Here's my question, lets say I had an old (small) mini fridge that still works well. Could I take my thermaltake bigwater radiator, mount it to the wall of the inside of the mini fridge, then drill holes in the side only big enough for the tubing to come out and run it to my cpu block? The fridge itself would not be loud, I could keep it possibly under my desk or even off to the side, and hypothetically it would keep the radiator cool. Would condensation on the radiator be a problem? or are they all stainless steel? Again, I only want the RADIATOR in the fridge, nothing else, with the tubing running out the sides through drilled holes, and I could plug the outside of the holes w/ putty or glue or something. just an idea.
water cooler radiator in a mini fridge....would it work??
- Thread starter regchamp
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Im by no means an expert in watercooling, but you may find it more practical to put the resevoir in there instead.
My reason for this is the heat from the radiator would be quite substantial and since the fridge has no where to exhaust, it would have to constantly be on in order to keep the hot air from building. I don't think it would be too long before your fridge kicked out.
Again im only hypothesizing here.
My reason for this is the heat from the radiator would be quite substantial and since the fridge has no where to exhaust, it would have to constantly be on in order to keep the hot air from building. I don't think it would be too long before your fridge kicked out.
Again im only hypothesizing here.
rodney_ws
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I'm not sure if that'd work or not... isn't there a chance water would form on the radiator? Instead of risking your radiator, why not put something like a battery powered mini-fan in your refridgerator to see if it survives first. Let us know how that turns out!
I've had similar thoughts though... I'm thinking I may reposition my computer's external radiator to be closer to a AC vent... just something to help with the cooling even more. I've already got my fan settings turned all the way down... but I'm never one to say "no" to lower temps.
I've had similar thoughts though... I'm thinking I may reposition my computer's external radiator to be closer to a AC vent... just something to help with the cooling even more. I've already got my fan settings turned all the way down... but I'm never one to say "no" to lower temps.
I am also not an expert, but I think condensation build-up in the fridge is a problem for what your proposing. I would not recommend it. You could build your own watercooled system and place the radiator in any number of chilled locations. My computer room gets really warm so I have a window unit air-conditioner just for that room. I thought about mounting the radiator from a watercooled rig in front of the vents, If you wanted to take you rig for LAN gaming, drop the radiator in a cooler of Ice, along with your beverage of choice. Never done this, but seems reasonable to me.
It would work. The only risk I see is setting the fridge too cold and freezing the lines, thus stopping the flow. But that should be easily regulated.
My quetion to you is this: Why?
Does your system overheat?
Do you have extra space in your room that you just HAVE to fill up?
Is paying a higher electric bill preasurable to you?
Although it will work, it just doesn't sound like a PRACTICAL solution to me.
My quetion to you is this: Why?
Does your system overheat?
Do you have extra space in your room that you just HAVE to fill up?
Is paying a higher electric bill preasurable to you?
Although it will work, it just doesn't sound like a PRACTICAL solution to me.
I like this idea and im kida tempted to try it out myself....
Imagine a bar fridge that cools your comp AND you can store cold drinks snacks etc when your playing games. So its not like your wasting energy just to keep your comp cold you can also have a cold can of coke when you feel like it.
Also we all put food in the fridge to prevent spoilage from bacteria, It would probably help supress the bacterial growth in the liquid of your cooling system (not forever but for quite a while)
I dont think the water would freeze up because the fridge is about 4 degrees, and water freezes at 0 degrees.
If the radiatro is made of alloy which it moast probably is, rust probably wont occur.
Heaps of times I've put hot food into a fridge I know I'm not suposed to, but im too lazy to let it cool to room temp before I put it into the fridge. My fridge still works fine 3 years now.
Imagine a bar fridge that cools your comp AND you can store cold drinks snacks etc when your playing games. So its not like your wasting energy just to keep your comp cold you can also have a cold can of coke when you feel like it.
Also we all put food in the fridge to prevent spoilage from bacteria, It would probably help supress the bacterial growth in the liquid of your cooling system (not forever but for quite a while)
I dont think the water would freeze up because the fridge is about 4 degrees, and water freezes at 0 degrees.
If the radiatro is made of alloy which it moast probably is, rust probably wont occur.
Heaps of times I've put hot food into a fridge I know I'm not suposed to, but im too lazy to let it cool to room temp before I put it into the fridge. My fridge still works fine 3 years now.
weskurtz81
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Wouldn't you actually get condensation buildup on the block if the water is cool enough? You would probably need to keep an eye on the cpu block for something similar to that.
supremelawfirm
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I think it's a bad idea, and here's why.
First of all, do not confuse temperature and heat.
A car engine generates a lot of heat, but its
temperature is maintained by a very efficient
radiator positioned at the front of car,
to intake cooler air.
A refrigerator lowers the interior temperature
rather slowly, removing only small amounts of
heat from the contents during small intervals
of time, e.g. 5-10 seconds.
If your CPU generates more heat than the
refrigerator can dissipate, your water-cooled
radiator will overcome the maximum rate of
cooling of which the refrigerator is capable.
Just because the interior of a refrigerator is
cold e.g. 34 degrees F. does NOT mean
that the refrigerator can cool its contents rapidly.
A better experiment would be to situate your
computer on the floor of a room with an
air conditioner. If your radiator is placed
at or near the floor, where cold air congregates,
the fan on that radiator will flush it with
cold ambient air, and the warmer exhaust
air will rise naturally (because hot air rises).
The most important variable, under these
conditions, would then be the speed of the
fan on your radiator, just as an increase
in a car's speed necessarily results in
an increase in the velocity of cooler air
entering the car's radiator, causing that
radiator to exhaust hot air faster.
This solution solves several problems at once:
there is no condensation to worry about;
the radiator is guaranteed an unlimited supply
of fresh cold air, as long as the AC's thermostat
is operating correctly; the radiator's
warmer exhaust air will rise to the ceiling,
where it will not recycle back into the radiator;
and, the user(s) are guaranteed a comfortable
air-conditioned environment at or near 72 degrees F.
At that point, it would be ideal to have a way
of exhausting the warmer air that congregates
at the ceiling of this room where your computer
is situated. In our hotel, we have a window AC
unit next to the main outside door, and there
is a ceiling fan in the bathroom that exhausts
moist air to the outside.
This "flow-through" setup quite effectively
cools the P4 workstation which we use to
access the Internet for several hours every day:
our Northwood core rarely goes above 80 degrees F.,
with stock air-cooling.
So, use the KISS principle in engineering:
Keep It Simple, Sally!! aka Occam's Razor:
the simplest solution is always the best solution.
If your experiment fails, you've also ruined
a perfectly good refrigerator. NOT GOOD!!
I hope this helps.
Sincerely yours,
/s/ Paul Andrew Mitchell
Webmaster, Supreme Law Library
http://www.supremelaw.org/
First of all, do not confuse temperature and heat.
A car engine generates a lot of heat, but its
temperature is maintained by a very efficient
radiator positioned at the front of car,
to intake cooler air.
A refrigerator lowers the interior temperature
rather slowly, removing only small amounts of
heat from the contents during small intervals
of time, e.g. 5-10 seconds.
If your CPU generates more heat than the
refrigerator can dissipate, your water-cooled
radiator will overcome the maximum rate of
cooling of which the refrigerator is capable.
Just because the interior of a refrigerator is
cold e.g. 34 degrees F. does NOT mean
that the refrigerator can cool its contents rapidly.
A better experiment would be to situate your
computer on the floor of a room with an
air conditioner. If your radiator is placed
at or near the floor, where cold air congregates,
the fan on that radiator will flush it with
cold ambient air, and the warmer exhaust
air will rise naturally (because hot air rises).
The most important variable, under these
conditions, would then be the speed of the
fan on your radiator, just as an increase
in a car's speed necessarily results in
an increase in the velocity of cooler air
entering the car's radiator, causing that
radiator to exhaust hot air faster.
This solution solves several problems at once:
there is no condensation to worry about;
the radiator is guaranteed an unlimited supply
of fresh cold air, as long as the AC's thermostat
is operating correctly; the radiator's
warmer exhaust air will rise to the ceiling,
where it will not recycle back into the radiator;
and, the user(s) are guaranteed a comfortable
air-conditioned environment at or near 72 degrees F.
At that point, it would be ideal to have a way
of exhausting the warmer air that congregates
at the ceiling of this room where your computer
is situated. In our hotel, we have a window AC
unit next to the main outside door, and there
is a ceiling fan in the bathroom that exhausts
moist air to the outside.
This "flow-through" setup quite effectively
cools the P4 workstation which we use to
access the Internet for several hours every day:
our Northwood core rarely goes above 80 degrees F.,
with stock air-cooling.
So, use the KISS principle in engineering:
Keep It Simple, Sally!! aka Occam's Razor:
the simplest solution is always the best solution.
If your experiment fails, you've also ruined
a perfectly good refrigerator. NOT GOOD!!
I hope this helps.
Sincerely yours,
/s/ Paul Andrew Mitchell
Webmaster, Supreme Law Library
http://www.supremelaw.org/
ouch1
Distinguished
- Aug 25, 2006
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Joeman42,
That may work at extending the life of the mini-fridges cooling unit. But bear in mind that it will still need to run alot more than if it were just cooling soda's or food. And on top of that having multiple rad's will slow your flow rate considerably. So you will need either a powerful pump (like a AC pond pump) or multiple pumps.
Also you will need to protect your system from condensation on the return line from the mini fridge. This is due to the fact that the coolant will be below ambient air temps, and will cause condensation to collect. In order to protect your system you will need to wrap the lines and either coat the mobo with polyeurothane or buy something similar to this kit:
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/2353/ex-vap-11/Asetek_VapoChill_Socket_Kit_-_AMD_S754940939_and_P4_478_LSXE_II_04-L-0116.html?tl=g30c367s525
It will protect your board and cpu from condensation.
Plus by wraping your lines and procting you motherboard you will have the added advantage of insulating your nice cool liquid from the outside air temps. Thus giving yourself more headroom for overclocking.
-ouch1
That may work at extending the life of the mini-fridges cooling unit. But bear in mind that it will still need to run alot more than if it were just cooling soda's or food. And on top of that having multiple rad's will slow your flow rate considerably. So you will need either a powerful pump (like a AC pond pump) or multiple pumps.
Also you will need to protect your system from condensation on the return line from the mini fridge. This is due to the fact that the coolant will be below ambient air temps, and will cause condensation to collect. In order to protect your system you will need to wrap the lines and either coat the mobo with polyeurothane or buy something similar to this kit:
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/2353/ex-vap-11/Asetek_VapoChill_Socket_Kit_-_AMD_S754940939_and_P4_478_LSXE_II_04-L-0116.html?tl=g30c367s525
It will protect your board and cpu from condensation.
Plus by wraping your lines and procting you motherboard you will have the added advantage of insulating your nice cool liquid from the outside air temps. Thus giving yourself more headroom for overclocking.
-ouch1
Shadow703793
Champion
- Feb 3, 2007
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You both realize this thread has been DEAD for 3 years right? Please don't bring up DEAD threads. If you wish to discuss a new idea start your own thread.
Conumdrum
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Shadow has spoken................... LOL
Being a mod here would be a nightmare. Peeps post mindlessly, no idea about forums, they get googled here. It's again the Radio Shack of info, lots of peeps in the door, they leave and never come back. But a good retail start. "OMG, I need to find a place with informed salespersons.
You and me (questionable you) work them to places they get what they need. I don't come here to work my post count, I come here to help and put them on the path. Most find a better path. My forums are soo busy to go back 3 years would be a Whaaa?
Being a mod here would be a nightmare. Peeps post mindlessly, no idea about forums, they get googled here. It's again the Radio Shack of info, lots of peeps in the door, they leave and never come back. But a good retail start. "OMG, I need to find a place with informed salespersons.
You and me (questionable you) work them to places they get what they need. I don't come here to work my post count, I come here to help and put them on the path. Most find a better path. My forums are soo busy to go back 3 years would be a Whaaa?
- Jan 12, 2007
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"The T-virus reanimates dead cells, effectively reviving the body. Therefore, those who were not living become able to function at a minimal level".
(A little Resident Evil for you folks).
Dead thread, please don't awaken them.
Hasn't the mini-fridge idea been gone over 100's of times? Every time, a lot of people think its a great idea, but in reality, it isn't. If you want to know and don't want to take advice...just do it and find out for yourself.
(A little Resident Evil for you folks).
Dead thread, please don't awaken them.
Hasn't the mini-fridge idea been gone over 100's of times? Every time, a lot of people think its a great idea, but in reality, it isn't. If you want to know and don't want to take advice...just do it and find out for yourself.
ouch1
Distinguished
- Aug 25, 2006
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Shadow,
I do know it has been dead for 3 years, but Joeman asked so I gave him a little more info to work with. I think he may be onto something this time around. He is planning on not using the firdge to do a majority of the cooling. He want to just use the fridge to bring toe coolant down to sub ambient temps after dumping most of the heat via other rad's. Which depending on the amount of coolant and air temps it ia feasible.
-ouch1
Shadow703793
Champion
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^I know, sorry if I seemed like an @ss. As for his idea, it's more or less a form of called chilled liquid cooling. It's been done and usually runs about 5-10C cooler than the normal no-AC method.
Sorry to beat this "dead horse", but I had this idea several years ago while attempting to OC a P2 300......never tried it though....
Today, I'm thinking about it all over again, but rather than a small fridge I'm considering using a window A/C unit instead....My idea is to disassemble the unit, remove the cooling coils, submerge them into an ice chest filled with antifreeze then dunk my radiator into the fluid.....The way I see it, the A/C unit should provide MORE than enough cooling power for a 180 watt CPU allowing for better overclocking......
Today, I'm thinking about it all over again, but rather than a small fridge I'm considering using a window A/C unit instead....My idea is to disassemble the unit, remove the cooling coils, submerge them into an ice chest filled with antifreeze then dunk my radiator into the fluid.....The way I see it, the A/C unit should provide MORE than enough cooling power for a 180 watt CPU allowing for better overclocking......
Hello,
I have hot water heat with a hot water haeter.I'm trying to find a cooling system for my house....and you're cooling using a refridge?I cant have anair system because my mom is allergic to dust. If someone invented a "cold water cooler"it would solve this. Is this a good idea? We have aluminum radiators.
I have hot water heat with a hot water haeter.I'm trying to find a cooling system for my house....and you're cooling using a refridge?I cant have anair system because my mom is allergic to dust. If someone invented a "cold water cooler"it would solve this. Is this a good idea? We have aluminum radiators.
Mousemonkey
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