Question Making Own Coolant for Water cooling? or Buy?

[Jayant Arora]

I need help choosing the right and budget friendly coolant for my loop.

I have all parts ready to build a loop. I can build with both soft and hard line tubing.
My loop is entirely with copper and brass components.
The only stone in my path is coolant. As per config estimated volume of water will be:
Radiator = 350 ml
Reservoir = 565 ml
Pipes/Tubing = 55 ml
CPU Block = 15ml
Total Volume = 985 ml

I can:

1. Buy a brand coolant about 2 Ltr for: $50 [3600 INR] or 1Ltr for $25 from here: https://mdcomputers.in/corsair-hydro-x-xl5-clear-cx-9060001-ww.html?search=coolant&category_id=0
2. Make a coolant about 2-4 Ltr for: $14 [1000 INR] Ethylene Alcohol[170ml] + Distilled Water[DW ][1000ml]
3. Make a coolant about 2-4 Ltr for: $10 [750 INR] with Ethylene glycol based coolant - Car Antifreeze coolant* [100ml] + Distilled Water[1000ml].
4. Just Use distilled water 2 Ltr for: $5 [350 INR] and be done with it.

The second option is very cheap i can make 2-3 Ltrs in $12-15 easily.
Also i'm in INDIA and not in US so getting a recommended biocide like Pt Nuke and Dead Water is not possible. There's no kill coil available here either.
I can get CuSO4[Copper Sulfate] in powdered raw form and make a 5% solution with DW, which is same as 'dead water' actually and i can buy it for cheap $2-3 any day thus not included above.

Some people might think it will be a bit of headache to "make all of it", for me It will be a fun experiment building a coolant and loop.

What you guys recommend.

UPDATE: So I have now about 50ml ethyl glycol + 750 ml Distilled Water, This is how it looks like:

 

[siaan312]

In my opinion, Just use regular distilled water, and if you want, add a colorant.

 

[Mtop]

Please, never use automotive antifreez it is toxic to humans and animals and is sweet to taste! Use RV antifreez
Ethylene glycol - posionious
Propolyne glycol - Safe
https://www.britannica.com/science/glycol

 

[Jayant Arora]

Please, never use automotive antifreez it is toxic to humans and animals and is sweet to taste! Use RV antifreez
Ethylene glycol - posionious
Propolyne glycol - Safe
https://www.britannica.com/science/glycol

Thanks for the information

 

[Jayant Arora]

Thanks for the information
I'm not able to get propylene glycol near my location but able to get ethylene glycol, if use it carefully with proper gloves and mask then will it be fine ?

 

[Mtop]

Getting on hands is ok just wash it off. Problem is that if it is ingested it will shut down kidneys or liver (cant rememberwhich) causing death.
If caught early an alcohol flush can restore function. Not advice as I am not a medical pro.
Are you afraid of it freezing? Glycol does reduce thermal transfer a bit.

 

[faalin]

Option 4, just use distilled water and be done with it. Any custom loop should be drained and cleaned at least once a year.

Glycol is more corrosive than water and would require corrosion inhibitors, which if you buy off the shelf should have it in there. Car antifreeze is about 60% as affective at disapating heat compared to distilled water.

Unless your keeping your computer case inside a freezer i would not recommend ether of those.

 

[Jayant Arora]

Getting on hands is ok just wash it off. Problem is that if it is ingested it will shut down kidneys or liver (cant rememberwhich) causing death.
If caught early an alcohol flush can restore function. Not advice as I am not a medical pro.
Are you afraid of it freezing? Glycol does reduce thermal transfer a bit.

I have used about 20-30 ml for my loop. I mixed it water first 20ml+200ml water and i took precautions wearing gloves and masks and since i have about 500ml of it i have locked it.

 

[Jayant Arora]

Option 4, just use distilled water and be done with it. Any custom loop should be drained and cleaned at least once a year.

Glycol is more corrosive than water and would require corrosion inhibitors, which if you buy off the shelf should have it in there. Car antifreeze is about 60% as affective at disapating heat compared to distilled water.

Unless your keeping your computer case inside a freezer i would not recommend ether of those.

What corrosion inhibitors should i use ?

 

[faalin]

What corrosion inhibitors should i use ?

Since the intel P4 years up till last year any of my custom loops only ran distilled water, on the rare occasion i would drop a silver kill coil in the loop. Just do routine maintenance on the loop and you should be fine. I would drain and flush the loop at least once a year, most of my builds recycled the rads, pump, and res without issues.

 

[Jayant Arora]

Since the intel P4 years up till last year any of my custom loops only ran distilled water, on the rare occasion i would drop a silver kill coil in the loop. Just do routine maintenance on the loop and you should be fine. I would drain and flush the loop at least once a year, most of my builds recycled the rads, pump, and res without issues.

You can see the cooling build i have added image in main question.
I believe you have quite experience with open loops, please help me here i have 3700X and i have done some testing on AIDA x64 Extreme I'm, seeing wired momentarily spikes in temps in intervals of 3-4 mins:

For a test of about 10 mins you can see i have temps of 65 with momentary spikes in temps to 70-74'C for like 1-2 seconds after 3-4 mins interval. Shouldn't be 65 flat ?
I did monitored the process manager but no programs seems to have appeared to add stress when spikes are there, similarly boost clock shows no erratic behavior when the spikes are there ? Boost clock at 100% load hovers around 3900-4150MHz.

1. I might have used too much thermal paste ?
2. May be Ethyl glycol i added might have not mixed well when comes in contact with CPU die/fins in the block it reduces heat transfer momentarily.

What you think ?