[megalomando]

Greetings,

I’ve just purchased a 2-342 aka CGI 399090 heater core from Auto Zone and before I head off making what I think is the best mounting idea I thought I’d describe what I’m intending on doing. I intend to mount it on the back of the PC with the fan in-between the PC with the cooler fan blowing the air away from the PC.

Perhaps someone with personal experience can help shed light before I do this.

1. Radiator: The 2-342 has a ¾” outlet the bottom. It’s a single pass heater core designed with the 5/8” inlet at the top, outlet on the bottom. I am going to cut the tubing to extend out only 1” from the radiator with a dremel tool and then solder a copper pipe reducer to give me a ½” outlet on both sides that I can clamp hoses to. If I can’t find the reducers I will solder ½” brass nipples to the inlet & outlet.

Does it matter if I have the hot water entering the cooler at the top or bottom? Someone mentioned having the hot enter the bottom and the cool at the top with a single pass radiator. As it’s a one way flow path and the water doesn’t make a “U” turn before leaving the radiator as happens in a 2 pass radiator, the dynamics must be different. I was thinking if the hot entered the top & since heat rises that it would help pool the hot water at the top thereby delaying the hot water passage and only the coolest water would exit the bottom.

2. Fans: I plan to either use two 120mm fans or one large fan that will be as large as possible to fit The 9.5 x 6.125 x 2” radiator. It seems as if one large fan would make less noise than two smaller ones and it would be able to generate more than ample CFM. I will control this fans speed by any of several means depending on if it’s DC or AC.

Anyone know a large fan 6” in diameter that is quiet & powerful?

3. Fan shroud: I plan to make this out of solid pressboard (like the pressboard with holes to mount tools onto a garage wall). I will use dabs of epoxy to hold the pieces in place and then use silicone caulking compound on the inside to make it pressure tight. I plan to mount the fan 2” from the heater core. I will run a bead of silicone around the heater core and shroud to seal off any place to leak the pressure so 100% of the air will all go through the heater core. I will surround the heater core’s sides with this same pressboard for “looks”.

4. Fan safety: I will make a grill out of ¼” hardware cloth and attach it on the exposed side of the fan.

5. Grill safety: I will use the same ¼” hardware cloth and attach it to the exposed side of the radiator so as to prevent it’s fins from being dented.

6. Radiator/fan attachment to the computer: will be done via three long threaded bolts attached to the computer and the heater core’s upper & lower collection plate (the non-finned part where the inlet & outlet are). Two will be attached at the top of the heater core and one in the middle, not two at the bottom so as to not interfere with peripherals coming & going from the computer. I will first attach the heads of the bolts to the radiator core with JB weld and hold the tips of the bolts in place with a template having the same locations as the heads of the bolt so once dried, the bolts will line up straight. If a 4th attachment looks feasible I will add the 4th support but the 3 should be plenty strong by themselves

I will then make the computer attachments by making three mounting holsters using two ¾” “L” brackets with screw holes & JB welded side to side so as to make a “C” or “Z” shaped bracket as needed. I will drill holes in the case & bolt one side of the bracket to it or if necessary, JB weld each of these to the computer. I will thread a nut ½” up onto each bolt and then run the tips of the bolts into the hole in the bracket. Then I will add another nut and tighten the bolts to the Z or C bracket.

My idea is to keep the heater core out of the case because I believe the presence of a heater core in the computer just adds to the ambient temp and this method will allow for me to have the best cooling.

I would expect having the fan/radiator in the case would quiet the noise of the fan somewhat but the additional fans needed to cool the case would add to the overall noise. It seems to me as if using one large external radiator fan or two quiet duty 120mm radiator fans would allow for a much quieter overall noise level.

Have you any opinions on this placement & method? I’d like to hear them before I embark on this and I’d like to start construction asap.

Thanks