Wetter water?

[Urban_Squrill]

I just got watercooling and some people I know suggested that I add this stuff called Wetter watter.


Should I?

[bdj]

I'm not into water cooling, but what they are talking about is a whetting agent, please forgive any misspelling. If you have a dishwasher, they will sometimes supply a small bottle of Jetdry. This is a whetting agent. It sounds silly, but it makes water wetter by reducing the surface tension of water. This causes the water to sheet instead of beadup. By reducing the surface tension, water will flow easier through the cooling tubes, and allow water to metal contact to transfer heat more efficiently.

bdj

[jmichna]

The role of a wetting (not "whetting" ) agent is exactly as bdj describes... it reduces surface tension, allows the fluid to "sheet" rather than bead up, and should aid flow through tubing, and even help eliminate trapped/entrained air bubbles.

The link you provided for the "WaterWetter" product also claims to offer corrosion inhibitor agents and anti-foaming agents, as well.

All these traits are good things from a water-cooling perspective.

I guess it all just depends if WaterWetter lives up to its promises.

[Omardeth]

why not just use jetdry ?

[bdj]

That is the simple way out!

bdj

[jmichna]

Originally posted by Omardeth
why not just use jetdry ?

I doubt that a automatic dishwasher detergent would have the corrosion inhibitors, or the anti-foaming agents. The corrosion inhibitors might be significant to prevent any possible cathodic corrosion, given a lot of water cooling systems probably have at least two different metal alloys, with differing electropotentials (between the cooling block, the various couplings and connectors, etc.).

[Omardeth]

wow lots of big words there . but i would think it would being that it will sit on your dishes in a dishwasher . and all the same metals are used in there inside of the washer let alone the dishes themselfs .

[jmichna]

Originally posted by Omardeth
wow lots of big words there . but i would think it would being that it will sit on your dishes in a dishwasher . and all the same metals are used in there inside of the washer let alone the dishes themselfs .

Sorry for the big words

I don't think the Jetdry would have the same "stuff." That WaterWetter stuff is a cooling system additive, and it is meant for continous service over many months, at elevated temperatures, in high volume circulating fluid systems for automotive and heavy duty/truck engines. That's a real harsh environment.

Dishwasher detergent is not blended for that kind of service... it may have some buffering agents, but it's primary purpose is as a wetting agent (that's what detergents do) to clean glass, metal and ceramics. That detergent-charged dish washing liquid is only present for short periods of time, then flushed out of the system with rinse water. It's really a different setup.

Also, I doubt you'd find aluminum used in a dishwasher water system, while -- in a water-cooled PC -- it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to see an aluminum cooling block, brass couplings, and who knows what else. There's a small, but significant difference in electropotential between aluminum and brass.

[Urban_Squrill]

I need to drain my system tomarrow put bleach in it. Blah my friend did that and found out that it corroed the block.

[jmichna]

Originally posted by Urban_Squrill
I need to drain my system tomarrow put bleach in it. Blah my friend did that and found out that it corroed the block.

U_S...
Do you mean your friend corroded the system with using bleach, or with using one of the additives being discussed (i.e., WaterWetter, Jetdry)?