Coolant, tap water, de-ionized water or distilled water?
Discussion
As title. Is a tap water, coolant 50/50 mix (Glysantin G33 - psa 9735.k4) ok. Or is putting distilled water (or de-ionized), coolant 50/50 mix in over the top. My thinking is the water is pretty hard around here (going by my kettle).
Being a wet liner engine I want to try and avoid galvanic corrosion with the steel liners and ally block, and I don't want all its insides getting all scaled up like an old kettle.
So pretty much, which water the best for mixing with coolant?
Being a wet liner engine I want to try and avoid galvanic corrosion with the steel liners and ally block, and I don't want all its insides getting all scaled up like an old kettle.
So pretty much, which water the best for mixing with coolant?
How much are you getting through? Before I replaced my heater matrix I was getting through a lot of coolant so was just topping up with tap water. Having replaced it though I use demonised water bought from the petrol station.
ETA. That should be de-ionised water not demonised water although that should be fine too! Bloody auto correct!
ETA. That should be de-ionised water not demonised water although that should be fine too! Bloody auto correct!
Edited by williredale on Saturday 6th April 09:22
Noesph said:
Not getting through any. Next weekend I'm changing the cam belt and water pump, it needs to be drained to change the pump, so I thought I might as well put new coolant in as well.
Not sure if distilled or de-ionised is best but both are cheap considering. Definitely worth changing the coolant as what came out of mine was pretty grim. I wouldn't have wanted to reuse it.
Who knows, I doubt it'd make a hell of a lot of difference anyway.dmitsi said:
Deionized water, it's what we use in development engines. Is much purer than distilled water.
The other way around, distillation removes minerals and organic material. Deionizing removes only minerals.Either is more than adequate for coolant. I have only ever used tap water, but I live in a soft water area.
I mean purer as in the resistance or amount of solute. DI removes a higher percentage of minerals and is less conductive, therefore purer. As you say both are suitable for coolant mixtures, but when you start using it for scientific purposes you would always use DI, it will probably have been distilled first, and then any bacteria created from the DI resin can be removed with activated carbon.
Not applicable to use in coolant because as soon as you expose the stored water it screams out for ions, so a pretty futile argument. Then sticking it in an engine will pretty much undo any efforts you've made to treat the water.
So in answer to the OP, use whatever you like, but don't mix blue and orange coolants as you'll create sludge
Not applicable to use in coolant because as soon as you expose the stored water it screams out for ions, so a pretty futile argument. Then sticking it in an engine will pretty much undo any efforts you've made to treat the water.
So in answer to the OP, use whatever you like, but don't mix blue and orange coolants as you'll create sludge
There is only a certain volume of water in the coolant, possibly as little as 3 litres, and that only contains a tiny amount of lime or calcium or whatever. There will be no more minerals to settle out after that tiny amount. The kettle example is totally different because it is filled with new water every time it is used and accumulates a lot of limescale over time. The same goes for washing machines, immersion heaters etc. The tiny amount of minerals in a single fill of coolant is harmless and I have always used tap water for this reason.
DocArbathnot said:
I use rain water. I don't know ifq this is right or wrong,
Depending on the contamination on collection that should be pretty soft water. All natural water in the UK will have some impurities it is a question of degree. Rainwater collected on glass stored in glass should be OK. You could try approved rust inhibitors particularly where alloy/cast iron/steel are in close contact with the water.Locknut said:
There is only a certain volume of water in the coolant, possibly as little as 3 litres, and that only contains a tiny amount of lime or calcium or whatever. There will be no more minerals to settle out after that tiny amount. The kettle example is totally different because it is filled with new water every time it is used and accumulates a lot of limescale over time. The same goes for washing machines, immersion heaters etc. The tiny amount of minerals in a single fill of coolant is harmless and I have always used tap water for this reason.
I love PH sometimes. Makes complete sense. Thanks.It does make sense, anyway I'm going for tap water.
I found this, after a fair bit of searching.
http://www.coler.de/col/sicherheitsdatenblaetter/b...
Water hardness 0 to 20 dGH (0 to 3.6 mmol/l)
and these (as I'm on the border line)
http://www.waterplc.com/waterquality/L21.pdf
Hardness 1.94 (millimol/l)
http://www.waterplc.com/waterquality/L19.pdf
Hardness 2.33 (millimol/l)
So, the tap water in the area is within there limits.
I found this, after a fair bit of searching.
http://www.coler.de/col/sicherheitsdatenblaetter/b...
Water hardness 0 to 20 dGH (0 to 3.6 mmol/l)
and these (as I'm on the border line)
http://www.waterplc.com/waterquality/L21.pdf
Hardness 1.94 (millimol/l)
http://www.waterplc.com/waterquality/L19.pdf
Hardness 2.33 (millimol/l)
So, the tap water in the area is within there limits.
IIRC deionised exchanges hardness salts for salts that don't produce hardness.
Distilled contains the least contaminants, rainwater should be very similar depending on the materials you have on your roof?
If you go to your local aquarium shop they will sell you reverse osmosis water which is virtually as pure as you can get.
I reserve the right to make multiple mistakes due to drinking an immense quantity of wine HIC!
Distilled contains the least contaminants, rainwater should be very similar depending on the materials you have on your roof?
If you go to your local aquarium shop they will sell you reverse osmosis water which is virtually as pure as you can get.
I reserve the right to make multiple mistakes due to drinking an immense quantity of wine HIC!
Rovinghawk said:
Come & have a look at the limescale inside a pipe I just took off my car (previous owner used tap water) and then decide whether you want to do so.
RH
Presumably the previous owner refilled the cooling system with tap water every day if there was any significant limescale...RH
Mr2Mike said:
Presumably the previous owner refilled the cooling system with tap water every day if there was any significant limescale...
The pipe in question had a crack which led to quite a bad leak, so I'd say he'd filled it up pretty regularly rather than sorting out the problem.RH
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