Deionized water
- Thread starter Glenn S
- Start date
I refuse to buy pre-mixed/watered-down anti-freeze and always mix my own.
For my first 30 years I used municipal tap-water in all cooling systems without difficulty.
But I have lived the last 30+ years on a water-well bored through 220 feet of limestone. Except for the times I’ve polluted it with coffee and whiskey I’ve drunk untold thousands of gallons of the stuff with no treatment whatsoever other than a particulate filter to strain out any physical residue and the iron-pipe particles which come from my 70 year old house.
That well-water has also been mixed with anti-freeze and run in 11 different cars, trucks and two tractors. The only thing (other than my wifes’ clothes-iron) that has received Distilled water has been lead/acid batteries.
The only failures I’ve suffered (other than one water pump in an old Jeep) have been clothes-irons and lead/acid batteries.
For my first 30 years I used municipal tap-water in all cooling systems without difficulty.
But I have lived the last 30+ years on a water-well bored through 220 feet of limestone. Except for the times I’ve polluted it with coffee and whiskey I’ve drunk untold thousands of gallons of the stuff with no treatment whatsoever other than a particulate filter to strain out any physical residue and the iron-pipe particles which come from my 70 year old house.
That well-water has also been mixed with anti-freeze and run in 11 different cars, trucks and two tractors. The only thing (other than my wifes’ clothes-iron) that has received Distilled water has been lead/acid batteries.
The only failures I’ve suffered (other than one water pump in an old Jeep) have been clothes-irons and lead/acid batteries.
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In a more modern engine it's not a matter "if" it will cause issues it's "when". Buying some distilled water is a SMALL price to pay to ensure a properly maintained engine. You could also pour cooking oil in your crankcase as well. Doesn't mean it's the right thing to do. Only issue with premix is if you do a flush with plain water there is no way to ensure getting enough out to ensure proper mix ratio. If I am doing simple drain/fill I use premix. It's easier. If doing a full flush I mix 60/40 or even a little "stronger" to ensure proper ratio due to any plain water left in system
HaHaHa... You were so-worried about the ”proper” mixture you deliberately bastardized it..?
(At least you did so in the safer-direction.)
This really is not all that important.... the exact mixture used is not a tractor-killer, regardless of the kind of water used.
PS: The manual for my Kubota does not specify Any special water other than “clean” water.
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Actually I did NOT bastardize the final mix. Re-read the post. I COMPENSATED for any remaining water in the block after a thorough flush. If I don't flush a cooling system I use premix.
At my former employer we had to buy deionized (non-conductive) water to mix with glycol for cooling the power supplies in induction furnaces.
The negative of using that stuff is that it will actually pull metallic ions out of the metal piping. It has corrosive effects. I would not use de-i in my cast iron engine blocks or with aluminum components.
The negative of using that stuff is that it will actually pull metallic ions out of the metal piping. It has corrosive effects. I would not use de-i in my cast iron engine blocks or with aluminum components.
I apologize if it hurt your feelings.... that wasn’t my intent...
I just found our group-focus upon exacting procedures to become humorously out-of-control...
If the precise 50/50 mix were so-critical that a cup or two of water remaining in the block would so-defeat or destroy the capability of coolant, then engines would be crumbling-out of tractors world-wide at such a rate Dr. Fauci would be talking about it on television.
I refuse to pay for watered-down ethylene-glycol. I buy the concentrate no matter. But we all get to choose for ourselves.
I didn't get my answers from those links, just provided them as a quick point of reference. My response was based on my own experience. Obviously ours differ.
Tone does not go over well in print, so please take the following as sincere, not as confrontational:
Since you have the experience in the field, maybe you can answer a question:
Salt ionizes in solution. The deionization process would remove that, obviously.
However, sugar does not ionize in solution. So deionization would NOT remove sugar.
Are the above statements correct? If not, I would appreciate if you would explain how the sugar gets removed.
GreensvilleJay
Well-known member
Equipment
BX23-S,57 A-C D-14,58 A-C D-14, 57 A-C D-14,tiller,cults,Millcreek 25G spreader,
Didn't hurt anything. Just was using emphasis as I thought you misunderstood my reason for why I mix a little heavier with concentrate after doing a full flush. When I am done my mix comes out quite prefect. There is just no way to know how much plain water stays in the block and other passages so going to a 60/40 tends to make a perfect 50/50 for me.
I'm aware of that. I'm asking @imnukensc how deionization accomplishes that, or clarifying that it doesn't.
Geez, Louize, being nitpicky, ain't ya? No, deionization doesn't remove nonionized contaminants. That's why sand filters, activated carbon filters, and other filtering methods are used prior to deionization. Are you happy I agreed with you now?
The OP's question was whether to to use DI or distilled water. My answer was to use whichever was cheapest as they are essentially the same product, but the method to achieve them was different.
I asked an honest question in the interest of understanding, as I stated, and you still get snippy? (I note that you quoted my response to GreensvilleJay, rather than my question to you).
Precision is very important to me, as is correct understanding. So sorry you find that too "nitpicky".
Regardless, I appreciate you addressing the other part of my question with your answer "That's why sand filters, activated carbon filters, and other filtering methods are used prior to deionization.". That leads me to more questions but I'll just dig around online rather than be more nitpicky with you.
Tap water historically works just fine for the 2-5 year change-periods specified on most equipment. It’s also cheapest. Kubota (at least for my model M4700) does not specify anything else.
I'm on your page, except my pollutions have been coffee and beers....thousands of both.
Next time you need a refill come on over and I will give you several gallons of my hard water to try. You are giving bad advice.
GreensvilleJay
Well-known member
Equipment
BX23-S,57 A-C D-14,58 A-C D-14, 57 A-C D-14,tiller,cults,Millcreek 25G spreader,
One FREE source of 'distilled water' is the condensate from an air conditioner. That's the water the a/c unit 'creates' while cooling your house. providing the 'drip pan/collection' system is clean(say plastic) , there won't be any chemcials in the water..jes plain old H2O.
IF you haven’t noticed.... I posted that I live on a well drilled thru 220 feet of limestone. I doubt anyone anywhere has water harder than mine.
Once the calcium precipitates-out... that is that... It’s not like I replace the water daily in the tractor like I do in my coffee pot.
My coffee pot gets a cup of vinegar (acetic acid to dissolve accumulated calcium) run thru it once a month to keep it operational. That is never an issue with a closed cooling system because the amount of calcium in a 2.5 gallon closed cooling system is 1.25 gals of hard water which has almost 1/4 teaspoon of calcium....which precipitates OUT and falls to the bottom of the system where it causes absolutely NO harm and is flushed out every 2-5 years when the coolant is changed.
(In actuality, hard water is a “base” while other closed system chemicals are specifically designed to fight “acid” accumulation. Therefore the “hard” water is little different than what anti-freeze already contains..... it counter-acts acid.)
My earlier comments are not advice. They are facts. Do as you wish with yours.