[SOLVED] Is aluminum alloy different than aluminum? Is it safe to use in water loop with copper?

[luckystrikes]

Hello Community,
I am about to build a new pc this time with custom loop build.
I realized my pump res combo unit has "aluminum" in its description.
So i asked the company and got a reply saying that this is aluminum alloy and It should be fine.
But I just couldn't find any answer on the internet whether aluminum alloy is non-corrosive used with copper in a water loop.
Now I don't know the difference between aluminum alloy is and not sure if it is really safe to use with copper material in a loop.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Eximo]

Well, all Aluminum products you can buy are alloys. Pure aluminum is quite rare as it doesn't have the best qualities.

Typically you don't want to mix aluminum and copper in a liquid cooling loop. Brass/Copper is usually what you want to use as they are much closer to each other in terms of electrical properties. (Those are alloys too, electrical wiring is about the only place you want pure copper, and brass is only an alloy)

Most of your All-in-one coolers are aluminum radiators with copper chill plates. But they use coolant mixes specifically designed to prevent the mixture of metals leading to corrosion. You can buy some of that if you wanted to.

If said aluminum parts don't actually come in contact with water, than it doesn't matter and you are good to go.