Coolant water - Soft or Calcified ?

[veggie]

Is it ok to use soft water in a coolant system.?
I would assume it's better than none treated hard water.
The water in my area is on the hard side and leaves scale in the appliances if you don't have a softener.

veggie

[Thob]

When I was a kid, we always used tap water, but ours wasn't too hard.  Today, everybody says to use distilled water.  It doesn't cost that much if you have a car with a gallon or so, or a diesel truck with 4-5 gallons, but with a 55 gallon thermosiphon system it could get to be a bit much...

[TimSR2]

Distilled! or soft water only.  An engine is like a boiler and will build calcium deposits on the hot surfaces. If you have an open cooling system the concentration of minerals will always build and the problem will get worse.  Perhaps invest in a ph test kit and some water softening salt if you are in a hard water area. 

[veggie]

Thanks guys....

veggie

[mike90045]

Distilled or DI from the coin-op water dispenser at the grocery store, no minerals, and I mix it with regular antifreeze to prevent rust.

[mobile_bob]

according to detroit diesel research

1/8th inch of calcium buildup is equal to adding an additional 4 inches of cast iron when it comes to heat transfer.

i know live in an area with spring water, full of limestone deposits that clog shower heads, leave rock like deposits in
the toilet bowl and all over fawcets and drain chrome, along with sides of the tub and shower enclosure...

my bet is if i use it in my changfa it would build up an 1/8 inch in less than a week of run time.

me? i will be collecting rain water for use in the cooling systems, then treating it with antifreeze and/or DCA fluid.

bob g

[Henry W]

I have been using Distilled water and Antifreeze for over 20 years and had no leaks or corrosion.

As long as you have 30 - 50 % antifreeze mixed with distilled water I believe everything will be fine.

Henry

[cognos]

I don't know if I'd be comfortable using "soft" water in my cooling system...

Single-stage water softeners, such as the ones in most homes that have a salt tank, replace the calcium with sodium... so you are now using sodium-laden, electrically-conductive water in your cooling system... electrically-conductive water + dissimilar metals + plus heat = corrosion problems. Sodium is very chemically active, and may form deposits too.

A commercial de-ionizing system, such as one used to pre-treat boiler feed water, uses a 2-stage treatment sytem. As I understand it, the first stage removes the calcium (and many other minerals and compounds with a negative charge). Then it is sent to the second stage, which removes any positively-charged ions, and de-ionizes the water, leaving it mineral free and non-conductive.

I'd be more inclined to use water from a reverse-osmosis system, distilled water, or rain water. You want de-ionized water, not just "soft" water.

Just my opinion.

[Henry W]

If you want to use water only it would be best to look for a Plumbers or Boilermaker handbook that has a Langelier Saturation Index Table to figure out if the water can be treated to avoid percipitation at high temperatures.

Of course you will need a good water analysis test kit.


Henry

[Simtech]

Perhaps fill the system using those filters used at the end of a garden water hose for car wash rinsing?  They are the cheapest way I know of to de-mineralize water.

[fabricator]

Seems like you could get rid of calcium pretty quick with muriatic acid, it would have no effect on cast iron or gaskets or rubber hoses, I know I've seen large boilers being treated with some kind of stuff that comes in 55 gallon plastic drums.
They isolate the boiler so it's just circulating in it's own loop, then it will run like that for a day or two, this is done with the boiler cold.