Waterpumps and fuxoring harddrive data...

[-=AsidRayne=-]

I just cobbled together my own H2O setup and have it running on my desk for the day to check for leaks before i actually install it.
The pump is a magdrive submersible Rio 600(?), the 200GPH model. Currently it sits approx. 10" from my monitor and produces noticeable flicker on the monitor when viewing something with a light colored background.
Now obviously both magdrive and oldschool pumps operate on the principle of a fluctuating magnetic field to rotate an armature of some kind. Data stored on harddrives can be corrupted by such fluctuating magnetic fields.
What I want to know is have any of you with watercooling experienced any sort of loss of data in your systems? Should i be concerned? Is the field strong enough to do damage?
What have you done to prevent data corruption? And also, whether u ahve expereinced a problem or not, how far away from your harddrives are u placing your pump?
What model pump do u have? Is mine radiating abnormal amounts of radiation, or is my monitor(KDS 19", not flat, pretty cheap) just sensitive?

My current plan call for the pump to be placed 4-6 inches from the nearest HDD. I cannot really place it much farther away due to the fact its a midtower case already populated by 2 CDROMs and 3 Harddrives.

I intend to experiment wrapping my reservoir with Al foil when i get home.

 

[Tacoman667]

I heard a few ppl haveing a problem with magnetic pumps like the RIO's and MAGPumps. Not to that degree though. They did suggest making a lirrle dish type object with aluminum foil to reduce the magnetic signal sent out from the pump itself. I have an Eheim 1250 Hobby Pump and I would rather use it then any others. It is very quiet<My case fan is louder then the pump itself> and doesn't send out any magnetic signals.

 

[Colin]

Aluminum foil will not shield the magnetic field from the pump. 18 to 16 gage steel, grounded with a 1/2 inch space around the pump should stop the flicker. First try moving the pump. I don't think your data is in jepardy.

 

[stool]

I have mounted my pump outside the case, but in the past, when using 120vAC items, I normally use ferrites to prevent EMI. I had a bunch that I removed from older systems, and some I picked up at computer fairs.

 

[Colin]

I have tried ferrite chokes, they don't solve the problem.

 

[SP]

The interference that you are refering to is caused by the magnetic filed surronding the motor of the pump. Putting a ferrite core on the power leads will not help that at all. What you want to do is magnetically sheild the pump. This can be accomplished by placing a ferrous material, like steel or iron, around the body of the motor. This way the Magnetic lines of force will be concentrated in this ferrous enclosure. The enclosure will be more "conductive" to the magnetic field than the surrounding air and the magnetic field will take this path of lesser resistance, so to speak. This description may not be exactly technically correct but it was the easiest way I could think of to describe it in a way that would be easiest to understand. Anyway, the previous suggestion of enclosing the pump in a steel or iron enclosure should work very well. Aluminum or some other nonferrous metal probably wouldn't work very well.