automotive coolant for PC watercooling that mixes copper, aluminum, nickel, brass and silicone tubing

[Deleted member 185158]

Prestone has 5-year, 10-year and 15-year versions
Product Listing - Prestone® Total Protection

I conjecture the difference is in the additives.

So, let's just say that everyone is right.

Additives doesn't change the coolant type, there's two. That's all my portion of comments was to portray. The additives make up of little difference otherwise.

Also the mention of mixed metals and automotive coolants including plastics, has been a thing since day 1. So in a small water loop, I feel automotive and diesel coolants are fine for PC use. In my opinion humbled of course.

 

[Shrek]

You might well be right, but in a car the difference is significant
5-year, 10-year, 15-year

For people with pets around, propylene glycol is a lot less toxic than ethylene glycol.

But why are we using anti-freeze in a computer? it hinders cooling.

 

[Deleted member 185158]

You might well be right, but in a car the difference is significant
5-year, 10-year, 15-year

For people with pets around, propylene glycol is a lot less toxic than ethylene glycol.

But why are we using anti-freeze in a computer? it hinders cooling.

I use automotive coolants and windshield washer fluids for chiller loops mostly.

So applying cold, not removing heat.

Ethylene glycol is good for -50f even in premix.

 

[Shrek]

Applying cold?

 

[Mr.Scott]

Applying cold?
But why are we using anti-freeze in a computer? it hinders cooling.

In a sense, yes. Chiller is used to make the liquid in your loop well below ambient temp. -30 or so is about the norm.
We will all enjoy our wrongness together.
I'm buying.

 

[Shrek]

I'm wrong most of the time, no better way to learn.

OK, now I got it; I didn't realize we were talking about running below 0°C when one really does need anti-freeze.

 

[skizzo]

I was under the impression no matter what fluid you use, mixing aluminum and copper components in the same loop was a big time no-no?! As in it would absolutely lead to corrosion or general degradation of those components. I must be missing something here.... what am I understanding wrong?

 

[Outback Bronze]

I'm wrong most of the time, no better way to learn.

OK, now I got it; I didn't realize we were talking about running below 0°C when one really does need anti-freeze.

Just remember its also handy being anti-boil too : )

 

[looniam]

I was under the impression no matter what fluid you use, mixing aluminum and copper components in the same loop was a big time no-no?! As in it would absolutely lead to corrosion or general degradation of those components. I must be missing something here.... what am I understanding wrong?

edit - this should help better than a joke:

 

[skizzo]

edit - this should help better than a joke:

hey thank you. that stuff is not necessarily news for me there but I still appreciate it. I was thinking someone was going to point out if you use some sort of particular automotive coolant the corrosion worries go away completely, but maybe most PC enthusiasts don't use it because it only comes in some Ghostbusters Slimer green color or has some awful off putting odor to it, it stains components in the loop, etc....something that would be a turn off to use it in your PC as opposed to being perfectly acceptable to put in a vehicle. all those fluids water cooling component companies sell claim the same thing, to help mitigate corrosion. but it doesn't flat out prevent it. and that was my point, this is going to get messed up eventually and these things only delay the inevitable. sort of like the very important difference between "water resistant" and "water proof". one meaning, hey if you're out in the rain your watch isn't going to break but if you drop it in the bath tub, it's a goner. while the other might be capable of literally going scuba diving with. these fluids are the equivalent of corrosion resistant, not corrosion proof. my overall feeling remains the same, mixed metals in a loop, at least mixing aluminum and copper that is, should be avoided at all costs because you are creating an ecosystem that will begin to deteriorate as soon as you implement it.

 

[Shrek]

I seem to recall they use sacrificial zinc to protect iron boat hulls, and magnesium anodes in hot water heaters.

 

[Blue4130]

I would be curious to see a mixed metal loop vs non-mixed metal loop after one year, 3 years and 5years.

I strongly think these coolant companies add a lot of scare tactics in their marketing.

 

[Deleted member 24505]

I would be curious to see a mixed metal loop vs non-mixed metal loop after one year, 3 years and 5years.

I strongly think these coolant companies add a lot of scare tactics in their marketing.

Cars are very mixed, and don't seem to suffer adversely, so a PC loop with a smidgen of mixed metals should be fine (in theory)

hey thank you. that stuff is not necessarily news for me there but I still appreciate it. I was thinking someone was going to point out if you use some sort of particular automotive coolant the corrosion worries go away completely, but maybe most PC enthusiasts don't use it because it only comes in some Ghostbusters Slimer green color or has some awful off putting odor to it, it stains components in the loop, etc....something that would be a turn off to use it in your PC as opposed to being perfectly acceptable to put in a vehicle. all those fluids water cooling component companies sell claim the same thing, to help mitigate corrosion. but it doesn't flat out prevent it. and that was my point, this is going to get messed up eventually and these things only delay the inevitable. sort of like the very important difference between "water resistant" and "water proof". one meaning, hey if you're out in the rain your watch isn't going to break but if you drop it in the bath tub, it's a goner. while the other might be capable of literally going scuba diving with. these fluids are the equivalent of corrosion resistant, not corrosion proof. my overall feeling remains the same, mixed metals in a loop, at least mixing aluminum and copper that is, should be avoided at all costs because you are creating an ecosystem that will begin to deteriorate as soon as you implement it.

Well no stains in my tubes yet, or corrosion in my block, but only been a week. Lets see in a few months. My loop is 90% De-ionised with about 10% of 50/50 premix car stuff in it, which is a bit red, but can't see it as i never put a lot in.

 

[Shrek]

I think cars are brass, aluminum and some iron.

 

[Blue4130]

Cars are very mixed, and don't seem to suffer adversely, so a PC loop with a smidgen of mixed metals should be fine (in theory)

Exactly my thoughts.

 

[Shrek]

I assume that with the right additives the aluminum can be made to develop a passive oxide layer.

 

[John Naylor]

The word additives is key here. In a CLC you can't do that. Manufacturers bet on the fact that before there is a corrosion failure the warranty expires or better yet the user will just buy a new one w/o going thru the hassle. We been building PCs for 30 years, and I'm typing form a water cooled built in November 2013. For me absolute silence is the reason we do water.

But, I'm gonna take my PC building hat off and switch to my Power Plant Management hat now. Power plant engines cost millions of dollars, so paying attention coolant chemisty is a big deal warranting considerable expense. The expected effective lifetime or corrosion inhibitors is 18 to 24 months. We'd have each engine's coolants tested and chemistry augmented every 3 months. The cost of testing is close to the cost of a new PC than it is to a CLC.

Anodized aluminum is much more effective than plain aluminum ... many MoBo manufacturers use it in MoBo blocks and I have yet to see one. It's hard to do a good examination on these blocks but as the aluminum sheds electrons and the copper receives them, you'd be able to see the crud if your CPU water block had a clear cover. I do a series of distilled water flushes (in the past, had Mayhems Blitz Kit if any crud was observed) and just replace the coolant every 18 months.

It's important to note, it's often more of a concern as to where the corroded materials are going as they shed ... You might wanna be less worried about the material loss in your aluminum rads than the fact that they are inevitable get deposited in the tight find of your CPU blobk and increasing backpressure while rducing cooling \ capability. see the videos below but replace the * with an "s) as I hate seeing threads cloggin with those giant boxes when for many words will suffice.

http*://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_r4tWpMHHI&t=240
http*://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HC1kzO_gIp4&t=280

For some really stomach turning pictures, we can go to Martin, the grandfather of water cooling web sites. I know ya wanna head right to the pics but the entire article is worth the read ...more than once.

http*://martinsliquidlab.wordpress.com/2012/01/24/corrosion-explored/

 

[Shrek]

Interesting, so I wonder if the second lot of 'anti-freeze' will last longer than the first, assuming the first built up the passivation layer.

 

[Deleted member 24505]

Cars are probably, cast iron, steel, copper, aluminium. Anything i have missed?

 

[Shrek]

I had my heating boiler changed a few years back (cast iron core, copper pipes) and recently flushed it and was delighted to find the water completely clean; it has a device on it to remove any free air, and I wonder how much influence this has. A car implicitly has such a device as air rises and is flushed into the overflow tank.