A hobbyist shows on YouTube what happens when you fill a water cooler with cola. The result surprises him. However, he advises against prolonged use as a coolant.
If installed and used correctly, water cooling can be a good method to cool your computer properly. The circuit is usually filled with water.
But a YouTuber wanted to know what happens if you use another liquid instead of water. His test with Cola was a surprise.
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Cola in a water cooler is not a good idea in the long run
What did the YouTuber do? mryeester is an inventor who presents entertaining experiments with PC hardware on his YouTube channel. In one of his last videos he shows how well Cola works as a liquid in a water cooler.
In a loose test setup, he fills the sweet lemonade into the water cooling circuit. Via the expansion tank with the pump, the cola flows through the hoses into the radiator, the heat sink on the processor and back into the tank.
mryeester immediately notices the many small bubbles in the water cooling system. These arise when the carbon dioxide in the cola splits back into carbon dioxide (CO2) and water. For example, this always happens when you open a bottle of carbonated drink.
The Cola experiment with water cooling on YouTube
Why is this a problem? When you open a bottle of carbon dioxide, the pressure inside the bottle immediately drops. The carbon dioxide dissolves in the water and escapes as a gas. Due to the low pressure, the solubility of CO2 in water decreases.
A hose that is not attached tightly enough to the expansion tank will continuously reduce the pressure in the water cooling circuit and the gas will escape with some of the liquid at the leaking point.
After the hobbyist solved the problem, he was able to continue his test and wanted to know what temperatures the processor reached in his test setup.
How hot does the CPU get? During normal operation, the processor only gets 30 degrees warm. According to the YouTuber, the same value can also be achieved with conventional mineral water.
When the CPU is put under load, the temperature rises to up to 74 degrees. A respectable result for him. Unfortunately, he doesn’t provide any information about the model used in his video.
Is Cola suitable as a coolant? No, definitely not in the long term. Apart from the initial problems with the leaking liquid, no major problems are to be expected due to the short use.
However, if the cola is in the water cooling circuit for a longer period of time, there is a risk of serious damage to the internal components. The soda is sugary and would settle in the hoses and the rest of the system over time.
In addition, the acid content of the cola can attack mechanical components and, for example, make the pump in the expansion tank unusable. For this reason, only (distilled) water should be used.
When it comes to water cooling, there are a few things you should keep in mind to avoid damaging your computer. Another user chose not to use an unusual liquid for the circuit for his water cooling system. Instead, he exposed part of his water cooling system to frosty temperatures: User hangs water cooling system in the icy winter air, hoping for extreme cooling of his PC – Others warn: “Not the best idea”