FAQ - Computer Cooling

1. What does "ID", "OD", and "G 1/4 BSP" mean?
2. Do you sell your products directly? Where can I purchase your products outside of the U.S./Canada?
3. How much heat can your systems dissipate? What temperatures can I expect to see?
4. Which processors does Koolance support? Do your systems support multiple cores and processors?
5. Which motherboards does Koolance support?
6. Which power supply does Koolance recommend? How much wattage is required?
7. What are the noise levels of your systems?
8. Can I add your cooling system to an existing case?
9. Which fitting and tubing diameter should I use?
10. Where can I get more information on the installation of a Koolance system?
11. How many liquid coolers can I place into the system?
12. Do you have any problems with condensation?
13. What type of maintenance does the system require?
14. How do you avoid biological growth?
15. Wouldn't glycol, alcohol, or oil be better than a primarily water-based coolant?
16. I am interested in overclocking my system. How high can I get my chip?
17. If your coolers are chained in series, wouldn't hot liquid from the CPU hinder the next cooler's performance?
18. I have another company's product that uses 8mm (5/16") ID tubing. How can I incorporate this?
19. Can I use peltiers with a Koolance system?
20. Do your coolers work with the AMD or Nvidia video cards?
21. How far away can I place a cooling system from my computer?

 

• What does "ID", "OD", and "G 1/4 BSP" mean? [Top]

  • ID means "inner diameter". It refers to the internal width of tubing or a connection. 6mm (1/4"), 10mm (3/8"), and 13mm (1/2") are common ID sizes.
  • OD means "outer diameter". It refers to the external width of tubing or a connection. 10mm (3/8"), 13mm (1/2"), 16mm (5/8"), and 19mm (3/4") are common OD sizes.
  • G 1/4 BSP (British Standard Pipe) is a pipe thread specification. It does not refer to the diameter of the fitting. G 1/4 BSP is the most common parallel threading type used by the computer liquid cooling industry. Unlike NPT tapered threads used in North American plumbing, parallel BSP threads seal with an o-ring collar and do NOT use sealing compound or teflon tape. In fact, sealing materials should be avoided to prevent interference with the o-ring.

   

• Do you sell your products directly? Where can I purchase your products outside of the U.S./Canada? [Top]

  Koolance.com sells most products directly and through sales partners. Koolance and numerous sales partners ship internationally. Please check with the individual dealer to inquire into international shipping.




• How much heat can your systems dissipate? What temperatures can I expect to see? [Top]

  Please see our Cooling System Chart for product details.




• Which processors does Koolance support?[Top]

  Processor compatibility depends on the Koolance CPU block model. Please see our Product Wizard for details.




• Which motherboards does Koolance support? [Top]

  Please see our Product Wizard for suggestions.




• Which power supply does Koolance recommend? How much wattage is required? [Top]

  The power requirements for Koolance cooling systems are relatively low. Exos-based cooling systems (and most pump + triple/quad-fan radiator setups) typically range from 20-60W.




• What are the noise levels of your systems? [Top]

  Liquid cooling offers the potential to remove all regular fans in a computer system. Koolance's actively cooled heat exchangers feature quiet & reliable dual ball-bearing fans. Cumulatively, they are typically quieter than the average CPU/case fan system. Moreover, most users find they can reduce pump speed without any decrease in thermal performance.




• Can I add your cooling system to an existing case? [Top]

  Koolance offers self-contained solutions, along with individual components to be used with your existing chassis.

• Which fitting and tubing diameter should I use? [Top]

  Koolance recommends 10mm (3/8") internal diameter tubing and fittings for most cooling systems. 13mm (1/2") ID is also available from Koolance, although it won't necessarily provide better temperatures compared to 10mm (3/8").

  6mm (1/4") ID is sufficient for low to moderate level cooling systems (<500W). It is also ideal for low-profile servers and other hardware with space constraints like rack mounted servers, small form-factor (SFFPC), and home theater (HTPC) computers.




• Where can I get more information on the installation of a Koolance system? [Top]

  We highly recommend that users download our illustrated User Manuals to get an idea of the installation process for each major component. If you upgrade or build your own computers, the difficulty should be minimal.




• How many liquid coolers can I place into the system? [Top]

  There is no universal maximum number of coolers allowed in a typical cooling system. This limitation will depend upon your specific thermal requirements, tubing configuration, and at what temperatures you are comfortable with.




• Do you have any problems with condensation? [Top]

  Condensation can only occur with chillers and sub-ambient cooling systems. Our ambient cooling systems will always be above or equal to ambient temperature.




• What type of maintenance does the system require? [Top]

  Very little. The reservoir level should be checked every 6-12 months, and refilled if necessary (which tends to be rare). We also recommend replacing the liquid in your system every 2-3 years, or if it becomes murky or discolored. Additional Koolance liquid coolant can be purchased from Koolance.com or your preferred dealer.
   

• How do you avoid biological growth? [Top]

  The liquid coolant included with each Koolance case includes a small amount of additional chemicals to address biological growth and corrosion. It is important to add only Koolance-approved coolants in filling your system. Regular tap water, bottled drinking water, and "purified" water will eventually develop organic growth (and possibly corrosion). This is bad for temperatures, can be messy to clean up, and could potentially cause hardware damage.




• Wouldn't glycol, alcohol, or oil be better than a primarily water-based coolant? [Top]

  Water-based solutions are the most effective liquids at conducting heat (after mercury)-- better than alcohol, glycol, or oil. Alcohol and many types of oils should be avoided because they can chemically react with certain plastics or rubber seals.




• I am interested in overclocking my system. How high can I get my chip? [Top]

  We do not actively test the overclocking potential of processors with our systems-- only their heat output. It is not guaranteed that a particular processor will run at a specific speed, but if you are overclocking, you'll certainly have better odds with liquid cooling. (Of course, the user assumes responsibility for operating their own equipment at the speed they want.)




• If your coolers are chained in series, wouldn't hot liquid from the CPU hinder the next cooler's performance? [Top]

  The temperature difference of the liquid between the CPU cooler and the next cooler is typically less than 1-2°C. Liquid returning to the heat exchanger after completing an entire loop is generally only 2-5°C higher than when it exited. This makes cooling dual processors, a motherboard chipset, dual video card chipsets, and dual hard drives entirely possible with a suffient radiator and pump. (Please see "Why Liquid" for more information.)




• I have another company's product that uses 8mm (5/16") ID tubing. How can I incorporate this? [Top]

  8mm (5/16") ID tubing and fittings are used in some liquid cooling systems, particularly in Europe and Asia. Koolance has an adapter available for this size to help convert to other sizes of fittings and tubing.




• Can I use peltiers with a Koolance system? [Top]

  Thermal electric tiles can usually be accommodated if the water block mounting bracket will allow an object to be inserted between it and the heat source. Please note that TEC's carry a risk for condensation without proper temperature control.




• Do your coolers work with the AMD or Nvidia video cards? [Top]

  Please see our Product Wizard for more information on compatible video coolers for these cards.




• How far away can I place a cooling system from my computer? [Top]

  We have successfully tested ambient cooling systems up to 10 meters (33 ft) from the system with a single CPU cooler. However, the number of coolers and environment can affect the total acceptable length. In general, placing the Exos anywhere within 10 feet of the computer should work well, as long as the cooling unit remains in the correct orientation.