The Big Leak WAS my fault… maybe - Flooded PC Repair Part 2

The video continues Linus Tech Tips’ water cooling saga with a flooded custom gaming rig in a home rack. The opening section revisits the moment a leak occurred and analyzes initial hypotheses, including a corroded fitting and potential galvanic effects between metals. The host and team explore several theories, ultimately identifying corrosion as the likely culprit and discussing how different materials interacted under load. They introduce a galvanic-isolation approach using a transformer to prevent voltage differences that drive corrosion, explaining how the transformer decouples the circuit and reduces the risk of future leaks. The narrative then shifts to practical fixes, including relocating and securing pumps to a UPS, testing grounding strategies, and outlining a grounding bus bar workflow to ensure chassis and racks are properly bonded. The team tests sensors and monitoring hardware to detect leaks, flow, and tank levels, with hands-on setup of leak, flow, and float sensors. They prototype an automation flow using Pulseway to react to sensor data, including shutting off pumps and isolating the system, and plan to extend monitoring with a Raspberry Pi and a Sequent Microsystems board. As the episode progresses, they install hardware, test scripts, and discuss how data flows from sensors to dashboards, with a focus on ensuring the cooling loop remains protected and controllable, even remotely. The video closes with a mix of troubleshooting and humor, including a demonstration of remote control options, a reflection on the value of monitoring, and a tease for further refinements in the next installment.

Topics · technology · hardware · DIY · home automation · education · science_and_tech