I've been flushing my radiator, but using demineralized water from Repco was getting pretty expensive after several flushes to get all the gunk out. I came across distilled drinking water from Countdown which is considerably cheaper. Could I use that instead for radiator coolant (mixed with antifreeze at the right concentration) and also for topping up batteries?
Nothing wrong with tap water for flushing the radiator.
tintop,
Aug 18, 9:53pm
Use tap water and a hose to flush gunk.
Use 'pure' water to flush out the tap water at the end. ?
tamarillo,
Aug 18, 11:27pm
x1
Like others, tap water for flushing. Personally I've always used tap water for final fill too, with correct anti freeze of course. Find it hard to believe there is a problem with that.
henderson_guy,
Aug 18, 11:34pm
The 2013 $1/2m machine that I operate specifies a tap water/glycol mix for the radiator. So I also doubt there would be a problem with your average car.
tony9,
Aug 18, 11:46pm
Oh there is a problem. The purveyors of distilled water will have a cash flow problem as the market for topping up batteries has pretty much dried up.
tintop,
Aug 19, 1:16am
Not too bad a price.
The Mobil station at Murchison wants $1.00 per litre to top up campervan water it buys at $2.11 for a 1,000 litres.
bill-robinson,
Aug 19, 1:41am
I use water from the dehumidifier for all things that need water on my cars
elect70,
Aug 19, 1:52am
^^^^ not wise the crap in the air collects on the coils & is "washed off by the collected water . . AFAIK its the PH of the water thats important not the minerals it contains .
bill-robinson,
Aug 19, 2:52am
so what changes the PH then?
tamarillo,
Aug 19, 3:01am
I try never to feul up at Murchison. Woman told me off for using screen wash brush to do my bike screen. Next time a camper van backed in to the space I was in feuling up and pushed back in to my bike. Actually moved me and bike backwards. Woman inside said people get pissed off at bikes taking up bays and did nothing. Rudest gas station I've ever been to in NZ.
tintop,
Aug 19, 3:10am
Not the best one I found either - a miserable introduction to the West Coast. The 'real' West Coasters are a terrific bunch though. :) .
reb53,
Sep 26, 1:00am
Just finished reading a long article in a magazine on this and without repeating the whole thing their words were that using distilled water was a myth. " Distilled water is substantially more corrosive than most tap water and should not be used.Distilled water grabs oxygen out of the air more easily than water with some hardness and passes the oxygen into the cooling system, where it causes corrosion". This is in the official magazine of The Bugatti Owners Club, and you know what Bugattis are worth.
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