Crazy Idea

fatlenny

fatlenny

fatlenny

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20 Jan 2010
Posts
166
Im a plumber / gas engineer and the other day I was asked to install a product called thermaskirt, which is basically an aluminium skirting board with flow and return pipes built in.

I could hook it up to my pc and it would become a huge passive heat sink.

Would the aluminium react with any metals in the water blocks.

Also how far will the biggest pump be able to pump you can get 5 m lengths lol

Ive not done water cooling before but Im halfway through a cooling loop in my new case just waiting for the 8gb 980's if they do them (fingers crossed)

Here is the link for the thermaskirt

What do you all think ???

http://www.thermaskirt.com/
 
Aluminium would react with copper but a corrosion inhibitor should stop that.

Only issue I can think of is how restrictive it is. That would determine the size of the pump needed. A dual DDC/D5 would handle it not sure on a single. Iirc a single DDC can do 13ft.

Novel I'd be rather interested in hearing the results.

Edit:is the actual internal piping aluminium or just the front facing bit? Can't really tell from the site but if the pipes aren't aluminium there will be no issues there.
 
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Corrosion inhibitors won't stop anything, just delay it. I won't really bother with the hassles myself, but that does sound like a cool idea. You could go with an all aluminium loop but getting blocks in aluminium will be near impossible.

If you really haven't done watercooling before, stick to the true and tried before experimenting I'd say.
 
well from my work I know that Worcester, glow worm, baxi and others use aluminium heat exchangers with copper pipes and pressed steel radiators.

The thermaskirt is a one piece aluminium plate cast as one with the waterways in it.

They are about 15mm in diameter.
 
Might be better to go with copper pipes and aluminium exchangers if that is still in the price range. Wouldn't have to worry about corrosion as much. At 15mm they would be less restrictive than pc tubes anyway so no problems. 13ft for a single DDC then(obviously including internal loop).
 
extrusions yes that was the word I was looking for :D

They worked very well in the customers house.

So you couild cool your pc and heat your room :) Bonus
 
The issue with galvanic corrosion is if they are electrically connected (ie in physcial contact with each other or connected via wiring for example). This was the issue with the Swiftech blocks in the article on Martin's Liquid Lab, where the galvanised coating on the aluminium top was failing and the top was then in direct contact with the copper block underneath. Corrosion inhibitor will otherwise be able to deal with it, but you would need to keep an eye on it to be safe.

Since the skirting boards are all at ground level, you just need to make sure your PC is at ground level as well so you don't lose any head pumping water down and then back up to say having the PC on a desk. The pressure drop down the actual boards will be very low if the ID is 15mm.
 
Mynight said:
Maybe I'm being a bit ignorant here but wouldn't the water itself count towards electrical connectivity? (Eventually).
Click to expand...
No, when they talk about electrically connected, it's the transfer of electrons between the two metals. Water will only transfer metal ions, in the opposite direction in effect to complete the circuit. Remove the electrical connection or the water itself and you can prevent galvanic corrosion.
 
Was just about to write that its only a problem when the mixed metals are in direct contact - Top man Jokester.
As to the skirting rads - there are copper pipe alteratives both convector and radient panel.
Thermodul, ClimaBoard or heatprofile - played with a few types in a build a few years ago

threerads.jpg


The copper tubed heatprofile worked best but radient heating works more efficiently the higher the water temp
So even for passive water cooling you get high temps
I found the connectors on the thermaskirt to be quite restrictive.

If mounting vertically Cape cora and Convect-O-Matic tubes do a better job.

But after years of passive loops - a SR1 / PA120.x / Low FPI rad working semi passive inside a case works better.
(single intake case fan - rad as only exhaust, block all the gaps)
 
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