The gears are turning, I need some oil.

[smitty81]

I love to tinker and make things that are unique. I have what I think is a great idea but need some help and input.

I know this is a wild idea and some of you will think it's really dumb. (maybe it is?)

who has experience with liquid cooling for computer systems?

I was thinking that if you would install one of these in your coolidor, it would really help keep your temps down.

It would be like a wineador in theory but much cheaper.

[longknocker]

No Clue, Here, But PM Scott (shilala).

[area51]

I remember reading someone did in fact do this.

[jledou]

In theory I would agree with you.

Problems I see:
No Thermostat
Drilling holes in the side, top or bottom and then sealing them
rupture of a tube inside the cooler
May have more wrapped up in the system/cost wise for a very small cooling area/amount (they work through direct contact with the CPU)

[CigarNut]

It's probably cheaper and easier to buy a thermoelectric wine cooler...

[Stephen]

Originally Posted by CigarNut

It's probably cheaper and easier to buy a thermoelectric wine cooler...

My initial thought as well. Between the monies tied up in the cooler and liquid CPU cooler, you could have a 28 bottle count thermoelectic wine cooler.

[smitty81]

Originally Posted by jledou

In theory I would agree with you.

Problems I see:
No Thermostat
Drilling holes in the side, top or bottom and then sealing them
rupture of a tube inside the cooler
May have more wrapped up in the system/cost wise for a very small cooling area/amount (they work through direct contact with the CPU)

I'm thinking a guy could add a thermostat as an accessory.

You would just have one hole going clear through the cooler for the cord but some expand-a-foam would seal it back up. Other than that, just little screws to secure it inside (the holes wouldnt go clear through. You could silicon them if you are worried about it.

The rupture of a tube was a concern for me as well. But once I thought about it I am not as worried now. People put these liquid coolers in high end computers. They have been around for a while now and if people trust them in their custom made $$$ computer, I will ASSUME they dont really have problems with hose bursting. After all, there is verry little pressure on these lines.

Originally Posted by CigarNut

It's probably cheaper and easier to buy a thermoelectric wine cooler...

Originally Posted by Silound

Is that a Peltier device or is it just a passive radiator setup? Most PC cooling devices don't actively cool the water, they just dissipate the heat via a fan and radiator grid.

The ones I am looking at actually do cool the water, it's not just a passive radiator setup. I think the picture I posted is just a passive type of setup though.

Originally Posted by Stephen

My initial thought as well. Between the monies tied up in the cooler and liquid CPU cooler, you could have a 28 bottle count thermoelectic wine cooler.

As far as the cost goes, well i'm not real sure what a person can buy a wine cooler for.

These liquid coolers can be had for around $100.00 or so from what I can tell so far.

[Silound]

Is that a Peltier device or is it just a passive radiator setup? Most PC cooling devices don't actively cool the water, they just dissipate the heat via a fan and radiator grid.

[CigarNut]

That's $100 for your "cooler" plus all the laber and parts to put it together. An inexpensive wine cooler (28 bottle) can be found for about $150 (Edgestar). This from a quick Bing search. Better deals may be available.

Also, if you read the article on the product you pictured (retail price $129 + s&h) it is not a cooler in the traditional sense. Water is cycled through tubes to "cool" the air flowing through the fan and heat sink. If you want to cool the water you have to add a traditional cooler - peltier or compressor.

[smitty81]

Originally Posted by CigarNut

That's $100 for your "cooler" plus all the labor and parts to put it together. An inexpensive wine cooler (28 bottle) can be found for about $150 (Edgestar). This from a quick Bing search. Better deals may be available.

Also, if you read the article on the product you pictured (retail price $129 + s&h) it is not a cooler in the traditional sense. Water is cycled through tubes to "cool" the air flowing through the fan and heat sink. If you want to cool the water you have to add a traditional cooler - peltier or compressor.

No, that's $100 for everything, It's a kit. It would take me the same amount of time to install it as it would take me to unbox and get the wine cooler ready for operation.

I know that the one I pictured is, I stated that before you posted this.

So you can buy a wine cooler for $150 shipped?

[mkarnold1]

Here is a cooler that's already electrically cooled. Also, here is a 28 bottle wine cooler for around the same price.

[smitty81]

Originally Posted by mkarnold1

Here is a cooler that's already electrically cooled. Also, here is a 28 bottle wine cooler for around the same price.

I didn't realize these wine coolers were so cheap. I hear about members on here dropping $250 for a wine cooler so thats the price that was stuck in my head.

[smitty81]

Thanks for your input Michael and Mark.
While I love the idea, cost wise, I would be money ahead just buying a wine cooler.

[mosesbotbol]

My concern if you that worried about temps is what happens when the power goes out. Is your cabinet not already in a temperature controlled room?

It's OK if your cabinet gets into the high 70's (temp); just remember to knock the humidity down as temps go up.

[Silound]

There's an idea in there somewhere, mostly because a lot of wine coolers still get a substantial drip of condensation rolling down the back of the cooler from the Peltier cooler.

I suspect if you could slow down the cooling process just a little to prevent as much condensation at one time (so it doesn't drip) or find a way to integrate a cooling device into a drip collection which funnels it back into the humidifier, you would have a winner

[bobarian]

Sure seems easier(and cheaper) to just toss each box in the freezer for a few days.

[smitty81]

Originally Posted by bobarian

Sure seems easier(and cheaper) to just toss each box in the freezer for a few days.

probably.

[BMack]

I'd go with a wine cooler if I had the money... but this is a good idea if you already had the stuff lying around, imo. For the seal on the tubes, you could rig split rubber hose into a grommet and epoxy it to the cooler then use silicone to seal the tube to the grommets(so it's removable).

I'd imagine you'd need fans to circulate the air or you might get cold spots, also you'd need to isolate the tubes to keep them from dripping condensation on your cigars. A simple metal grate or a wood divider should work.

[dwoodward]

I am very tech oriented and have a water cooled PC myself. I am failing to grasp what you are trying to accomplish with this setup? Water cooled PC's do not cool down past the ambient air temperature.

A very basic watercooling setup consists of hoses, a pump, a radiator, and a fan. All that's going on is the pump is pushing water thru a waterblock that then takes the heat away from the CPU/GPU/Mosfets/whatever... That water then goes thru the rest of the loop back to the radiator where the fan pushes air thru the fins to dissipate the heat.

The most you can possibly accomplish would be the ambient temp in the room, which your cigars are already at...

I'm just confused what you are after, even if it did cool (which from your picture looks like the Cooler Master Aquagate S1, and your wrong, it doesn't), I don't see how you expect to cool the air inside the unit. You would have to have like a mile of tubing running up and down all the walls, at least enough to change the temp of the water inside the hoses (this would also require a much much larger pump). You would also need internal fans circulating the air away from the hoses. Sounds like a major waste of space, time, and personal sanity.