No, not THAT kind of water cooler!
Now that I had purchased my new TIG welder, (see previous blog), I needed to build a water cooler for it! I could have bought the HTP water cooler, or a competitors unit, but those start at about $500.00 and go up from there. Also, those water coolers are HUGE, they are bigger than the welding machine itself! I don't know why they have to be so big, maybe for large production shops that have multiple welding and/or Plasma cutting machines hooked up to one cooler. My plan, was to build one from parts used for liquid cooling computers. This stuff is readily available and relatively cheap!
OK, before I got started, I needed to decide upon some kind of container to house my cooler. I had an old tool box that I have been dragging around for years. In fact, it was my very 1st tool box that my dad gave me for Christmas in 1979, when I was 12 years old! It has been many, many years since I had outgrown this tool box, but could never get rid of it due to the sentimental value. I thought this would be a great way to re-purpose it and use it for many years to come!
*****Here is the tool box. I cleaned it up a little but did not want to re-paint or restore it. I wanted to keep it's patina intact and all of the memories that go along with it!
Note; If you click on a picture, it will open them up in a gallery view where you can see the larger versions.
Now that I had my container, I gathered the following parts;
- 2- 120mm "Muffin" computer cooling fans and grills (from a computer parts recycling store, cheap!)
- 1- 120mm radiator, new
- 6 ft of 3/8" clear computer cooling system tubing and clamps
- Sure-Flo, 120 volt RV water pump (commonly used in park model type homes)
- Computer water flow indicator (not required but nice to be able to see the coolant is actually flowing!)
- 2 quart plastic tank
- Hammer arrestor (used in homes, on your washing machine water hoses to stop pipe banging)
- Various brass fittings to put it all together
- Switch, fuse holder, wire, and rack mounted computer handles (all from computer parts recycling store, cheap!)
- Used pressure gauge donated by my neighbor
With all of the parts rounded up, it was just a matter of figuring out how to package it all in the tool box and hooking everything up. Here's how it all came together;
Here is the radiator, isn't it cute!
One of the 120mm Muffin fans, mounted to the radiator
The Flow Meter, kind of cool!
Fan Mounting Preparations
Now I had to make cut outs for the fans. The fan mounted to the radiator will be pushing air out, through the radiator, the other fan will be drawing air into the toolbox from outside, and will be blowing on the pump motor to help keep it cool. I laid it out on masking tape and then used my jigsaw to cut the holes.
Front Panel Layout
Next, I laid out the front panel arrangement and drilled/cut holes for the switch, fuse, hose connections, gauge, flow meter and handles.
On the inside
I fabricated a mount for the pump (grey piece) and added some padding and loops to hook the straps that will hold the coolant reservoir in place (at the back).
Putting it all together!
Now that everything is laid out and all of the holes are drilled/cut, I can begin the final assembly of my cooler!
Pump, tank, radiator, some plumbing and fans installed.
Plumbing finished, switch, fuse, gauge installed and wiring completed. It's done!
Time to hook it up and test it out!
The cooler fits on the bottom my cheap, Commie Freight, welding cart very nicely! It is compact and runs fairly quietly too. (much quieter than the big coolers that sound like a Cessna taking off!) The handles on the front help protect the gauge, fittings and flow meter from getting bumped.
It works fantastic! The torch does not get the slightest bit warm, even after repeated high amperage (high heat) welds, and since I added the Hammer Arrestor, I can't feel the pump pulses through the torch handle. The flow meter is a neat addition too, the little water wheel spins so you know, definitively, that coolant is flowing through the torch.
No comments:
Post a Comment