Water cooling works better with water!
July 6th, 2006 by Jerry
Around 6:15 this morning, I awoke to a beeping sound coming from my computer (downstairs… I’m a light sleeper.). It turns out that my video card temperature sensor tripped an alarm by rising to almost 150° F. The main processor temperature was over 130° and rising. I couldn’t figure out why everything was getting so hot, but then I noticed that there were huge bubbles in the water cooling lines, and they weren’t moving. I coaxed the bubbles through the lines, but the water pump kept putting out more bubbles. Water cooling doesn’t work very well using air. (Deep Thoughts, by Jerry Knight)
The water reservoir was almost bone-dry, and the water pump couldn’t keep air from entering the lines. After adding distilled water to the reservoir, the temperatures quickly returned to normal: 92° on the video card and 90° on the main processor. I can only guess that the pump and reservoir are not perfectly sealed, and the water is evaporating and escaping. At least the temperature sensor thing beeps at me when it gets too hot.
Moral of the story: Check your fluid levels – in your car and in your computer, if you happen to be a water-cooling nut like me. 