Since there is no history of maintenance on my 96 Explorer, I am going to get it flushed by a local shop that has a flush machine and replace the green coolant with G-05. My question is, Is distilled water really needed or would tap water be fine? Not sure about the local shops water, but my water at my house is in the middle between Hard and Soft. I highly doubt the shop is gonna use distilled water and that's why i am asking if the tap will be ok. If you do demand distilled water to be used, do you bring a bunch of gallons of distilled with you to the shop that is doing the flush? thanks for the help
Tap Water Really That Bad?
- Thread starter SR77
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GM says "clean, drinkable water" in their current owners' manuals. Honda & Hyundai say purified or distilled water, and demineralized or distilled water respectively. I have no idea what Ford says. Since DEX-COOL has neither silicates nor phosphates, GM's advice may be predicated that their antifreeze of choice is more tolerant of tap water mineral content. Honda's syrup containes phosphates - a fairly hefty dose. Hyundai's non-specific about their factory-fill (it's green, though) and offers no OEM antifreeze, merely recommending "a high quality ethylene glycol coolant in a 50/50 mix with water" which the owner's manual further defines as "clean demineralized or distilled water" on the next page. Since G-05 contains reduced levels of silicates, it's up to you to decide your best course of action after reading Ford's recommendation. Just keep in mind that some water content of your coolant mix is gradually lost to normal evaporation over time. (It's the water that evaporates, not the ethylene glycol.) Any mineral content present remains behind to additionally harden the diluted mix. If you top up with your local water, you further add to the periodically increasing mineral content. (If you decide to go with distilled, call ahead to the shop and ask how much you need to bring in with you. Even if you need seven or eight gallons, you're still only looking at a little over an extra $5.00 from WalMart.)
SR77, call the shop and ask them a lot of questions about what they are goin to do. It is possible the shop may have an RO unit for their water supply they will use for the flush. If that is the case I wouldn't worry.
As for as water goes, I've never heard of midway between soft and hard. Hard water is anything with 20 grains of hardness or more. Soft water is anything less then 20 grains of hardness. However, this doesn't tell the whole story. Google "hard water" and read up on it and you will see all the variables that come into play.
Another way to check up on this place would be to see if they have any reports filed at the BBB ( Better Business Burea ). If they do indeed tell you they use tap water ask them if they have had it tested. If they do use tap water call around a bit and ask several other places that do this service and see how the "story" unfolds - so to speak.
As for as water goes, I've never heard of midway between soft and hard. Hard water is anything with 20 grains of hardness or more. Soft water is anything less then 20 grains of hardness. However, this doesn't tell the whole story. Google "hard water" and read up on it and you will see all the variables that come into play.
Another way to check up on this place would be to see if they have any reports filed at the BBB ( Better Business Burea ). If they do indeed tell you they use tap water ask them if they have had it tested. If they do use tap water call around a bit and ask several other places that do this service and see how the "story" unfolds - so to speak.
thanks for the replys.
The water test that i used had a graduating scale from soft to hard and my house water tested right in the middle of the scale.
I will call this shop(since they are the only shop I could find locally that had a flush machine) and ask them if they use distilled or some type of filtered water with their flush machine. If not, then i will tell them I will just bring the distilled water with me. thanks again
The water test that i used had a graduating scale from soft to hard and my house water tested right in the middle of the scale.
I will call this shop(since they are the only shop I could find locally that had a flush machine) and ask them if they use distilled or some type of filtered water with their flush machine. If not, then i will tell them I will just bring the distilled water with me. thanks again
Keep in mind that filtered water, though free of particulates above the nominal size of the filtration media's pores, still has the full complement of dissolved minerals. As long as they remain in solution, no problem. But with evaporation over time, you run the risk of hard, insoluble precipitates coming out of solution and relentlessly doing battle with waterpump seals as well as slowly depositing an insulating crust in the bare metal passages of the cooling system.
Cooling system capacities are so small today, I would guess that a couple of gallons of distilled water would be sufficient for most cars, when you factor in the mix with anti-freeze.
So I would use distilled if you can get it.
So I would use distilled if you can get it.
RO water is ideal.
The quality of water out of your RO unit will be dictated by the quality of your membrane. I have an extremely high efficiency membrane in my RO unit, as I bought it from a local store that specializes in water softeners and RO units.
RO water units are commonly used in chem labs, the trace amounts left in RO water are so small they won't hurt a thing and should be considered equal to distilled water.
PBM, yes your are wasting money buying water if you have an RO unit and it is in good working order.
RO water units are commonly used in chem labs, the trace amounts left in RO water are so small they won't hurt a thing and should be considered equal to distilled water.
PBM, yes your are wasting money buying water if you have an RO unit and it is in good working order.
Wasting money? Geez, a gallon of distilled water is $0.59 at Wal Mart.
Went up to $0.66 out here - still a bargain. (RO membranes are subject to periodic maintenance, and if damaged, replacement. They don't grow on trees, either...)
Use distilled water for your battery and cooling system.
As mentioned, it can be obtained cheaply, and without a permit.
As mentioned, it can be obtained cheaply, and without a permit.
Don't forget that people f'ed up water all on their own. Remember about 30 or 40 years ago you could drink your water from the tap and it was nice and clean. Then you could go back outside and play and those were good times.
But the idea of having perfectly safe water coming from the tap was eventually looked at as being TOO convienant. Instead we buy it at the store and carry it around like we are going to walk across a desert.
Seriously, do yourself a favor and used distilled water. Tap water now has floride (except for Indiana) and chloride.
If you want to see something really screwed up, call up your local water tower and ask for a tour. I took one a few years ago. Outside there is a tank that is coated in lime. Why? I can't remember.
I use Sam's Choice Drinking Water to drink and make tea and coffee with. My vehicles get Sam's Choice Distilled Water and the proper coolant. We are all happy and healthy.
But the idea of having perfectly safe water coming from the tap was eventually looked at as being TOO convienant. Instead we buy it at the store and carry it around like we are going to walk across a desert.
Seriously, do yourself a favor and used distilled water. Tap water now has floride (except for Indiana) and chloride.
If you want to see something really screwed up, call up your local water tower and ask for a tour. I took one a few years ago. Outside there is a tank that is coated in lime. Why? I can't remember.
I use Sam's Choice Drinking Water to drink and make tea and coffee with. My vehicles get Sam's Choice Distilled Water and the proper coolant. We are all happy and healthy.
Just be glad that once a year they have divers go into those tanks and clean all the slime off the walls, amazing how much grows in a million gallon tank
Yeah, but it's healthy slime... (By the way, how many of those divers come back out?)
An interesting tid-bit about the water on Earth...
98% is in the oceans.
1.9% is in the glaciers.
.1% is fresh drinking water.
98% is in the oceans.
1.9% is in the glaciers.
.1% is fresh drinking water.
The glacial packs are not only receeding, the recession is accelerating. Another hundred years and I may have ocean front property fifty miles east of L.A. Too bad I won't be around to enjoy it. All my life I've been told I'm a day late and a dollar short. Now the real truth comes out - I'm 36,500 days early and a million dollars short. Crap!
I agree that for years tap water was fine in your radiator. But when I changed my Prestone the first 2 times I used tap water an can only blame that for the overheating that developed after 11 years. The fluid was changed every 2 years as always but this time I bought a radiator and it solved the overheating in my 94 Nissan 2.4 Hardbody.
I have read this thread with interest and understand the nominal cost of distilled water. Therefore cost is not a factor and who would dispute the manufacturer for specifying distilled water? However, I obtained the water quality report for our community and it reads similar to an used oil analysis. Five elements were just a few parts per billion. Total dissolved solids were just 180 parts per million. Alkalinity was 50 parts per million, calcium just 4 grains, sodium 15 ppm, ammonia 0.01 ppm. I am not understanding how trace amounts in the few parts per billion, or few parts per million can make a significant difference? I suspect the antifreeze coolant is more subject to contamination by the internal water passages, freeze plugs, gaskets, gasket sealers, thermostat components, water pump components, and cooling system hoses. Despite my doubts, used distilled water last flush and fill.
Scott
Scott
You are forgetting about the chlorine and fluoride.
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