Do you use tap water or deionized water in your cooling system?

[wpurple]

Do YOU use tap water or deionized water when doing a coolant add after flushing the system?

I assume that most if not all garages would flush with and use tap water for the cooling system????

 

[BrooklynBay]

I use tap water which is filtered by a 5 micron filter connected to the main line in my house.

 

[Elessar65]

deionized water is "slipperier" I think.

 

[jlsparky7]

Tap. Its not a formula 1 car.... My opinion...

 

[BrooklynBay]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purified_water
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distilled_water
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-deionized-water.htm

 

[Joe Dirt]

Its not a formula 1 car.... My opinion...

You're right- our Ex's are much more important than that!

But I do use tap water too.

 

[unclemeat]

DI water.

 

[rjfabian]

Water

All I know is that if you have replaced the radiator, most manufacturers that have extended/lifetime warrantees, require that you use either distilled or dionized water.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Poll was added.

 

[unclemeat]

Most tap water contains calicum, iron, manganese and sodium cations. They produce salts and corrosion. Deionized (DI) water no cations no corrosion.

 

[po-po 5.0]

Most tap water contains calicum, iron, manganese and sodium cations. They produce salts and corrosion. Deionized (DI) water no cations no corrosion.

Bingo. Having seen what the inside of a water pump and radiator looks like from a life of being fed tap water............I use distilled or DI.

 

[dkchrist]

Most tap water contains calicum, iron, manganese and sodium cations. They produce salts and corrosion. Deionized (DI) water no cations no corrosion.

Corrosion is oxidation cause by oxygen. Water contains oxygen, there in lies the problem. Not the cations, anions are the ones to worry about like chloride and flouride ions. Both of these have the possibility to accelerate the rust in the steel or cast iron of the engine and water pump.

 

[unclemeat]

Tap water typically contains chlorine. DI water costs about $1 a gallon.

 

[po-po 5.0]

Corrosion is oxidation cause by oxygen. Water contains oxygen, there in lies the problem. Not the cations, anions are the ones to worry about like chloride and flouride ions. Both of these have the possibility to accelerate the rust in the steel or cast iron of the engine and water pump.

Neither copper nor aluminum oxidizes in the presence of pure water? The damage IS caused by the mineral content.

 

[Kriegen]

And if you have any combination of aluminum and copper in the same cooling system, you will have galvanic corrosion even using pure distilled water.