Distilled water for cooling....article

[Yah-Tah-Hey]

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!

Our generating facility sold boiler condensate to a local lube jobber to add to 100% antifreeze. The condensate had to be treated via chemical pumps to prevent it from attacking boiler tubing. Got a lot of experience with Pulsafeeder chemical injection pumps.

 

[doitmyself]

I used rainwater for flushing and to mix with my antifreeze last week.

Can't believe this thread is still going on. Like Michigan, the pH of Illinois rain water through the 1990's was around 4.4 +/-. A brief Google search suggests that it is better today, maybe around 5.5, but can get lower depending on how much local air pollutants it absorbs while coming down.

Using acid rain water to mix coolant seems like it would use up some of the buffering capacity, maybe reducing the effective lifespan in your engine. Just a hunch that needs to be confirmed. At least you saved a couple of dollars vs. buying 88 cents/gallon store water.

 

[y_p_w]

Using distilled or sometimes even deionized water may not be the best thing to do if you just want to flush out a radiator without neutralizing it first. I've heard some insist on doing some sort of flush and use a little bit of coolant concentrate neutralize it.

The one thing I remember in high school chemistry was that in the absence of other minerals that serve as dissolved ions, pure water (pH 7) exposed to the atmosphere will be a weak carbonic acid (H2CO3) due to dissolved CO2 with a pH of about 8 to 10. Also that there will be an equilibrium (it's been a long time so I forgot the chemical terminology) where there will be equal amounts of H and OH.. But whatever anticorrosion additives in a concentrated or premix coolant is going to neutralize the carbonic acid. But I've heard that carbonic acid will do a job on aluminum. Something about creating blackish oxidation.

But claiming that it will do anything deleterious when mixed with coolant is just ludicrous.

 

[Chris142]

But claiming that it will do anything deleterious when mixed with coolant is just ludicrous.

I think I said the same thing but with smaller words lol

 

[y_p_w]

I think I said the same thing but with smaller words lol

I was going to say "bad" - really. Then I thought it needed something more.

Still - I remember when Prestone had a special water for mixing with coolant. They claimed it was better than distilled, although I'm not sure why.

 

[SHOZ]

Can't believe this thread is still going on. Like Michigan, the pH of Illinois rain water through the 1990's was around 4.4 +/-. A brief Google search suggests that it is better today, maybe around 5.5, but can get lower depending on how much local air pollutants it absorbs while coming down.

Using acid rain water to mix coolant seems like it would use up some of the buffering capacity, maybe reducing the effective lifespan in your engine. Just a hunch that needs to be confirmed. At least you saved a couple of dollars vs. buying 88 cents/gallon store water.

I'll check the pH of my rain water. I doubt if it's as low as into the 4s. Not much pollutants as there were back in the day....

 

[y_p_w]

I'll check the pH of my rain water. I doubt if it's as low as into the 4s. Not much pollutants as there were back in the day....

I don't know if that's going to make that much of a difference. Is there an equivalent of TBN for coolant?

 

[SHOZ]

I don't know if that's going to make that much of a difference. Is there an equivalent of TBN for coolant?

It's the pollutants that make the acid, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide

 

[kschachn]

My local Walmart sells distilled water for $0.80 a gallon. Assuming you probably don't need more than two that makes this whole exercise cost a maximum of $1.60 plus tax.

 

[SHOZ]

My local Walmart sells distilled water for $0.80 a gallon. Assuming you probably don't need more than two that makes this whole exercise cost a maximum of $1.60 plus tax.

Mine shows purified water for .80 cents a gallon. Distilled is .94 cents and it's a 30 mile round trip.

 

[kschachn]

Mine shows purified water for .80 cents a gallon. Distilled is .94 cents and it's a 30 mile round trip.

Mine has Great Value distilled water for $0.80 and I can almost walk there.

The grocery store shows it at $0.99 and I can walk there. Walgreens has it for $1.09 and I can walk there too.

 

[SHOZ]

Mine has Great Value distilled water for $0.80 and I can almost walk there.

The grocery store shows it at $0.99 and I can walk there. Walgreens has it for $1.09 and I can walk there too.

My rainwater is free and it's outside in barrels. A shot of ammonia will quickly adjust the pH if it's a problem.

 

[totegoat]

Been using distilled water for many years........zero coolant problems.

 

[Gyro Gearloose]

Pure sales BS. Softening water eliminates the hard scale ions calcium and magnesium, but the metallic ions in water, whether calcium, magnesium, or sodium are always "married" to a non metal ion, a chloride, sulfate, nitrate, etc., and it is the non metal ions that are the most corrosive. Softening does nothing to change the non metal ions. Eliminate all ions with distilled water and let the antifreeze additives do their job passivating the metal against corrosion.

 

[manicrodder]

My rainwater is free and it's outside in barrels. A shot of ammonia will quickly adjust the pH if it's a problem.

ph minus or plus?

 

[y_p_w]

It's the pollutants that make the acid, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide

Is there really so much as significantly deplete the base?

 

[y_p_w]

My rainwater is free and it's outside in barrels. A shot of ammonia will quickly adjust the pH if it's a problem.

I doubt that it’s so critical that you would even need to do that. The additives in the coolant will be just fine.

 

[SHOZ]

Is there really so much as significantly deplete the base?

pH of my rainwater is just under 7.0. My antifreeze in the car is mix is 8.0.

 

[Rat407]

Here in eastern NC. our dehumidifier would fill up it's 2.5 gallon container every 5 days of use to keep our exercise room that was in an unattached garage. I would think that would work well, especially if you filtered it through a coffee filter for extra precautions.

 

[kschachn]

pH of my rainwater is just under 7.0. My antifreeze in the car is mix is 8.0.

In that case it most certainly will not.