Do you mix tap water with coolant?

[GNRick]

I thought you were supposed to use distilled water so the minerals won't clog up the radiator. Local radiator shop told me that coolant breaks down the minerals so tap water is fine. They checked my radiator and said it flowed good, no problems. Just a couple small leaks which they fixed. I always used tap water and coolant. And RMI-25. I went ahead and bought the 50/50 mix anyway, for my new radiator, as I was too lazy to mix it myself. So (a) Is tap water ok and (b) do you think the 50/50 mix uses distilled water? It doesn't say on the Prestone label.

 

[chopped39]

I have read about not using distilled water in a gas burning engine. Something about the minerals that are missing in distilled water are in regular water and they make the coolant work better. Im no chemist so hopefully there is one on here that can explain this:biggrin:

 

[novaderrik]

i always run tap water. never see any weird deposits.

 

[INEEDAGN]

I put the premix in mine after new cooling system. A lot of it will depend on the water quality out of your tap. Some places do have really nasty water.

 

[GNRick]

We have hard water here. I just wanted to get off on the right foot with my new radiator.

 

[ALVAROG1983]

Just use 50/50 call it a day. tap water i don't think is a good idea.

 

[Royal-T-Ltd]

ive always bought distilled water from the grocery store and mix my own 50/50.... its a lot cheaper than paying for water in pre-mix... i also run rmi25...

...ive always thought tap water would lead to deposits over time. especially with st. louis' hard water..... distilled water is just cheap insurance...figure it cant hurt

 

[usetaboost]

I've always bought the premix. Don't have to worry about it. There probably isn't much to worry about using tap water either. But over time and if it is improperly mixed I bet it would. Ever see the inside of a boiler that has run nothing but city water? It's not good.

 

[Razor]

I only use Evian as I want only the best

 

[pacecarta]

dont run distilled

 

[GNRick]

I only use Evian as I want only the best

Thought you meant Evans at first! Home Engine Cooling Systems

 

[Razor]

Thought you meant Evans at first! Home Engine Cooling Systems

Guys cant take a joke :wink:

I'm switching to Voss .. Sparkling Mineral Water | Bottled Water Suppliers | Artesian Water Company



My car only sips the best :wink:

 

[XXQUICK6XX]

I have always run distilled in mine with RMI. I have a aluminum rad tho.

 

[Victory]

i have always run distilled in mine with rmi. i have a aluminum rad tho.

+1

 

[85Dan85TType]

I have always used distilled without any problems. I also mix coolant/water at closer to 35/65 or 40/60.

Do keep in mind all the temperatures I'm throwing about are for un-pressurized water mixes, under pressure (like from the rad cap resisting expansion, think about a Pressure Cooker), freezing points should lower, and boiling points should raise.

Freezing: At 50/50 you have a freezing point at something like -30F; it rarely drops below 5F here. At 40/60 you're covered to about -10F, and since water has such a high specific heat, you can absorb more heat energy at the same temp.

Source: Don't Fill Her Up with Antifreeze, Alaska Science Forum

Boiling: Water has a boiling point of 212F, which is (I bet) damn near impossible to avoid in the water jackets. But again, the pressure of the system itself raises this by about 45F without any coolant, add some coolant and you can probably make it to about 270F.

Source: HowStuffWorks "How Car Cooling Systems Work" and HowStuffWorks "How Car Cooling Systems Work"

Hope it helps!

 

[Anarchy]

i run 50/50 with tap water filtered at home... seam to works fine. never had no issues..

 

[notacarlo]

"It doesn't matter what kind of water is mixed with the coolant. Be this tap water, distilled water, de-ionized water, bottled water, dog water, etc..... As long as the cooling system is maintained on a regular basis, the antifreeze at the proper mixture will prevent any corrosion from ocurring. "

CLICK & CLACK

the key in this is maintenance and coolant being the prohibitor of corrosion.

 

[85Dan85TType]

I forgot something in my first post.

I believe the reason people suggest distilled water, is because that is as close to "just water" water as you are probably going to be readily able to find. It doesn't have much of anything else already dissolved in it, so it can "hold" more antifreeze.

I don't believe there are enough minerals in *most* water supplies to really cause any problems, but I figure it's probably worth the extra cost with the water supply at my house! :biggrin:

 

[williamsGN]

If you live in a warm climate, ditch the anti freeze and run water and RMI-25.
If you blow a head gasket you won't have to worry about toasting your bearings with anti freeze.

 

[whitehot1]

I use a 50/50 mix of distilled water and antifreeze. The distilled water may not be of any help but it can't hurt,as i've been running it this way for many years.It's only .69 a gallon for the distilled water at the grocery store so it's not a big deal in cost nor do i have to go out of my way to get it.

If you do a google search you will find more people who use distilled water mixed with antifreeze than with tap water.