Using car coolant to cool CPU ?!

[lsevald]

Sounds like it is, Valvoline is an Automotive brand.

Yes, I agree it looks like some variant of anti-freeze (contains glycol). But there are some products that claim to alter the surface tension of the coolant, and possibly other properties. I'm just not sure what this is.

Like this

 

[Deleted member 24505]

Sounds like it is, Valvoline is an Automotive brand.

It is, a very good one.
https://www.valvoline.com/

 

[mstenholm]

Just use Vodka, it won't freeze and you can regularly drain the system with a straw

KSA and vodka

 

[Bruno_oc]

I use Distiled water + ethylene Glycol 1:1 for more than 6 years and no issues. Basically, the mix also helps the pump as it is a little greasy.

@Mr.Scott I am curious about the chiller. I have one that can do -46C on the HX and I am using Glycol+ethanol. I thought of using windshield liquid, but i haven't tried. How cold your liquid goes?

 

[storm-chaser]

I wonder if water wetter would help at all with temps?

Using it in my honda VFR 800 brought peak coolant temps down from 225*F to 214*F

WaterWetter is a unique wetting agent for cooling systems which reduces coolant temperatures by as much as 30 degrees Farenheit . This liquid product can be used to provide rust and corrosion protection in plain water for racing engines, which provides much better heat transfer properties than glycol-based antifreeze.

 

[kid41212003]

I thought it would eat away your loops? Are we certain there's no drawback? Why's nobody recommending car coolant afaik?

 

[sneekypeet]

I wonder if water wetter would help at all with temps?

Using it in my honda VFR 800 brought peak coolant temps down from 225*F to 214*F

I used to use it after getting a bottle from an old member Random Murderer. I did end up trying distilled vs. distilled with water wetter, and it made no changes in my temps. IIRC it is for race car applications where you are at the max temp, near boil over, where it can show its effects.

 

[John Naylor]

1. It's not as good thermally as PC Build oriented coolants.

2. It decreases flow rate and cooling efficiency

3. If there's anything acrylic or plastic on the loop, it may dissolve the adhesive ... was a rash of bay reservoir failures when some PC coolants included it in their mix some 6 - 8 years ago. Also some brands cause corrosion of aluminum .... but putting aluminum oin a loop is a bad decision in the 1st place.

4. The colored coolants have to be carefuly stored, tho some varieties are safe, leaking antifreeze from a neighbors car leaking intoa puddle in our driveway and killed our dog when he drrank from it. It killed people too, especially kids who think it's a Kool-Aid of fruit drink.

Antifreeze Poisoning in Humans - Signs and Symptoms

What is antifreeze? Antifreeze is a also known as radiator fluid and is used to reduce the heat build up in car engines. Almost all antifreezes contain a compound called ethylene glycol, and some also contain methanol and/or isopropyl alcohol (isopropanol). Apart from antifreeze, ethylene glycol...

www.healthhype.com

5. Good but somewhat outdated info here:

PC Water Coolant Chemistry - Part II - Overclockers

Welcome back to the second part of our article on PC water coolant chemistry! If you have not already done so, please check out Part I for detailed information on some of water's unique physical, thermal and chemical properties and the various types of water available for use in PC water-cooling...

www.overclockers.com

 

[newtekie1]

3. The colored coolants have to be carefuly stored, tho some varieties are safe, leaking antifreeze from a neighbors car leaking intoa puddle and killed our dog when he dfrank from it. It killed people too, especially kids who think it's a Kool-Aid of fruit drink.

This has largely been eliminated thanks to the manufacturers adding bitter flavoring to antifreeze. It used to taste sweet, but now it tastes nasty. I actually gag if I get any bit in my mouth. You'd have to be pretty desperate to drink it these days.

 

[storm-chaser]

This has largely been eliminated thanks to the manufacturers adding bitter flavoring to antifreeze. It used to taste sweet, but now it tastes nasty. I actually gag if I get any bit in my mouth. You'd have to be pretty desperate to drink it these days.

The older non flavored antifreeze has also been used in intentional poisonings, aka murder. That has largely been eliminated due to the favoring that is now required.

 

[lsevald]

I have tried Water wetter many years ago. I used it mixed with distilled water (nothing else), but got some weird growth that gunked up the water blocks. I wouldn't use it alone, but maybe it would work if mixed together with anti freeze? like 0.01°C

 

[John Naylor]

This has largely been eliminated thanks to the manufacturers adding bitter flavoring to antifreeze. It used to taste sweet, but now it tastes nasty. I actually gag if I get any bit in my mouth. You'd have to be pretty desperate to drink it these days.

We had to put one of our dogs down just 2 years ago because of this. When we broke into this millenium, there were about 5,000 cases a year of poisoning in humans, but you still see new articles being written about it. Most of this drop is due to the switch to propylene glycol which is non toxic; it's this propylene glycol type that produces the bitter taste. Ethylene Glycol products remain a problem.

 

[27MaD]

KSA and vodka

Well that's what i thought too but just lets not talk about this here.

 

[thebluebumblebee]

Valvoline Racing
Super Coolant
Zerex

Appears to me that they're simply telling you that the content of the bottle is Zerex, a brand of anti-freeze owned by Valvoline.

Sounds like this stuff: https://www.valvoline.com/our-products/pro-v-racing/super-coolant-additive

 

[lsevald]

Appears to me that they're simply telling you that the content of the bottle is Zerex, a brand of anti-freeze owned by Valvoline.

Sounds like this stuff: https://www.valvoline.com/our-products/pro-v-racing/super-coolant-additive

Yes, that looks similar. Problem is I cannot find it here in my country. What do I use to replace it?

I forgot to mention, last autumn I replaced my 780ti with a 1080ti. New water block, so I had to redo my loop. However, the coolant (with Valvoline Super Coolant) that had ran since the release of the 780ti (2013?), looked fine, so I did not replace it. I just ran it through a coffee filter and topped it up with a little distilled water. The only downsides I can think of is the weird smell that goes away after a few days, and that it tends to discolor clear tubing after extended use.

 

[thebluebumblebee]

What do I use to replace it?

If you want to use an "official" PC watercooling product, just about all of the major WC'ing brands have an additive. If you want to find a similar product from the automotive world, just search for "racing coolant" or "racing coolant additive".

 

[Ferrum Master]

I used to use it after getting a bottle from an old member Random Murderer. I did end up trying distilled vs. distilled with water wetter, and it made no changes in my temps. IIRC it is for race car applications where you are at the max temp, near boil over, where it can show its effects.

The main question... what kind of pressure we have in our loops versus a motorcycle, that greatly influences boiling point temperatures?

I have a feeling that wetter stuff is distilled water with Benzotriazole or similar.

1. It's not as good thermally as PC Build oriented coolants.

2. It decreases flow rate and cooling efficiency

BS mate... PURE BS. I am sorry for being rude... but really.

 

[newtekie1]

We had to put one of our dogs down just 2 years ago because of this. When we broke into this millenium, there were about 5,000 cases a year of poisoning in humans, but you still see new articles being written about it. Most of this drop is due to the switch to propylene glycol which is non toxic; it's this propylene glycol type that produces the bitter taste. Ethylene Glycol products remain a problem.

My wife is a RVT, it has only been in the past few years that they've added the bittering agent. But it still happens, especially because people keep old used stuff around and even "new" stuff sitting on the shelf in their garage, and the stuff in most cars is still the old stuff.

But I can tell you, after getting some in my mouth, there is no way anything is drinking the new stuff with the bittering agent in it unless they are super desperate for water.

 

[sneekypeet]

I have a feeling that wetter stuff is distilled water with Benzotriazole or similar.

It was years ago I used it, and from what I recall there isn't much on the bottle for contents. I don't recall the site saying much either as the formula is likely a secret to keep others from putting them out of the game.

 

[Totally]

Using Super Coolant (blue antifreeze) temps aren't any different. Just has been maintenance freeze for a year+. My biggest worry was that it would eat at the tubing but after some research found out the. Fluid is 100% inert, and I don't any discoloration or anything of the sort to suggest otherwise.

BS mate... PURE BS. I am sorry for being rude... but really.

That was too funny that comment almost brought me to tears.

3. If there's anything acrylic or plastic on the loop, it may dissolve the adhesive ... was a rash of bay reservoir failures when some PC coolants included it in their mix some 6 - 8 years ago. Also some brands cause corrosion of aluminum .... but putting aluminum oin a loop is a bad decision in the 1st place.

This is BS too.

 

[Gasaraki]

Water is the best coolant.

 

[Totally]

Water is the best coolant.

If you hate periodically draining, refilling, de-aerating your loop, it's not.

 

[Mr.Scott]

@Mr.Scott I am curious about the chiller. I have one that can do -46C on the HX and I am using Glycol+ethanol. I thought of using windshield liquid, but i haven't tried. How cold your liquid goes?

Not as cold as yours. I can go -35c static. A big multi cored CPU with hefty OC will stay in the single digits under load most of the time.

On Water wetter or any similar product:
It's snake oil.
All that stuff has been done for more than a decade. There is no new revelation.

 

[Bones]

If you hate periodically draining, refilling, de-aerating your loop, it's not.

Water from a thermal transfer point of view is the best coolant overall, in vehicles for example while antifreeze does the job of keeping things from freezing up it does reduce the thermal efficiency of the coolant a little.
If using it in a system it's really for anti-corrosion purposes and even then you have to us the right kind with the right ratio of it to water.

What I quoted is correct, water alone will make for more maintenance but the tradeoff is more efficient thermal transfer of heat through the coolant.

It's really up to the individual how they want to set it up and to deal with any possible corrosion or biological issues based on how their setup is built. I've been running an outdoor based cooling tower thats more or less "Open" for awhile now and haven't had any real issues (Yet).
It does help the tower loses water to an extent and I'm always having to top it off and in wintertime I normally use Dexcool to keep it from freezing, in caseanyone is wondering that's why in pics of my setup the tubing for my setup has an orange tint to it. The old setup was a simple open loop and it was inside the shack and I never had any issues with it either except for what was due to sheer age, that's the reason I finally made the tower and it's been going for close to two years now and gives really good thermal capacity.

 

[phanbuey]

i like not maintaining my loop... but:

Liquid Cooling - The Best Heat Transfer Fluids for Liquid Cooling Application Note - Lytron Inc

Review Lytron's Application Note - The Best Heat Transfer Fluids for Liquid Cooling

www.lytron.com

"However, automotive glycol should not be used in a cooling system or heat exchanger because it contains silicate-based rust inhibitors. These inhibitors can gel and foul, coating heat exchanger surfaces and reducing their efficiency. Silicates have also been shown to significantly reduce the lifespan of pump seals. While the wrong inhibitors can cause significant problems, the right inhibitors can prevent corrosion and significantly prolong the life of a liquid cooling loop. Inhibited glycols can be purchased from companies such as Dynalene, Houghton Chemical, or the Dow Chemical Company and are highly recommended over non-inhibited glycols."

"As the concentration of glycol in the solution increases, the thermal performance of the heat transfer fluid decreases. Therefore, it is best to use the lowest possible concentration of inhibited glycol necessary to meet your corrosion and freeze protection needs."