Bong cooler
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A bong cooler or evaporative cooling tower is a bong-shaped device that is able to cool water to temperatures below room temperature (sub-ambient) via evaporative cooling. Its primary use is in computer cooling.
[edit] Construction
A bong cooler is generally made of ABS or PVC pipe with a diameter of about one decimeter (four inches) and about one meter (three feet) in height. A cold air intake branches off about two thirds of the way down, and the area below it forms a large reservoir for the water. Installing a fan which blows into the intake is optional, but will greatly improve the effectiveness of the cooler. Without a fan, the hot air will rise and exit at the top of the cooler, while fresh air will be drawn through the intake via negative pressure. There is an atomizer or shower head at the top of the cooler which allows the water to have an extremely large surface area through which evaporation can cool the water. There must be a water pump connected to the reservoir and atomizer in order to cycle the water that drips down back up to be re-atomized,
[edit] Usage
A bong cooler can be a replacement for the radiator in a watercooled computer. The sub-ambient temperatures that are achieved in the bong cooler are more effective at cooling than the above ambient water temperature in a radiator.
There are inherent problems with the bong cooler. Due to the system's use of evaporation, the reservoir must be refilled periodically with distilled water. If hard water is used, some type of mineral filter must be used in order to prevent mineral deposits from forming. It also has the sometimes undesirable effect of raising the humidity of its surrounding air.
