Watercooling and Flying

C

cooter

Gawd
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Dec 2, 2004
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I am going to be flying up from Orlando to Atlanta next week for thanksgiving. I will be taking my computer with me and I was wondering if I need to bee concerned about springing a leak or having any other problems with my computer because of the pressure changes. I am taking my watercooled rig and do not want to have a water leak or any otehr problems with that or my monitors. (2007WFP)

I will be flying at about 10,000 to 12,000 feet and obviously taking off around Sea level. Should I crack my fillport so that the air can vent with pressure??

Thanks

Keep in mind this is a Small aircraft and is not pressurized. (for you pilots out there It is an SR-22)
 
Understand that this is just my opinion, but honestly I think it's insane to even consider transporting a water cooled rig in an un-pressurized airplane without draining it.

Again, just my two cents..
 
Personally I wouldn't bother taking it at all but of course thats totally up to you. I'd be too lazy and/or worried about turbulence and vibration but thats me. Good idea to drain the thing first. As always, double check weight and balance, plan for the weather, brush up on oxygen FARs above 10k and don't pull that BRS chute unless absolutely necessary ;) Have fun
 
Drain it, better safe than sorry. Make sure everything is screwed in tight inside, too.
I would think the screens would be fine. GPSs have LCD screens and I've never had a problem with one after flying.
 
If everything is set up perfectly, then it should not be a problem at all. The grade of hoses as used in 1/2" and 3/8" won't be of a concern at all. Especially if you're using something like 7/16 for 1/2 barbs.

If you have a reservoir where you can track noticable changes in fluid amount, or if you fill your t-line up, it'd be easy to see if there's been some sort of drastic change, so you'll know how to power up the computer. But if you have questions, draining definitely won't hurt. If you do drain it, it would also be advisable to keep the circuit open somewhere, ie res or tline.

Fears about say the radiator rupturing would be safe to say absurd if you ask me, especially if you have a heater core style radiator. That's not so say the pc specifically designed rad's are inferior in this aspect; it's just in slightly more question, although really it shouldn't be an issue. The biggest issue would be any possible pressure differences that would cause leaks out the interfacing locations (ie hose connects)
 
I would advise removing the gpu from the slot and placing it in its own box with the proper anti-static bag. That is if your don't have it watercooled as well. Large heatsinks of any kind will be a threat to any screw/holding arms that are trying to hold them down during rides of any sort.

~Adam
 
Thanks for all the input guys. The GPU and CPU are watercooled and it is 1/2" stuff. I think instead of draining it I will fill up the T-Line so there is less air in it. That should solve any expansion problems.

Thanks.
 
My dad has a cessna 182 and we transported some jugs of water for the trip (12 hour flight from Florida to New York) and we cruised about 10,000 feet and they built up a little pressure in the jugs, so personally I wouldn't risk it and I would just drain it and transport it laying on its side.
 
Ok, assume the whole thing blew up in the first place, give him steps he should take to fix the problem that would ensue (other than replacing parts).

If it were me, would disassemble the entire hardware (motherboard off the case and ALL), then I would use an anti-static cloth to wipe the whole thing down and then I would leave it in the sun for an entire day, if not two days.

But that's just me, I would also ponder and ask if a hair dryer would be appropriate to dry the hardware with. Presumably I think it would be OK but there's something about hot dry air that makes static electricity culminate. I would have to look into that more before doing anything.

~Adam
 
If it did blow up, there really is nothing to worry about as long as the CMOS battery is taken out, and even then I wouldn't worry about that little bit of voltage running around. If it blows up, just don't turn it on or even plug it in for about 48-72 hours to make sure that all the water drys up. I have done this several times with my cell phones. I have a habit of leaving them in my pants' pocket and then washing my pants. So I have to leave the phone with the battery and SIM card out for about 2 days to try and then it almost always works just fine.
 
I stuck my iPod on a baking tray (sans battery of course!!!) and placed the entire thing in the oven overnight.

I left the door open a crack, and set the temperature to 180f.

Worked like a... well... ipod!


PS. Anyone know how to teach your ipod to enjoy a "stuck in your pants trip into the pool"?
 
Arcygenical said:
PS. Anyone know how to teach your ipod to enjoy a "stuck in your pants trip into the pool"?
Click to expand...

Yes I do.

My inital concern was turbulance, not just pressure. I really think both would be an issue.

Like I said before, it's nuts not to drain it either way.
 
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