Distilled Water for coolant water

[JIPJOBXX]

This is sort of an odd ball question but recently while replacing my

antifreeze in one of my cars I was told to use distilled water for

the coolant water. How many people here have gone through that

process of just using distilled water in there cooing systems? It

kind of makes since but could this be just over the top or is this a

good idea?

Jon 1942 Dodge

[greg g]

I guess if you're OCD about things you would be compelled to use Distilled. Probably since all the minerals and other impurities are removed its better for the systems, especially if you live in an area where tap water is hard or well water has a high sulpher content. Never used it myself.

[Merle Coggins]

Distilled water is devoid of any minerals which can cause deposits in your cooling system. It is the best water to use. This is also true for batteries.

In the Volvo Construction Equipment that I work with they have specific water specs for mixing with their coolant, although I don't know of anyone who has tested their water to see if it meets the specs.

Merle

[Norm's Coupe]

As a kid in the 50's, I remember my grandfather and father just sticking the hose in and filling up the radiator. I've always done the same. I've also seen service stations do it that way too. The anti freeze will mix with the water when you start and run the engine. We even used plain tap water for topping off batteries, and still do. I've read you should use distilled water too but don't think it's necessary. If you don't want to buy distilled water, just put some in a container, leave the lid off and let it sit for 24 hours. Then the chemicals will be gone. That's the way you do it to get the chemicals out for tropical fish tanks.

[bob westphal]

You're right about areas that have high akaline and other destroying minerals. Utah has some pretty bad stuff in their water. Hot water tanks and metal piping take quite a beating. Most people in these areas have filters on the water coming into their buildings. Thus the probably are unwittingly using distilled water. However, I tought modern anti-freeze had chemicals that are supposed to neutralize the bad stuff in water.

[Normspeed]

I use distilled in the radiator and the battery. It's pretty inexpensive and doesn't really take a lot. My local tap water is pretty mineral laden. Leaving it sit for a while may get rid of gases like chlorine but the minerals don't go away.

[Brad Lustig]

Always used tap water for radiator and battery. Always felt kinda guilty doing it, too. Glad to see others doing the same thing. As for leaving water out, I agree with the other Norm. Chlorine leaves the water, chloramine (lot of municipalities using that now) doesn't leave, and all the other minerals don't leave. The minerals are what you should be concerned with if you are going to lose sleep over it.

[1just4don]

One other way of avoiding hard tap water is just to catch rain water,,,naturally distilled and soft. You can catch it from a rain spout. Maybe have two different downspouts one for ground level exit and one for exit into a plastic 30 or 55 gallon barrel even catching 4-5 gallons in a bucket is an improvement over some well water with mineral deposits. 4-5 gallons caught a couple times a year is more than MOST people would ever use!!. Using the larger barrel might be an option for those that have a wife with a zest for growing flowers,,,wonderful stuff for them too. Seems like rain water does about twice as much good as same water pumped,,,here. And our water is realatively 'clean'. But doesnt taste as good as it did back in the 50's, same well,,,dont know why!! Now there is a black scum included at no extra charge!!Wherever water sits here turns that a dark rust colored stain,quite black actually. wish I knew what is was!!

[De Soto Frank]

Don,

The black deposit sounds like it might be manganese...

De Soto Frank

[Norm's Coupe]

One other way of avoiding hard tap water is just to catch rain water,,,naturally distilled and soft. You can catch it from a rain spout. Maybe have two different downspouts one for ground level exit and one for exit into a plastic 30 or 55 gallon barrel even catching 4-5 gallons in a bucket is an improvement over some well water with mineral deposits. 4-5 gallons caught a couple times a year is more than MOST people would ever use!!. Using the larger barrel might be an option for those that have a wife with a zest for growing flowers,,,wonderful stuff for them too. Seems like rain water does about twice as much good as same water pumped,,,here. And our water is realatively 'clean'. But doesnt taste as good as it did back in the 50's, same well,,,dont know why!! Now there is a black scum included at no extra charge!!Wherever water sits here turns that a dark rust colored stain,quite black actually. wish I knew what is was!!

Don,

That rust colored stain is probably caused by iron in the water. I have city water so don't have that problem. However, if you go west of here away from the lake people primarily use well water. Their well water has a lot of iron in it and will cause that rust stain. Some just call it hard water because of the iron in it.

[Don Coatney]

The responses I have seen on this thread really surprise me. Apparently many people whom I respect on this forum do not know what distilled water is. Distilled water is water in its purest form. It is made this way by boiling in a controlled environment and condensing in a controlled environment thus eliminating all minerals and other contaminants. Distilled water has nothing to release to the atmosphere by leaving the cap off the bottle. There is nothing in the bottle but water in the purest state man can produce. Using distilled water in an automotive radiator will not leave any mineral or chemical deposits behind when the water boils off. Thus no build up of deposits other than rust and that occurs when water and air combine and oxidize with a third element Call it slow oxidation as opposed to rapid oxidation as this occurs when things burn but it is oxidation none the less. Distilled water should always be used in Radiators, batteries, steam irons, and any other item that boils off or evaporates water. However I am guilty of not always practicing what I preach.

Of interest water in its purest form is a poor electrical conductor. It is the minerals and contaminants in water that are good electrical conductors.

Dont think for a minute that rain water is mineral free or free of other contaminents.

[Brad Lustig]

http://www.dhmo.org/facts.html

[james curl]

Is this the water that they add to 190/200 proof alcohol to make 80, 90 and 100 proof whiskey blend. Do moonshiners cut the moonshine or is it 190/200 proof?

[John Burke]

The responses I have seen on this thread really surprise me. Apparently many people whom I respect on this forum do not know what distilled water is. Distilled water is water in its purest form. It is made this way by boiling in a controlled environment and condensing in a controlled environment thus eliminating all minerals and other contaminants. Distilled water has nothing to release to the atmosphere by leaving the cap off the bottle. There is nothing in the bottle but water in the purest state man can produce. Using distilled water in an automotive radiator will not leave any mineral or chemical deposits behind when the water boils off. Thus no build up of deposits other than rust and that occurs when water and air combine and oxidize with a third element Call it slow oxidation as opposed to rapid oxidation as this occurs when things burn but it is oxidation none the less. Distilled water should always be used in Radiators, batteries, steam irons, and any other item that boils off or evaporates water. However I am guilty of not always practicing what I preach.

Of interest water in its purest form is a poor electrical conductor. It is the minerals and contaminants in water that are good electrical conductors.

Dont think for a minute that rain water is mineral free or free of other contaminents.

I agree, somewhat, Mr Coatney...It's the "acid rain" that eats up our paint jobs..As for rust colored water...how far away are the septic tanks?..John

[Allan Faust]

However, I tought modern anti-freeze had chemicals that are supposed to neutralize the bad stuff in water.

The modern "additives" (antifreeze etc) have chemicals in there that don't allow the hardness (calcium magnesium) to precipitate out, and they don't allow the iron and other metals to come out either... they also have chemicals to remove the "oxygen" so that the water doesn't become "acidic" to attack the metal.....

Allan