I used the STE oil recommended by Puget. I live in Texas and had a trip to San Antonio, so it was no big deal to pick it up in San Marcos. They are great people.
I actually paid the same price per gallon that I would have been able to get at a feed store. Vets were no help at all. I even tried several medical supply companies, including medical supply reps. There's no avoiding the cost.
It took just over 9 gallons to fill the tank and radiator. I would think you could easily get away with 10 gallons.
My computer already runs pretty cool, and I haven't overclocked at all, but they say you have to leave an inch for thermal expansion of the oil (fill up to an inch of the bottom of the black rim) . I didn't do this. This morning after cooling all night, the was no noticeable change in the level. I ran it hard last night and the oil was up to 28 C. They also say you don't want it to touch the black rim for fear that it will wick oil out... Mine is touching and it hasn't wicked out yet... I feel like I'm tempting fate, but I'm keeping a very close eye on it.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Up and Running
It's running and hovering at about 27.5 C, so I'm happy.
The tank scratches VERY easily, but scratches on the inside are filled by the oil, making them disappear. Unfortunately, the outside scratches just as easy and there is no solution. They are delivered dirty, and must be cleaned. Even using an all cotton baby cloth with purified water there's swirling. Once scratched on the outside, it's toast.
I tracked the problem down to the material used by the makers of the tank. In tanks there are three main materials:
1) Plexiglass or Acrylic - Expensive, very good material, hard to scratch, but brittle
2) Polycarbonate - Cheaper, less likely to break, but easier to scratch
3) Polystyrene - The cheapest material, thin, easy to use in manufacturing, scratches like crazy.
So what is the eclipse tank made of? You guessed it, polystyrene. Thankfully, Puget has amazing customer service. They use this tank because their choices are limited. There can be no silicone seams, because they say the oil will leak through it. So they found this seamless tank to be their best option for the moment. To be fair, while completing the project took much longer and dealing with the scratching issue has been a huge pain, I'm still pleased with the final result.
I tested the tank for leaks first, then installed the bubble stones/tubes, cleaned/placed the rocks, submerged the system and booted right up.
The tank scratches VERY easily, but scratches on the inside are filled by the oil, making them disappear. Unfortunately, the outside scratches just as easy and there is no solution. They are delivered dirty, and must be cleaned. Even using an all cotton baby cloth with purified water there's swirling. Once scratched on the outside, it's toast.
I tracked the problem down to the material used by the makers of the tank. In tanks there are three main materials:
1) Plexiglass or Acrylic - Expensive, very good material, hard to scratch, but brittle
2) Polycarbonate - Cheaper, less likely to break, but easier to scratch
3) Polystyrene - The cheapest material, thin, easy to use in manufacturing, scratches like crazy.
So what is the eclipse tank made of? You guessed it, polystyrene. Thankfully, Puget has amazing customer service. They use this tank because their choices are limited. There can be no silicone seams, because they say the oil will leak through it. So they found this seamless tank to be their best option for the moment. To be fair, while completing the project took much longer and dealing with the scratching issue has been a huge pain, I'm still pleased with the final result.
I tested the tank for leaks first, then installed the bubble stones/tubes, cleaned/placed the rocks, submerged the system and booted right up.
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