Antifreeze Question Tap water vs distilled

[Looking4new]

For me - its from Lynchburg, Tenn.

You like your Bourbon, eh?

 

[Looking4new]

Id use the distilled water if I could obtain it easy, around me, grocery stores seldom carry it. I do not know of anywhere else to get it.

Try the drug store.

 

[Looking4new]

Ok, so straight antifreeze freezes sooner, got that but what about heat... what is the best solution for cooling in higher temp areas like SoCal ?

Thks for the info guys.

A 50/50 mix of anti-freeze and water will raise your boiling point to 240*F Anti-freeze is also anti-boil.

 

[nova3930]

Local supplies can vary concentration with the season. When we have high runoff (snow melt in Spring, heavy rains other times of the year) some areas boost the chlorine level pretty high - enough that you can notice the smell running the tap, and I don't have a great sense of smell....

Rgds, D.

Unless it's swimming pool concentrations I wouldn't be worried. That's the only place I've ever seen it have a dramatic effect with aluminum chloride chrystals popping out everywhere....

 

[3930dave]

Unless it's swimming pool concentrations I wouldn't be worried. That's the only place I've ever seen it have a dramatic effect with aluminum chloride chrystals popping out everywhere....

Agreed, that's where you're likely to see chlorine equipment casualties the fastest in a public setting. My HVAC contractor neighbour makes good money replacing equipment in or near pools, but interestingly also at carwashes.

In terms of vehicle maintenance costs, distilled water likely doesn't even qualify as a rounding error, so it's what I use in cooling systems and batteries.

But no, pouring tap water into a rad isn't going to instantly cause your engine to fall apart .

Rgds, D.

 

[MHarryE]

Raindrops form on dust particles in the atmosphere and grow to a weight where they fall. While in the air they also pick up pollutants. It might be better than most tap water but still not equivalent to distilled.

When we came out with ELC (extended life coolant) we went pre-mixed because testing coolant samples from customers around the world showed that a lot of crappy water is being used to dilute anti-freeze to the point where it causes engine damage and the only way we could be sure to have a true extended life coolant was to pre-mix ourself with a known distilled water source. Of course Cat doesn't produce the coolant - a supplier foes and the dilution is done at service centers around the world with the chemical analysis results monitored and supplied to Cat.

 

[The Fred]

It's hard to beat pre-mixed coolant. The water at our shop is a bit acidic and I find when I mix anti-freeze it does not stay at the proper PH level for long. Therefore we buy distilled water to mix or use pre-mix.

I will note also that most OEMs have gone away from the old green coolant we grew up with. I personally have excellent luck with Dexcool pre-mixed coolant and use it in most of my own equipment. Yes I know GM had 1.5 million bad gallons back in 96-97, those days are long gone.

For customers we only use OEM coolant directly from the dealer, yes expensive but no guesswork.

Regards, Fred

 

[oldballs]

I always use distilled water doing routine maintenance/ replacement of coolant. Heck at 79 cents a gallon, that's not much compared to the rest of the trouble and cost.

 

[cowpie1]

I just use a 50/50 blend out of the jug that the coolant producer puts together. I haven't bought straight coolant and mixed it myself in years. Cost of doing this way is inconsequential. I use a red, no nitrite, extended life coolant in my diesels. Far better protection from liner cavitation than older style coolants, and better for water pump seals and lubrication. The recommended interval for changing this product is 600,000 miles or 5 years. And I get a 50/50 blend of it for around $12 a gallon. Nice thing about this coolant is that I do not ever have to test it over the life cycle. I just add a quart of ELC extender at 300,000 miles or 2.5 years. None of that SCA junk and green or putrid looking coolants for me anymore.