Water Cooling My House - Whole Server Room Pool Watercooling Part 2

Water Cooling My House - Whole Server Room Pool Watercooling Part 2 documents a bold, DIY experiment where Linus and Alex attempt to cool a hot server room by routing heat from the mechanical space to the outdoors using a car radiator repurposed as a heat exchanger and powered by a makeshift pump setup. The video opens by framing the problem: the server room runs at uncomfortable temperatures, hitting around 31 degrees Celsius, and traditional cooling would require a larger HVAC solution. The team presents an improvised plan to direct hot air from the rack area to a back-end radiator, then expel heat outside, effectively creating a miniature data center cooling loop that leverages pool or outdoor water as a cooling reservoir. The installers walk through the hardware choices, including a Grundfos non-submersible circulation pump, a PT Cruiser radiator bucket adaptation, and a jury-rigged power setup using a door stop power supply and jump-wired controls. The early section also highlights the risks of leaks and electrical faults, with humorous asides and a candid admission of the financial and logistical stakes they are taking on with this homebrew cooling project. The core of the video is the practical assembly: improvised fittings, quick-connects, and the challenge of routing pipes and ensuring a watertight system without perfect plumbing components. As the test run begins, the team evaluates temperature differentials and notes that the radiator is cooling incoming air from around 31 degrees to the mid-twenties, a promising sign that the concept can move heat away from the rack. Throughout, there are moments of playful banter about “jank” engineering and how far the team will push the idea before deciding on a more permanent installation, all while racing against potential flood risks if systems fail or if power is interrupted. The episode closes with a cautious optimism, acknowledging that the initial setup is far from ideal but that the measured cooling performance justifies further refinement and iteration, including the possibility of tying the cold water loop to pool water or outdoor heat exchangers for broader room cooling. The overall takeaway is that even a chaotic, budget-conscious build can achieve meaningful heat removal, sparking ongoing experimentation and future improvements in this unconventional cooling approach.

Topics · technology · diy · data_center · cooling · hardware_hacks · computing · servers · home_lab