Here in Iowa we have hard water and we mostly use water softners for our houses. Can I use this water in my radiators on my 7.3 and 6.0 ford diesels pickups. I would like to flush them both. Could someone explain what would be wrong using it.
Can I use soft water for my radiator.
- Thread starter rideahorse
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go in a truck stop and get extended life coolant low in silicate etc etc premixed .or get non premix and go at walmart buy distilled water to mix .there arent a lot of truck coolant that are long duration so you ll know when you see it . either in flying j, ta, petro love, pilot
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I would not, soft water still leaves deposits. Distilled water is so cheap, why bother.
Your title says for your radiator, implying that it is what you are mixing with a concentrate. Or are you using it to completely flush out an existing coolant? If it is the latter then it's not as critical, so yes.
Your title says for your radiator, implying that it is what you are mixing with a concentrate. Or are you using it to completely flush out an existing coolant? If it is the latter then it's not as critical, so yes.
I've howled at my friends who won't buy distilled water. Do they listen? Noooooo.
Both hard water and soft become cloudy real fast.
You're going to do all that work so why not go for the gold.
There's still stuff in soft water.
Both hard water and soft become cloudy real fast.
You're going to do all that work so why not go for the gold.
There's still stuff in soft water.
The PH balance in either soft or hard water usually isn't up to snuff for a proper 50/50 coolant mix. Some water will remain in the system after you do a flush. If your anal about it, flush it with water, drain and fill with distilled stare, let it circulate and repeat once more. Than add the proper amount of pure coolant in the system.
Another vote for buying distilled water and using it.
Originally Posted By: Kira
I've howled at my friends who won't buy distilled water. Do they listen? Noooooo.
Both hard water and soft become cloudy real fast.
You're going to do all that work so why not go for the gold.
There's still stuff in soft water.
The fact that "Automotive Parts Stores" DO NOT carry Distilled Water doesn't help our case much. They sell Batteries & Concentrate Coolant.....Both needing Distilled Water!
I've howled at my friends who won't buy distilled water. Do they listen? Noooooo.
Both hard water and soft become cloudy real fast.
You're going to do all that work so why not go for the gold.
There's still stuff in soft water.
The fact that "Automotive Parts Stores" DO NOT carry Distilled Water doesn't help our case much. They sell Batteries & Concentrate Coolant.....Both needing Distilled Water!
Originally Posted By: clinebarger
Originally Posted By: Kira
I've howled at my friends who won't buy distilled water. Do they listen? Noooooo.
Both hard water and soft become cloudy real fast.
You're going to do all that work so why not go for the gold.
There's still stuff in soft water.
The fact that "Automotive Parts Stores" DO NOT carry Distilled Water doesn't help our case much. They sell Batteries & Concentrate Coolant.....Both needing Distilled Water!
Wal-Mart is your friend-under $1/gallon & worth every penny!
Originally Posted By: Kira
I've howled at my friends who won't buy distilled water. Do they listen? Noooooo.
Both hard water and soft become cloudy real fast.
You're going to do all that work so why not go for the gold.
There's still stuff in soft water.
The fact that "Automotive Parts Stores" DO NOT carry Distilled Water doesn't help our case much. They sell Batteries & Concentrate Coolant.....Both needing Distilled Water!
Wal-Mart is your friend-under $1/gallon & worth every penny!
distilled water at walmart is max 1 $ per gallon and will save you ton of issue ,just make sure you got long duration radiator liquid with it mix it and you ll be set for a long time ,what can happen if you dont ? pitted cylindewr sleeve ( sometime all the way to the piston, water pump problem hose not lasting long etc
Softened water has had the calcium removed through a process that exchanges one ion of calcium for one ion of sodium. So there is sodium in the water as well as other dissolved solids which are not removed by softening. Only distilled water is free of contaminants. And it is cheap.
Originally Posted By: BigD1
Been using water from the water hose for 38 years, which is round about the time I started working on my cars. No problems that I know of came from it. On the other hand, distilled water is cheap.
+1 ive always used water from my sink/hose. hasnt done any damage, not while ive owned the car, but ive recently been using distilled. my grocery store has gallons of distilled for 60 cents. cant beat it. go half and half with coolant
Been using water from the water hose for 38 years, which is round about the time I started working on my cars. No problems that I know of came from it. On the other hand, distilled water is cheap.
+1 ive always used water from my sink/hose. hasnt done any damage, not while ive owned the car, but ive recently been using distilled. my grocery store has gallons of distilled for 60 cents. cant beat it. go half and half with coolant
The pH of water isn't determined by hardness. Unless it is some really funky water pH won't have anything to do with it.
Originally Posted By: skyactiv
The PH balance in either soft or hard water usually isn't up to snuff for a proper 50/50 coolant mix. Some water will remain in the system after you do a flush. If your anal about it, flush it with water, drain and fill with distilled stare, let it circulate and repeat once more. Than add the proper amount of pure coolant in the system.
Originally Posted By: skyactiv
The PH balance in either soft or hard water usually isn't up to snuff for a proper 50/50 coolant mix. Some water will remain in the system after you do a flush. If your anal about it, flush it with water, drain and fill with distilled stare, let it circulate and repeat once more. Than add the proper amount of pure coolant in the system.
Originally Posted By: BubbaFL
I use water out of a garden hose in batteries and radiators.
Kind of silly to think that a car battery or cooling system needs water more pure than you would drink or cook with.
Sorry to correct you, but battery electrolyte requires PURE water. I have taken the factory tour at East Penn, makers of Deka batteries. They stressed that the water had to be distilled because the dissolved minerals will poison the plates. The same goes for cooling systems. Dissolved minerals will screw up the coolant chemistry, and either cause faster electrolysis or precipitation of crystals might build up in small coolant passages.
I use water out of a garden hose in batteries and radiators.
Kind of silly to think that a car battery or cooling system needs water more pure than you would drink or cook with.
Sorry to correct you, but battery electrolyte requires PURE water. I have taken the factory tour at East Penn, makers of Deka batteries. They stressed that the water had to be distilled because the dissolved minerals will poison the plates. The same goes for cooling systems. Dissolved minerals will screw up the coolant chemistry, and either cause faster electrolysis or precipitation of crystals might build up in small coolant passages.
Originally Posted By: BubbaFL
I use water out of a garden hose in batteries and radiators.
Kind of silly to think that a car battery or cooling system needs water more pure than you would drink or cook with.
"Pure" doesn't mean anything, it's all about dissolved minerals. Besides being non-toxic, the minerals in normal tap water are for the most part beneficial to you. In a battery or cooling system not so much.
I use water out of a garden hose in batteries and radiators.
Kind of silly to think that a car battery or cooling system needs water more pure than you would drink or cook with.
"Pure" doesn't mean anything, it's all about dissolved minerals. Besides being non-toxic, the minerals in normal tap water are for the most part beneficial to you. In a battery or cooling system not so much.
Originally Posted By: 2cool
Originally Posted By: BubbaFL
I use water out of a garden hose in batteries and radiators.
Kind of silly to think that a car battery or cooling system needs water more pure than you would drink or cook with.
Sorry to correct you, but battery electrolyte requires PURE water. I have taken the factory tour at East Penn, makers of Deka batteries. They stressed that the water had to be distilled because the dissolved minerals will poison the plates. The same goes for cooling systems. Dissolved minerals will screw up the coolant chemistry, and either cause faster electrolysis or precipitation of crystals might build up in small coolant passages.
If your batteries are consuming so much water that dissolved minerals from drinking water are a significant factor, something's wrong with the charging system.
Originally Posted By: BubbaFL
I use water out of a garden hose in batteries and radiators.
Kind of silly to think that a car battery or cooling system needs water more pure than you would drink or cook with.
Sorry to correct you, but battery electrolyte requires PURE water. I have taken the factory tour at East Penn, makers of Deka batteries. They stressed that the water had to be distilled because the dissolved minerals will poison the plates. The same goes for cooling systems. Dissolved minerals will screw up the coolant chemistry, and either cause faster electrolysis or precipitation of crystals might build up in small coolant passages.
If your batteries are consuming so much water that dissolved minerals from drinking water are a significant factor, something's wrong with the charging system.
Water softening is an ion exchange process. Calcium ions are exchanged with sodium ions. So you are left with water with sodium ions in it. Water softening does not just filter out all the hardness.
Use distilled water.
Use distilled water.
Originally Posted By: kschachn
Distilled water is so cheap, why bother.
This.
Distilled water is so cheap, why bother.
This.
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