Distilled water for cooling....article

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nicholas

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Aug 20, 2003
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Interesting that I've always read that people with hypertension & other heart conditions should not drink water from a water softener due to sodium content, yet these folks want to put it in our engines. Sodium ions, or sodium chloride, I'll be sticking with distilled.
 
Soft water would be better than tap water.
But, Distilled water has less ions than tap or soft water. Deionized water has less than that...which would be the best thing to use, but isn't readily available.
Soft water only has Na ions. As we know Na is very conductive and corrosive.
This just seems like bad advice.

Coolant is meant to deal with excess ions in solution and combat corrosiveness.
But mixing it initially with water that has the least ions would be best.
You think premixed 50/50 mix is made with soft water? LOL NO!
 
While true, that really clean (deionized) water can be "hungry" and attack metals, this effect goes away and the water is safe once you mix in the antifreeze.

The article is written with half-truths and doesn't give the whole story, which is what I expect with a one-sided article written by a salesman.
 
nicholas,

That article takes a tidbit of information and turns it into a completely false recommendation regarding vehicle cooling systems. It is true that distilled water (even worse D.I. (deionized) water) "can" be so pure that it is "hungry" for ions. In a plumbing system with pure water flowing through the pipes, it is true that the water can rob ions off the metal or plastic pipe and eventually erode them. In a closed circulating system like a vehicle, the pure water will VERY quickly pick up some ions off the metal and/or remaining coolant and stabilize. I've tested this idea with a conductivity meter.

Use distilled or D.I. water to flush your system without worry. EDIT: Kestas explains it so much more simple!
 
I use distilled water in my CPAP and never had any problem with corrosion.
1617631891354.jpg
 
doitmyself said:
nicholas,

That article takes a tidbit of information and turns it into a completely false recommendation regarding vehicle cooling systems. It is true that distilled water (even worse D.I. (deionized) water) "can" be so pure that it is "hungry" for ions. In a plumbing system with pure water flowing through the pipes, it is true that the water can rob ions off the metal or plastic pipe and eventually erode them. In a closed circulating system like a vehicle, the pure water will VERY quickly pick up some ions off the metal and/or remaining coolant and stabilize. I've tested this idea with a conductivity meter.

Use distilled or D.I. water to flush your system without worry. EDIT: Kestas explains it so much more simple!
Click to expand...
^^^ This.

Plus when mixed with antifreeze the issue with "ions pulled from the block" basically disappears.
 
I uses an approxamitly 50/50 mix of coolant and distilled. R/O water as the manufactured recommend.
 
Thanks everyone.
The prestone bottle has hig bold letters...only use distilled water to mix.

I kind of thought it was a mixed pitch........thanks for the input.

Take care everyone.
 
Davejam said:
Soft water would be better than tap water.
But, Distilled water has less ions than tap or soft water. Deionized water has less than that...which would be the best thing to use, but isn't readily available.
Soft water only has Na ions. As we know Na is very conductive and corrosive.
This just seems like bad advice.

Coolant is meant to deal with excess ions in solution and combat corrosiveness.
But mixing it initially with water that has the least ions would be best.
You think premixed 50/50 mix is made with soft water? LOL NO!
Click to expand...
No it's not. Sodium chloride is corrosive but the sodium ions in soft water are not.
 
nicholas said:
Hi guys
Please read the article and tell me what you think.

https://www.hyperlube.com/blog/blog/why-you-should-never-use-distilled-water-in-your-cooling-system/

I normally use dustilled for a coolant flush, but this article suggests using soft water.

I plan to do a flush this weekend, just trying to figure out the best thing to use for a 10 year coolant. Prestone.

I am not using the additive. Thanks everyone.
Click to expand...
This stupid article has been posted here before at least once and thoroughly analyzed and discredited. As has already been pointed out the "information" is some of the most inaccurate I've ever seen and if they are dumb enough to post all of that I'd discount anything else they may have to say about any of their other products.

Use either RO or distilled water (less than $1/gallon at Walmart to mix your coolant.
 
Side discussion: Is there any validity to the claim that modern antifreeze concentrates have chemicals in them to make using tap water less disastrous?

Ideally you will just use distilled, but let's say the average DIYer doesn't understand this and just uses a garden hose.
 
Reddy45 said:
Side discussion: Is there any validity to the claim that modern antifreeze concentrates have chemicals in them to make using tap water less disastrous?

Ideally you will just use distilled, but let's say the average DIYer doesn't understand this and just uses a garden hose.
Click to expand...
Yes all coolants have chelates which sequester ions. But you might as well not load them, there's no reason not to use distilled water especially when it can be obtained for less than $1 a gallon.

But having said that not all tap water is the same. Water sourced from surface supplies (such as from Lake Michigan) can be extremely low in minerals whereas water from a well can be extremely high. When I lived in the City of Milwaukee I never hesitated to use tap water but here in the suburbs I'd never do so.
 
when I did the coolant change in my sable a few years ago, I used RO water.
The local Kinetico Dealer (drive past them on my way to and from work) has a tap room out front where you can fill your own jugs for 25 cents a gallon.
...well they did... until Covid Hit... I'm hoping they re-open it at some time....
 
kschachn said:
No it's not. Sodium chloride is corrosive but the sodium ions in soft water are not.
Click to expand...
Does the typical water softner significantly reduce chlorides? It is certainly not reduced to zero.
My impression is that it simply exchanged Mg/Ca for Na but the chlorides remained constant..
So, Na actually goes up.
 
Only for the chlorides already present in your supply, it doesn't come in from the brine unlike sodium ions. So overall the softening process does not increase sodium chloride in the finished water unlike the goofy article implies. Nevertheless I think we both agree that distilled or RO water is the superior choice.
 
The topic site reminds 'me' of another 'lube' site that's been discussed before on bitog, 'Syn'lube. Without going into detail, a search of bitog will reveal the general opinion of that site. Not saying the same, just claim type looks similar imo.

I'll stick with my choice for years with cooling system service, distilled, As noted, very inexpensive and readily available.
 
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