Is this my Fault?

Summary

In this gripping video, the creator recounts the worst day of their life, marked by personal loss and a catastrophic server room leak. The narrative unfolds as they investigate the cause of the leak, which leads to a perplexing case of galvanic corrosion in their custom water cooling loop. Despite the extensive damage, the majority of their systems survive, with only the son's gaming rig succumbing to the disaster. The video promises a follow-up to unravel the mystery and rebuild the affected system, engaging viewers with a blend of personal story and technical troubleshooting.

Takeaways

• 😢 The narrator experienced the worst day of their life with the loss of a family member and a significant issue with their server rack cooling system.
• 🔍 Upon discovering a water leak, the narrator embarked on a meticulous inspection of their server equipment to identify the source of the problem.
• 🛠️ The cause of the leak was a severely corroded fitting in the cooling system, which resulted in water damage to multiple servers and gaming rigs.
• 🤔 The narrator questioned the occurrence of galvanic corrosion in a system composed only of copper, brass, and plastic, as stainless steel was not in direct contact with the fluid.
• 🔬 The narrator followed a scientific method to investigate the issue, comparing fittings from unaffected parts of the system to identify discrepancies.
• 🧩 The disassembly of the affected components revealed unexpected oxidation and metal deposition, suggesting an unusual corrosion process.
• 👨‍🔧 Contact with the manufacturer (EK) led to a theory that the stainless steel cover might have contributed to the corrosion, though the narrator remained skeptical.
• 🔄 The investigation expanded to other systems sharing the same cooling loop to determine if the issue was isolated or widespread.
• 🛡️ Despite the extensive damage, most of the systems survived the water leak, with only the son's gaming rig being the main casualty.
• 🔍 The narrator planned to conduct further tests on the affected systems and collaborate with the manufacturer to understand the root cause of the corrosion.
• 🔨 The video ends with a commitment to rebuild and rectify the situation, highlighting the complexity of troubleshooting and the importance of understanding the underlying issues.

Q & A

What was the significant event that happened on June 14th of this year in the narrator's life?

The narrator found out that his sister had passed away, which he describes as probably the worst day of his life so far.

What issue did the narrator encounter with his server rack's cooling system?

The narrator discovered that the pump running the cooling system for his server rack was running dry, indicating a leak in either the reservoir or the systems.

What was the initial visible sign of the problem with the server rack?

A watermark on the floor indicated the presence of water, which led the narrator to investigate further and find the source of the leak.

What was the cause of the leak in the server rack's cooling system?

The leak was caused by a completely corroded fitting that dumped gallons of water onto everything underneath it.

What is galvanic corrosion, and why was the narrator surprised to find it in his cooling system?

Galvanic corrosion is an electrochemical corrosion process that occurs when two different metals are in contact with each other and an electrolyte. The narrator was surprised because the loop in question only had Copper, Brass, and plastic, which should not cause galvanic corrosion.

What was the narrator's goal after discovering the issue with the cooling system?

The narrator's goal was twofold: to understand what caused the corrosion and to get his son's gaming rig back up and running.

What did the narrator find when he disassembled the blocks of the cooling system?

Upon disassembling the blocks, the narrator found dust, plastic filings, metal shavings, and organic matter, but none of these would explain the leak or the corrosion.

What theory did EK, the manufacturer, propose regarding the stainless steel cover's involvement in the corrosion process?

EK theorized that the stainless steel cover might have been participating in the galvanic corrosion process because it was somehow bridged to the fluid, although the narrator did not see how this could be possible.

What was the outcome of the corrosion issue on the narrator's computer systems?

The only system that was a casualty due to the corrosion was the narrator's son's gaming rig. Almost everything else survived, despite being subjected to the leaking water.

What steps did the narrator take to address the aftermath of the corrosion issue?

The narrator planned to test the affected systems to see if they still worked, contact the manufacturer for further investigation, and rebuild the damaged system.

What preventive measures did the narrator consider to avoid future corrosion issues?

The narrator considered increasing the iodine dosage in the loop and possibly adding a filter to prevent future corrosion issues.