• The faster your computer is, the more heat it generates.computer image by Orlando Florin Rosu from Fotolia.com
  
  Liquid cooling solutions are made to flow through a computer system and keep it cool using the same basic concept as an automotive radiator. The water or chemical liquid flows through pipes, drawing heat into a heat exchanger and blowing a cold water solution back through the piping, cooling the air around the unit. Choosing the right liquid coolant for your system depends on what you have available and the type of performance you need.
  
  

Tap Water

• The simplest choice is sometimes the best choice. Although it's readily available, tap water often has natural impurities that can clog lines or cause corrosion. Calcium and magnesium are the two biggest culprits. Calcium causes a lime scale buildup and magnesium produces a slimy residue that clogs pipes. Never use tap water treated with more than 25 ppm (parts per million) of chlorine. Minimum requirements for water used in liquid cooling are less than 50 ppm of calcium or magnesium, less than 100 ppm total hardness, and less than 25 ppm of either chloride or sulfate. To be sure, send a sample of water to your local county extension office to get a free water test.
  
  

Prepared Water

• Deionized water is completely free of all chemicals and minerals. It contains none of the harmful salts, minerals or other impurities that cause trouble with piping inside water-flow systems. It is electric resistant, which is an added advantage when working around electrical devices. However, deionized water is more corrosive than plain water. Thus, nickel plating for piping is required, along with a corrosion inhibitor in the water.
  
  

Glycol/Water Solutions

• Both ethylene and propylene glycol combined with water make a fitting solution for liquid cooling systems. Ethylene has a wide range of stability in various temperatures and conduct heat to pull it away from the target area. Ethylene also performs well, compared to plain water or deionized water, because it has a lower viscosity and doesn't require as much power to pump it. Propylene glycol contains many of the same properties, but with slightly less effectiveness as ethylene. However, propylene is non-toxic and safe for use in areas where people, pets or wildlife may come in contact with it. Though ethylene and propylene provide freeze protection, never use automotive solutions of antifreeze even though they're made with these chemicals. Other inhibitors mixed with the glycol in those solutions become foul and gum up surfaces of the heat exchangers and seals.
  
  

Perfluorinated Carbons

• Perfluorinated carbons are less corrosive than deionized water, are non-flammable and non-explosive. They're also known as dielectric fluids and their non-conductivity makes them a preferred substance when working with electronics. The main drawback to perfluorinated carbons is that they don't reduce heat as well as water or glycol/water solutions.