Putting peltier device in the reservoir?

[HiTekHick]

Hey y'all. I've got one really loud fan blowing in my PC. I have to run it at full speed to keep the temp under 55C.

So what I'm looking to do is toss a peltier device into the reservoir to try to save some space inside the case and have one less component to worry about by taking out the radiator. Basically, have a dual-function reservior/radiator.

I have a nice Koolatron P65 cooler that uses a peltier device to keep the cooler cool or warm depending on which way the 'trons flow. It is a 12V 3-4A device, so I'm thinking it should hook up to a good PS with no problems. In moving air, it keeps what is inside the 36 quart cooler about 30 degrees F less than ambient air.

Now, it does have a big honking heatsink on the outside - 6"L x3.5"W x2" fins. The fins on the inside, I'm looking at getting a copper CPU heatsink - the one it comes with is aluminum that is 4 7/8"L x 4"W x 1" fins.

One of the very nice things about it is that it is machined together with a block of aluminum that is 1 1/4" x 1 1/4" x 1 1/8" on the "cold side" of the peltier device. It uses a flange (I think that is the correct term) for 2 screws to attach it to the big heatsink. I have a 3/8" clearance between the flat side of the block and the screws on the flange. I think that 3/8" will be enough distance to be able to allow it to be secured into a decent reservoir.

Now, some concerns/questions I have are:
1) Will it freeze the water in the reservior? I've had the cooler frost on me before - the whole entire coolsink.
2) How hot will the big heatsink get?
3) Will I need a fan or 2 (2x 80mm should work) on the big heatsink?
4) Will the cold cause the container I'm using to crack or the calking material I use to seal to fail?
5) Do I want to put a gap between the coolsink and the side of the reservior, or can it be flat against the side?
6) Will the water be super-cold going to the CPU? Condensation is not our friend. If so, will overclocking the CPU help eliminate it?
7) Would I want faster water flow, or slower? In the end, I would really like to have a quiet pump.
8) Where would be the best placement in the reservior for the peltier coolsink? Close to the output to the pump, close to the input from the CPU, or somewhere in between.
9) What wattage of PS should I think about using for hooking up a 12V 3-4A device?
10) The screws on the flange are screwed directly into the heatsink, so I would imagine they get warm. Do I need a gap (and how big) between them and the reservior?

I do realize that some of my questions will not be answered until I actually put the thing together and have it working.

When I'm done, the goal will be to have only the sound of the PS fan and the 80mm fan in the back and the pump, and to finally put the side of my case back on. I would like to try to get the peltier to work without any additional fans, but if I do need fans, I would want to get some whisper-quiet ones - the one in the cooler pushes less air than an 80mm fan and is a lot louder.

Initally, I'm looking to have the heatsink hanging out the side of my case with the reservior under my hard drives in front.

I'll post some pics when I get busy on this project.

*Goes to clear off 4' of his 8' bench and orders a new lid for his cooler...*

[Omardeth]

well first what is your sytem ? what are the specs? 55c is on the high side if that is idle temp . as for putting a peltier into water i don't think that works . a peltier works by transfering heat for one side of it to the other side . so one side gets hot while the other gets cool . so putting it in water won't work . if you system is that warm there is a air flow problem . how many fans are in the case and where are they ? are the cables all over the place ? if they are you can get some zip ties and tie them all up and get the neat that will help alt . as for a quiet heatsink fan look at the vantec areoflow . they work really well , i use one on my xp2500 that is overcloked alittle 185x11 stck is 166x11 , and i only hit 43 under full load and thats if the ac in the hose isn't on . a vantec areoflow plus makeing the case all nice and clean for airflow is ALOT cheaper than water cooling .

[HiTekHick]

System is an XP 2000+ running at base clock. It gets unstable at about 57C. Under load in the summertime with the Volcano 7+ running at 6500rpm, it still gets to 55C with the side of the case off and it is almost under an AC vent.

I was looking at putting a coolsink - not the peltier device in the water.

I've not had much luck since my 1GHz and now this 2000+ at getting them to run much lower than 55C under load and both become unstable at about 57-60C

The Volcano 7+ at 6500 rpm is really noisy, which is why I'm looking at water cooling - just for getting a good system going without overclocking. I may try overclocking later when I get a feel for how well the water cooling works.

My case has the PS fan, and one 80mm fan in the back blowing out. I tried putting one in the front bottom of the case blowing in, but it just made the CPU hotter.

One suggestion a friend made some time ago was to try to reverse the 80mm fan flow so it blows in right over the CPU. I haven't tried this yet.

[Omardeth]

hmm got a way to take a pic of the inside of your case and post it . a pic is worth a thousand words . also does the power supply have dual fans ? i would not advise anybody to do water cooler for basic heat issue . it isn't needed . if heat is that much of an issue on a base system there is a problem with airflow . take a look at this thread . you can see the difference . http://www.techimo.com/forum/t68111.html there are some pics that are linked . it will give you an idea of what a case with good airflow and bad airflow looks like .

[HiTekHick]

I did see that thread.

I did look more closely at my system, and come to find out that I only have 1 fan in the PS with no vents in the bottom to allow the air from the CPU to escape that way.

Changes I made:

• I reversed the fan in the back so it blows in (right on top of the CPU).
• Mounted a fan in the front where I have 2 empty drive bays to draw air from the AC vent that is blowing down almost on top of it. The fan is mounted about equal to the level of my CPU.
• I removed the top of the case to allow the excess heat to escape.

In making these changes, I have dropped the temp about 5C.

I put the faceplates back on the front (not all the way down) and within about a minute the temp rose 1C, so I removed it and the temp went back down.

I do have 2x 7200RPM HDDs in the system too - so they don't help any with the heat.

I am going to mount a blowhole in the top of the case to help get rid of the heat - I hope that it will keep the temp about the same.

I'm seriously considering purchasing a new PS with a fan in the bottom too.