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Homebrew Rackmount Watercooling
Airspirit writes "For those of you who believe that bigger is always better and have multiple computers in your house,
this system may be a way to keep them all cool and organized. As an added bonus, it will heat a medium sized apartment all by itself!
This article at Pro/Cooling gives a step by step walkthrough describing the evolution of this five gallon monstrosity. Not only does this cover the construction of the cooling system, but the drawbacks such as algae prevention and maintenance as well."
[Note: Pictures (and some picture copyright text) have been removed, table changed into dash-style]
... ).
... you'll see!
Introduction:
It all started as a way to clean my network room up. In that room I currently have three computers (one is out of commission for a while), a mess of routers, hubs, switches, and wireless APs and antennas. The space in between all these parts is filled with ethernet cable strewn everywhere. I'm currently hosting a network for my entire neighborhood, including remote file hosting, FTP, intranet, and other assorted goodies that we won't discuss here (my ISPs might get upset
I thought to myself that it would be nice to have a server cabinet to stack all of my machines in, freeing valuable floor space, and by hooking the majority of my networking gear up on a shelf on the top it would free myself from the spaghetti mess of the CAT5. The only problem was that one of my machines was watercooled in an especially bizarre way (including a "football" [reservoir/air trap] trailing behind it), making it difficult to fit the system into a 4U rackmount case.
After rolling this idea around in my head for a while, I came across a thread on Pro/Forums that asked what we would change if we could redesign our WC system from scratch. Immediately I pictured a centralized cooling system for a rackmount unit with a giant vertical reservoir running up one side, also serving as a gravity based return feeding the radiators, and eventually the pump. I pictured the pump pumping up through multiple parallel channels, one feeding each computer system, with the 4U cases uncluttered, only containing a hose coming in one side, a water block on the CPU, and a hose going out to the drain on the other side. My initial idea was like this:
Using very little floor space, I could keep all of my hardware together, and watercool all of my machines from one well-built loop.
Very quickly I discovered that rack mount equipment was very expensive, and since I was looking to put money into quality components rather than good looks, I decided to change the idea a little. I decided that it would be just as effective to use stacked desktop cases as it would 4U cases, and I could do it for a fraction the cost. I also decided that it would be better to use one huge radiator than multiple smaller ones, just for ease of assembly. I also decided that it would be better to use an inline pump and only one reservoir, necessitating only one drain valve. By constructing PVC manifolds similar to what feed and exhaust the cylinders in a car, I could easily unplug extra channels to quickly add extra computers in. Overall, the required components are as follows, with X meaning one for each added PC:
15 ft 1/2" tubing - To string from the manifolds to the computer internals
10 ft 3/8" tubing - to attach to the water blocks and run outside to the manifold lines
1 large radiator - To cool the heated water
1 powerful pump - To keep a highly restrictive loop flowing
A homemade box - To contain all of the major cooling components
PVC - Lots of it
X desktop cases - To stack the PCs in on the cooling box
1 large fan - To turn the cooling box into a big wind tunnel, allowing the radiator to breath
Gallons of water - To fill the cooling loop with
Hyperlube - To keep the coolant from "rotting"
X water blocks - To cool the CPUs
Needless to say, this is going to be a very expensive project. I suspect that the it will run over $1000 to finish this project once I get started (since one machine needs upgraded before I put it on the loop), so I will be doing this in phases stretched over a few months. First I will acquire the hardware and start assembling the system. Once my proof of concept run (before the PVC is assembled) is done, I will finish building the infrastructure (using my old 350 GPH pump, if it can take the work), and begin Phase 1, which is putting the first PC on the cooling loop. Phase
Ask me about repetitive DNA
No, that would make too much sense.
Ps. wouldn't it be nice if slashdot didn't make you wait 20 seconds to reply.
No, no, no, Slashdot _can't_ do this, for one because it would simply be illegal to copy random sites like that, secondly because it might imply that Slashdot is somehow responsible for a 'quality of service' and if their copy does not work, could be sued, and lastly because if this was done, we couldn't enjoy ourselves flaming people like yourself who think that this obvious, useful, and practical solution to a real and annoying problem is worthwhile. Anyhow, the principle of caching web sites has probably been patented by Google. /irony
Sig for sale or rent. One previous user. Inquire within.
less than 1/2 hour pass the posting and the site is feeling the /. effect. Is there any way that sites that are not HUGE MONDO bandwidth places can be cached by /. before posting them on an article so that we can see the site the day that the posting took place or do we just have to wait the 3 days for the site to come back up?
Gato