The pump is only slightly quieter. The pitch of the hum didn't change, though the intesity has slightly. (The fans are on a separate controller. They are also turned down. I didn't measure the voltage there.) I have no idea how the fluid flow has been affected. The pump didn't make any extra noises or act like it was having any problem. And there were no sparks. I have left it running in my water cooling system to see if there is any heat build-up. One thing to note is that the fans blowing through my radiator blow onto one side of the pump. So maybe that will offset any heat build-up.

Let me be clear, this is not yet installed with my computer system. I'm still within the testing phase of the cooling system. I anticipate installing the CPU block tomorrow or the next day.

Ain't this fun?

BO

 

[SeanDude05]

Lol love the no sparks part.

Cant wait to see pics

 

[BachOn]

SeanDude05,

Glad you got a chuckle out of my last post. I'm afraid I'm not laughing now. I've messed up. The carpenter's rule is to 'measure twice and cut once.' I went to my computer desk to double check the clearance. I've discovered a major setback. I've made my box to tall. There is a brace for the glass top of my desk. I had somehow not measured it carefully. Now if I place the computer on top of the watercooling box, it won't fit under that brace. It was there all along. I just missed it somehow.

All my water cooling stuff had to come out of the box. And now I'm going to attempt to cut the 1/2 inch plywood sides down by about an inch. Luckily, I'd left some extra room inside, so I can just barely spare the extra height. I'm just hopeful that I can get the cuts made cleanly and evenly so the top sits tight and evenly.

OK. I admit it. I swore. It wasn't that timid, namby-pamby cursing. It was that intensely enthusiastic swearing of almost Wagnarian operatic proportions one does when you know you just plain got in a hurry and screwed up. This is probably going to put me behind at least a full day or more. Grrrrrrrrrrr!!!

BO

 

[Conumdrum]

Ack. It happens, thanks for sharing. I have done more at higher volume with more dialects and planetary races included in my tiraid. For less important matters.

Happens. Ohh can you post a wave file of your rant in Klingon? Would be fun you think?

 

[BachOn]

Conumdrum,

I probably sounded a bit like a Klingon with a very bad case of PMS. Sorry, no wave file to share.

Did get the side walls cut down pretty well late last night. Now I have to rework the labyrinth.

Again, ain't this fun? It's nice to be able to share my experience with people who can understand a bit about what I'm doing and empathize with my mistakes. Thanks for the site. It has helped many hundreds of people through the years.

BO

 

[SeanDude05]

BO, what about carving notches into the top to fit the desk frame into like a puzzle piece? That viable? Could buy you like another 1/3 to 1/2" maybe?


And I've also been there recently. Installed my mobo, made every connection and tightened all screws to realize I had forgotton the H50 cooler's backplate... And I don't have a fancy backplate cutout... Arrrrrggghhhhh.

 

[BachOn]

Progress report for anyone who cares.
1. Got all my parts in the new box. It's a tight fit, but I think it should work.
2. I broke down and ordered a newer D-Tek water block. Will need to modify the mounting bracket for my socket 1155 board. Reports are that it is do-able. Got the used block for $13.50 on eBay. We'll see.
3. Discovered I needed to replace my Asus P8P67 LE motherboard. Ordered the Pro. Gonna move the old motherboard to my wife's retrofitted Dell. We won't overclock that one.

So the game is on-hold waiting for FedEx and UPS.

It's always something!

BO

 

[BachOn]

I notice a lot of folks list the parts for their computer system. Here's what mine is starting to look like.

Intel Core I5 2500K CPU (Engineering Sample with D1 stepping)
Asus P8P 67 Pro B3 Motherboard (ordered)
16 Gigabyte of Corsair Vengeance RAM
Sapphire Radeo HD 5570 Video card (budget card, but fine for my needs)
Western Digital 500 Gig SATA3 Drive
Western Degital 1 T SATA 3 Drive
Smaller mid-tower case (plenty of room for my needs)
Corsair GS700 watt power supply
Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit OS
Home brewed water cooling kit (Pictures eventually)
ViewSoni 27 inch monitor

I believe that about covers it. Now, am I supposed to strut around and crow like a rooster? ;-)

BO

 

[Conumdrum]

Make a sig, so if questions arise it's an easy reference to see what you have.

 

[BachOn]

Signature

Conumdrum,

Here is my signature. Is this the right format?

BachOn

 

[Conumdrum]

Well, no special way, but that looks pretty solid.

Ohh you have an ES too, cool!