Is it ok to use tap water just to clean a new radiator and do a leak test?

[grundles]

As I'm sure we're all painfully aware, distilled water is quite expensive and hard to come by here in the uk. So I don't want to waste any of it by cleaning my radiators and leak testing my system with it. Especially since it will just be going down the sink... *cough* ... I mean, being disposed of in a safe and environmentally friendly manner afterwards. So since it is just a small amount of time it will be in my loop and won't be subject to heat. Also it will be getting replaced with a premixed mayhems pastel fluid for the final build. Can I just use tap water?

 

[Ironsounds]

Hello... Yes... Typically Tap water is used every day to clean things... mineral deposits is the reason not to use it as a coolant product for a long period of time... that Small amount should not leave behind any rocks or lumps in your system, B )

 

[amtseung]

If it's hard water, don't run it too hard for too long. Excessive strain on the metals of the pump impellers might shorten its lifespan a little bit. If you've ever seen images of well-worn boat propellers, even boats that were run exclusively in fresh water, you can see what kind of damage hard water can do on a molecular level over time.

If you've got soft water in the house, or better yet, reverse osmosis drinking water, I wouldn't worry much about using it to flush/test your loop.

 

[grundles]

Hello... Yes... Typically Tap water is used every day to clean things... mineral deposits is the reason not to use it as a coolant product for a long period of time... that Small amount should not leave behind any rocks or lumps in your system, B )

I thought this was the case. The problem I've been having is all the guides and tutorials I've seen are from people in north America, where you can't move for distilled water. But here it's harder to get hold of at a decent price. So they're all using distilled water for everything. It wouldn't surprise me if they started watering their plants with it and using it to flush the toilet. But I'm here searching every corner of the internet for a good price on anything bigger than 1 liter

 

[grundles]

If it's hard water, don't run it too hard for too long. Excessive strain on the metals of the pump impellers might shorten its lifespan a little bit. If you've ever seen images of well-worn boat propellers, even boats that were run exclusively in fresh water, you can see what kind of damage hard water can do on a molecular level over time.

If you've got soft water in the house, or better yet, reverse osmosis drinking water, I wouldn't worry much about using it to flush/test your loop.

That's good to know. And what luck... here in Manchester we get nice soft water from the lake district so lime isn't a worry here.

 

[grundles]

If it's hard water, don't run it too hard for too long. Excessive strain on the metals of the pump impellers might shorten its lifespan a little bit. If you've ever seen images of well-worn boat propellers, even boats that were run exclusively in fresh water, you can see what kind of damage hard water can do on a molecular level over time.

If you've got soft water in the house, or better yet, reverse osmosis drinking water, I wouldn't worry much about using it to flush/test your loop.

So say hypothetically you were to live in a area where the water is so hard it punches you in the face before destroying all your white appliances. Would cheap and cheerful bottled water work for the same purpose?

 

[TMTOWTSAC]

If you're really worried about it, you can make your own distilled water pretty easily. Basic distillation is essentially condensed water vapor. To get truly pure distilled water you distill it multiple times but for your purposes that would be overkill. You can google many different setups to do this, the basic method is pretty simple, you heat water and collect the vapor.

An even simpler method is just to get a condenser, for example, a glass of ice water. Place it on a collection device, for example, a glass plate. The water that condenses on the side of the glass (as long as the glass is clean) and collects on the plate is essentially pure water. The only problems you run into here are time and contamination, like dust falling on the plate, or if you use containers that water can leech minerals out of, like say a cast iron collection pan.

And obviously, you'd need a bunch of these to collect enough water in a timely fashion. Or leave it in an enclosed space with high humidity, like your bathroom while you're taking a hot shower. Anyway, I'm just rambling now, good luck.