Anyone used a Beer Cooler in their Loop?

rush_syndrome

rush_syndrome

rush_syndrome

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I've been thinking about adding a second-hand beer cooler to my loop. The reasons for this are:

1) I would like the fans on my radiator to point INWARDS into the case thus making the case 'air-conditioned'.

2) I get 34 degrees at the moment with a 4GHz oc and it never changes.. due to the large rad. This is currently cpu and north bridge only but will be adding the 5790 when I get a block.

3) The 'case' is a custom build with open sides so there is plenty of air circuation and as such no other internal fans are required.

4) I have looked at beer chillers, particularly the ones that cool the Python from the beer kegs to the pump, as these also have a built in pump and run 3/8 ID piping. These can be bought for around £150 and can supply 600w of cooling. I reckon that this would be plenty as I already have a large rad with 4 160mm fans on it.

5) My current loop is 1/2" ID although I noticed no discernable improvement over the 3/8" ID loop I had before.. so it makes no difference going back if the improvement is worthwhile.

6) The function of this is not to have it on all the time, but mainly for weekends when I spend a lot of time gaming - during the week the coolant will run through the cooler but it will be off. I envisage adding another pump to maintain flow rate over the 5M of added pipe. The cooler takes about an hour to come online and during this time, the PC has to be off to allow it to 'make ice' :cool:

I have done phase change and cascade back in the day, but this idea appeals because it means I could put the cooler next door in a cupboard so no noise. i can then run the pipes under the floorboards! I am not looking for sub zero temps, just reducing the loop temps to between 10-15 degrees would be great as I wouldn't have to worry about condensation.

I know I'm barking lol. So has anyone actually tried this before and got some decent results?
 
Wasn't there something about this before, and how coolers of this sort arnt really suited to cooling something of this nature. Beer or liquid coolers usually don't work that hard and don't need to come on very often whereas something trying to keep a constant temperature in this enviroment would be on and off a lot stressing the compressor.

I may be spouting out of my back passage though.
 
Benihana said:
Wasn't there something about this before, and how coolers of this sort arnt really suited to cooling something of this nature. Beer or liquid coolers usually don't work that hard and don't need to come on very often whereas something trying to keep a constant temperature in this enviroment would be on and off a lot stressing the compressor.

I may be spouting out of my back passage though.
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This is true. However, because I already have a decent loop, I am already cooling and taking most of the savage heat out with the rad. The chiller is only going to take the temperature down slightly further. If I lunch the compressor, I will just fit a bigger one and regass the system. Well that's the plan :D

matthab said:
Not tried this or seen this and cant wait to see the results. My only issue could be condensation?
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I am not looking for sub zero temps, just reducing the loop temps to between 10-15 degrees would be great as I wouldn't have to worry about condensation. Also I wouldn't have to have my air-conditioner on as much as it would help reduce the ambient.
 
rush_syndrome said:
I am not looking for sub zero temps, just reducing the loop temps to between 10-15 degrees would be great as I wouldn't have to worry about condensation. Also I wouldn't have to have my air-conditioner on as much as it would help reduce the ambient.
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condensation forms on when cool objects (like pipes carring chilled liquid) are put in a warmer environment (even worse if humid obv).

ice forms when sub zero temps are achieved.

So to your previous add to the quote, surely you would get condensation assuming your ambient is>10-15degC , just not ice :D
 
OK that makes a lot of sense. So if I lagged the pipes would that stop condensation from forming? Also I have four 160mm fans blowing over the rig and it is not an enclosed case.

Would that be enough or will it be a case of buy and try with the possibility of epic fail? :p
 
Maybe it would work, but what an epic fail it could be :S rather you than me dude!

Lagging + airflow = might work

sounds like a lot of effort to me... would make for a really good build log though
 
You'll still get condensation on the rads... can't lag those. I have a good AC at home which can get my PC room down to 11c but of course they're expensive. If you wanna chill the air in the PC without it getting wet in there you'll have to chill the air elsehwere and duct the air in. Generally it's not worth the hassle tho.
 
You'd get condensation perhaps on your blocks too, if they're below ambient.

Might I ask; is there a huge problem with the 34c temps? Are those too high or are you just keen to see them closer to room temp? I suppose a move might be to add the graphics card to the loop, thrash the computer for a while and see how hot things get. It might be that you end up stable with everything at/around 40c (say) with no further problems.


If you're happy for a compressor to be running often, why not just get an A/C unit for your room. That'll help cool both you and the computer down. Fill the beer fridge with beer and then everyone's happier.
 
Some great replies here thanks.

I have a split mounted 12000BTU AC on the wall near the screen, but it blows the screen about when I'm gaming :(

I am using a military grade flight sim projector which also gives out a lot of heat. It weighs in at 120KG and I sit underneath it and pray a lot :eek:

The PC 'case' is a bit different because decided to take a jigsaw to a new £800 solid oak coffee table and put the rig in there :p I've nearly got enough info to do a build thread for it, which I hope would provide some entertainment for ya all if it sounds like something you would want to see :)

The cooler idea was to get some cooler air flowing out of the table, it could keep me cool while I am playing and then I could clock some more.. it's never enough is it? It's come about by the need to be comfortable while playing, so you sit on the couch with your legs on the table, sit back and play on the 14 foot screen.

As the build is in the coffee table, I have plenty of room and will not suffer thermal runaway like you do when you get to saturation point in a conventional case. If the rad does start to form a lot of condensate, then I could always mount it in a stainless drip tray then use a condensate pump to remove it :o

Doctor.. More meds please!
 
the guy your after regarding this subject can be found here by the name danny_75 IIRC even with good insualtion he ended up killing his ATi 5970
 
how about trying a Hailea HC-500A water chiller one of the smaller ones might do what u need it to do

will be adding one to my loop in the next 2 months all depending on the money situation
 
Humidity in the air will pretty much always condense on something that's below the Dew Point (google this). For a low humidity environment this is normally under 10c.

I'd look at finding a way to have the A/C on without the projector screen blowing; this would seem the sanest solution in my humble opinion.

I'd also be curious about some pics of the place! A 120kg projector, oak table computer case? Surely gotta be worth a photo.
 
fridges don't work very well when heat is being emitted into them, im guessing that is your intention? to use the refrigerator to cool the air temperature around your radiator, well what else could you do. the point is, fridges (no matter what sort) aren't intended for use with items that actually generate thermal energy, they are meant to take items that have merely absorbed energy and cool them to a specified temperature, then once there keep them at that temperature. can't see how beer cooler could honestly benefit your setup to be honest, more likely to end in some sort of disaster. ;)
 
blueacid said:
I'd also be curious about some pics of the place! A 120kg projector, oak table computer case? Surely gotta be worth a photo.
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Here's the projector spec as I haven't got any recent pics. Mine is piano black. Had it for 8 years now and although it's old technology it's still up there with the digitals. It's been upgraded and modified more than my pc's :p

The unmodded coffee table is here new thread to follow when I've finished it. That's why I'm exploring the chilled water route, I hope it will be feasable :)
 
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adding any form of waterchiller to a loop is all well and good. you need to ensure that the chiller will remove the heat output from the components and not get overstressed

adding a waterchiller to a loop with an existing radiator doesnt work
air actually warms up the coolant that passes through a radiator

this totally negates the point of chilling the water.
 
rjkoneill said:
adding any form of waterchiller to a loop is all well and good. you need to ensure that the chiller will remove the heat output from the components and not get overstressed

adding a waterchiller to a loop with an existing radiator doesnt work
air actually warms up the coolant that passes through a radiator

this totally negates the point of chilling the water.
Click to expand...

I suppose a fancy control circuit would be sensible; If the water temp is above ambient, fire up the radiator fans. If it's below ambient, don't do so for the reasons you've already outlined.



rush_syndrome said:
Here's the projector spec as I haven't got any recent pics. Mine is piano black. Had it for 8 years now and although it's old technology it's still up there with the digitals. It's been upgraded and modified more than my pc's :p

The unmodded coffee table is here.. new thread to follow when I've finished it. That's why I'm exploring the chilled water route, I hope it will be feasable :)
Click to expand...


That projector looks an utter beast. Nice work on getting it! I suppose in line with people's fears about overloading the beer fridge, and also worries about condensation, would it be feasible to perhaps get the chiller's compressor to only activate if the loop temperature rises above (say) 40c? Then the compressor would cut in to help dissipate the heat load of gaming as well as the radiator, but if you're just browsing then you'd give the thing a break?
 
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