Reddit modder builds external water cooling loop to expel PC heat outdoors
A creative enthusiast automated a system that routes his gaming PC's cooling loop outside during winter, eliminating the need to manually open windows to manage room temperature.
A Reddit user with the handle u/Motor_Attention1865 found his computer's thermal output problematic during winter months, prompting him to engineer an unconventional solution. Rather than simply cracking open a window, he constructed an external cooling setup modeled after mini-split air conditioning systems to redirect heat away from his living space entirely. An Arduino Mega microcontroller manages the system, communicating with the PC to activate cooling when needed and routing coolant outside through a three-way valve while maintaining temperatures above the dew point to prevent condensation.
The modder's room features radiant floor heating, and his PC's position beneath a desk was generating excessive warmth even when outdoor temperatures dropped to 25 °F (-4 °C). Frustrated with the repetitive task of manually adjusting window openings to maintain comfortable indoor conditions, he invested considerable effort into building a split-system cooler with an additional radiator positioned outside in the freezing air. This approach delivers substantially improved cooling performance for his machine.