Distilled water in radiator?
05-30-2009, 02:32 AM
#1
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Year: 1996
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0 / 6 EFI
Distilled water in radiator?
I have been told to only put distilled water in the radiator before but no one really said why. Someone recently told me why and I thought I would share. It has been the only "technical" explanation I have heard.
- Tap water has chlorine in it and this causes the lubricants? (silicants - I think that is what he said) that prevent rust to drop out of the water thus leaving the metal unprotected.
- To test use a pool chlorine testing stick to see if there is any chlorine in the water and to see if the ph is at 7 ( I think).
Anyway, thought I would share and let others clear up the missed parts.
- Tap water has chlorine in it and this causes the lubricants? (silicants - I think that is what he said) that prevent rust to drop out of the water thus leaving the metal unprotected.
- To test use a pool chlorine testing stick to see if there is any chlorine in the water and to see if the ph is at 7 ( I think).
Anyway, thought I would share and let others clear up the missed parts.
05-30-2009, 08:59 AM
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Year: 1997
Model: Cherokee
Engine: I6ho
antifreeze has a higher boiling point than water, I use 50/50 and am in Phoenix AZ.
in addition to chlorine, tap water has hard metals in it.
in addition to chlorine, tap water has hard metals in it.
05-30-2009, 04:37 PM
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Year: 1988
Model: Cherokee
Engine: AMC242
The principal reason against tap water is simple - it has dissolved metals and minerals in it that will deposit on the interior surfaces of your cooling system. It does not take much of a coating to seriously degrade heat rejection efficiency - IIRC, something like 1/14" of scale (roughly .07") will degrade your cooling system by 10%.
Both distilled and RO-filtered water will be acceptable for use in your cooling system. Tap water should not be added to "wet cell" batteries for a similar reason - although, a coating on the plates will result in shorted cells.
Both distilled and RO-filtered water will be acceptable for use in your cooling system. Tap water should not be added to "wet cell" batteries for a similar reason - although, a coating on the plates will result in shorted cells.
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05-30-2009, 11:17 PM
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Year: 1988
Model: Cherokee
Engine: AMC242
Due to the cost of distilled water out here (thank you, PG&E!) I purchase RO-filtered water for use in radiators and suchlike - I have two three-gallon jugs I fill at intervals. Since I also have to keep a supply around for my MIL's medical equipment (bugger...) the intervals between jug fills are not great.
But, having my own jugs means I can get them filled at 0200 if I find I'm out, or close to it.
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