Who DOESN'T use distilled water?

[Jaymus]

Ok, all my life, I've used water out of my backyard hose. It is well water with sulfur in it. Never had any head gasket issues. Never had any intake gasket issues. Just wondering, I flush my system every 2 years, and I use the green antifreeze.

But, now, I see everywhere that everyone says you MUST use distilled. Yeah, I would have liked to have used it, but... in a way, I hate to break a good habit. I've never had any coolant related failures, so should I change?

 

[chet2]

yeah i would just to be safe...i just used distilled in my recent coolant change...i even flushed out radiator with distilled

 

[Russell]

Why not use distilled water. I used distilled water as does ny indy BMW mechanic. I also use phospate free antifreeze (yellow Zerex G0-5). I have also used the phospate free BMW blue antifreeze.

There is a lot of aluminum and plastic in modern engines and radiators. Prehaps the fear of corrsion or plastic damage is greater than it used to be in old school cars??

 

[John K]

I think it safest to use distilled, but it is hard to argue about the success you've had. Russell has a good point about modern engines and newer materials. Well water is usually pretty hard and will tend to form scale when used in engines. I don't have any experience with sulfur in well water, don't know what effect it has....

 

[Drew99GT]

I've never used distilled water. I use Dexcool in GMs, one with 225,000 miles, and no sludge. All the GMs we've had have had intake gasket leaks, but that's not because of using tap water...

FWIW, there's been at least one person here who has confirmed that GMs come with tap water from the factory!

 

[demarpaint]

I've never used distilled water either, but up until this year the newest car I owned was a 95. I will use distilled water for the 08 we just bought when the time comes to change the AF. As far as the others the garden hose works just fine.

Frank D

 

[HondaMan]

I think the use of distilled water is a great practice.

I do the same as chet in using it for a flush.... I actually do alittle more. I make a 90/10 solution for my flushes. Distilled water of course at 90 and 10% new fluid. I will normally do this twice.

This is also the BEST way to switch over from one type of coolant. Once with pure distilled and twice with a 90/10 solution has I mention.

 

[Chris142]

It depends on what minerals are in your water. Here we have lots of calcium and it will plug up the tubes in the radiator in a year or so. I see lots of Rads ruined by it.

Gotta use Distilled/ filtered water here.

 

[ARB1977]

I used distilled water, its cheap and you can use the jugs to store old coolant.

 

[Vilan]

I use tap water, but the water here is pretty soft. I'd be hesitant to use well water, but if it works...

 

[Kestas]

That sulfur must've done a good number on your cars in the days when copper/brass was used.

I used tap water in my pre-BITOG days. I also changed many a radiator and heater core back then.

 

[Big Jim]

I have never used distilled water. As long as I maintain the cooling system, I have never had any water related cooling system issues.

 

[onion]

I've very rarely used distilled water at any shop I've worked for. Maybe twice in 13 years. And I've seen no apparent ill-effects from using tap water... including the rather salty/nasty water in Western Kansas.

That said, I always use distilled water in my own vehicles. Probably makes little or no difference in the long-run... but it makes me feel good.

 

[Chris142]

Originally Posted By: onion
I've very rarely used distilled water at any shop I've worked for. Maybe twice in 13 years. And I've seen no apparent ill-effects from using tap water... including the rather salty/nasty water in Western Kansas.

That said, I always use distilled water in my own vehicles. Probably makes little or no difference in the long-run... but it makes me feel good.
Next time I get a radiator in thats 100% plugged with calcium I'll take a pic

 

[onion]

Is it actually calcium? Or is it solder-bloom?

Can you conclusively prove that it's caused by tap water? Or did they simply not change their antifreeze for 10 years?

 

[Chris142]

Originally Posted By: onion
Is it actually calcium? Or is it solder-bloom?

Can you conclusively prove that it's caused by tap water? Or did they simply not change their antifreeze for 10 years?
Here it's Calcium. I can tell where a person lives by the amount of Calcium thats in it. Barstow, Ca and Lucerne Valley , Ca have the worst water.

 

[1sttruck]

Cars are costing what, something like an average of 60 cents a mile to drive these days, not using $2 or $3 of distilled water might cause problems..... hmmmm .... this is a hard one....

 

[Fordiesel69]

I don't know if this counts, but when flushing I just use the hose to clean all the old nasty coolant out, then I flush one last time with distilled and let it run. Empty it out and fill with new coolant and distilled.

As many times as I have to flush 5-8 year old green slime, I don;t waste distilled until it starts coming out clean, then I use it. All my auction cars come with nasty neglected coolant. Its because the States testing procedure is flawed. They use one of those squeeze tubes that show its freezing point, nothing else.

 

[wirelessF]

Is purified water bad? The ones you buy in those 5 gallon jugs.

 

[onion]

Originally Posted By: toytundranator
Is purified water bad? The ones you buy in those 5 gallon jugs.


I don't know. But if you're going to the trouble of buying jugs of water... might as well buy distilled. It'll be on the same aisle.