DIY Aquarium Chiller

[felix_fx2]

Talk about being the computer geek x hobbyist.
http://www.shine7.com/aquarium/chiller.htm

He is using Aluminum waterblock, so no copper poisoning.
Attachment 24599

Attachment 24600

what i really like is the headsink is a really awesome one.

[eviltrain]

Errr, aluminum also will cause poisoning de wor. Best is stainless steel block head.

[felix_fx2]

should have SS blocks... price only the worry...

[eviltrain]

Yapz. Price ex nia lor. Keke.

[felix_fx2]

waterblock (Swiftech Apogee) already not cheap.. the TEC unit cheaper then waterblock lol... ebay selling US $5 for TEC.

VR-Zone review. (Btw, reference only this one 100% have copper and alot of sticks inside of the waterblock at that)
http://vr-zone.com/articles/swiftech...lock/7844.html

[stormhawk]

Very impressive DIY chiller but I think it's only meant for small tanks like the one in the author's pictures. A DIY chiller will only be worthwhile if it eventually costs less than a commercially available product and does a better job. The Dolphin chillers sold at some LFS are basically running on the same principle of using a Peltier TEM.

[limz_777]

his diy stand looks nice

[BFG]

Unless he has air conditioning in that room, that so called 'chiller' might be workable. Those pc heat sink and radiator thingy is good to bring down the water temperature from a high point to ambient room temperature. To get at temperature where an actual chiller will operate is difficult unless the actual ambient temperature is low due to geographical location or climate or the room is being cooled by the air-con. Not a chiller in my opinion.

[felix_fx2]

TEC cooling not revenant to do large area. One side is cool the other side is hot. That's why the CPU fan is there to cool the tec unit, not the water. Just like the dolphin version they are the same thing in fact.

Personally speaking, the zeroterm fan is over doing it haha.

[lizhien]

very cool! But got chiller liao.. So abit wasted.

[ladygaga]

Here is another monster DIY chiller from a Taiwanese. It's environment friendly----most important it works rather than "cool the tank, heat you up", everybody will be cooled.

check it. (Post is in Chinese, pictures are quite detailed.)

[felix_fx2]

That's like. Got money for chiller but diy. Just for the fun.

[Navanod]

He can afford a Thermalright heatsink but not a chiller?
Using aluminum is not exactly any safer than copper. Galvanic corrosion will quickly destroy that waterblock even when we use special coolant, let alone now that he's running dirty aquarium water (rich in electrolytes) through it! When that waterblock gets eaten away, leaks can develop or it may simply choke.
The corrosion reaction also produces some nasty things, I quote

http://www.lenntech.com/periodic/wat...-and-water.htm
"In what way and in what form does aluminum react with water?

Aluminum metal rapidly develops a thin layer of aluminum oxide of a few millimeters that prevents the metal from reacting with water. When this layer is corroded a reaction develops, releasing highly flammable hydrogen gas.
Aluminum chloride hydrolyses in water, and forms a mist when it comes in contact with air, because hydrochloric acid drops form when it reacts with water vapor.
Aluminum ions in other compounds also hydrolyze, and this continues until the cationic charge has run out, ending the reaction by hydroxide formation. The beginning of the hydrolysis reaction is as follows:

Al3+(aq) + 6H2O(l) <-> [Al(H2O)6]3+ (aq)"

Aluminum chloride is toxic by the way.
This is why aquarium chillers use titanium instead, although it is more expensive and is a poorer conductor of heat than copper and aluminum.

I'm using 2 watercooled PCs and trust me, corrosion is a scary thing especially when you have electricity and water so close together.

[Navanod]

Here is another monster DIY chiller from a Taiwanese. It's environment friendly----most important it works rather than "cool the tank, heat you up", everybody will be cooled.

check it. (Post is in Chinese, pictures are quite detailed.)

Oh? This is a rather outdated tech used for PC cooling as well.
For those who just wants a summary...
The hobbyists call it Evaporative Bong cooler, which is basically a cooling tower that uses a fan to blow at cascading drops of water. Main difference of this from conventional radiator cooling is that this can lower temperature much faster and below ambient temperature. It's basically the same as how aquarium fans cool the tanks by blowing across the top and can be DIY'ed by blowing the fans across the water sprayed from a rainbar. But its super noisy and makes the room very humid.
It is also known to be the source of legionnaire disease and other nasty things if not maintained properly, not very nice to have in the bedroom. Hahaha

[ladygaga]

I'm using 2 watercooled PCs and trust me, corrosion is a scary thing especially when you have electricity and water so close together.

Dude, ever tried oil?

Cool..

[ladygaga]

Oh? This is a rather outdated tech used for PC cooling as well.
For those who just wants a summary...
The hobbyists call it Evaporative Bong cooler, which is basically a cooling tower that uses a fan to blow at cascading drops of water. Main difference of this from conventional radiator cooling is that this can lower temperature much faster and below ambient temperature. It's basically the same as how aquarium fans cool the tanks by blowing across the top and can be DIY'ed by blowing the fans across the water sprayed from a rainbar. But its super noisy and makes the room very humid.
It is also known to be the source of legionnaire disease and other nasty things if not maintained properly, not very nice to have in the bedroom. Hahaha

Great input, thanks.

Right now, it's still the only affordable industrial cooling system which can take away mass of heat.

[stormhawk]

So if the Taiwanese DIY chiller works to cool both the person AND the tank, isn't it better to use air-conditioning? Same principle isn't it?

[killerbee]

Didnt know DIY your own chiller can be so easy lol.

[sungod666]

alamak i think DIY is just a hobby right? for such a small tank, a good chiller is not that expensive. it is quite ugly but the thumbs up for the effort. i couldnt do it anyway.

[Navanod]

Dude, ever tried oil?

Cool..

Nope, too messy and basically, can forget about warranty and resale value!
IKEA sells plenty of this kinda clear mineral oil. Everytime I see it, I'm reminded of oil immersion cooling.