Team-BHP - Distilled Water : A scam running?

Dear all,

As we all know, distilled water finds use in at least 3 places in our car. The coolant as a diluting agent, the windscreen wash fluid, again as a diluting agent and most importantly, the battery.

I had been buying this almost always from the battery wallah. I have paid anything from 30-50 Rupees for a 5liter jerry can, with 5 rupees refund on returning the can. I always wondered if, given the cost of fuel, electricity(for the boiler) and labour in NCR these days, if distilled means pure H2O, or just a label, for the unsuspecting. I decided to try, and the easiest was to have a few drops of water on a clean surface to evaporate. I tried this with two samples, from the same shop, bought a month apart. It did not leave any residue in the first instance, but definitely a deposition on the second time. Faint, but a deposition nevertheless.

I wanted to ask the dealer. What he replied was something in these lines. There is a special chemical. They use any water, and put the chemical which makes it distilled. Maybe in my case chemical "thoda jyaada dal gaya". I was :Shockked:!

He could not believe that it is a boiling water, and condensation thingy that produced distilled water.

Needless to mention, he lost his INR50 a month customer. Big deal...

I have personally experienced ASS using water filter water liberally for all the three apps I have penned above.

Now my point is probably 99.9% cars and inverter batteries are being served "chemically distilled" water. This is a scientific impossibility. I don't want to treat my car with this junk. (Now, my maternal grandpa in his days, used the second rain water of the season. Not the first rain for contaminants. He was the works manager of an ordnance factory, so he knew his business well. The air was much cleaner then)

Which is the way to go, please..! I had been to Bhagirath Place, where i could find lab grade DW, for much higher price, but would be an overkill.

Would really appreciate some answers. And your experiences.

(My first Tech thread :D.)

Regards, and enjoy the brunch.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArunV (Post 3138046)

Distilled water for windscreen spray and coolant? I never used distilled water for both these. Windscreen gets the normal water and coolant get the 1 liter water bottles.
Distilled water is used only as battery water.

Distilled water has to be used in the radiators, regular tap water has too much mineral content that can damage the water pump/ radiator.

Regarding use distilled water for the windscreen spray, I have never done that but now that I think about it, maybe its about time I start doing so,
In the old car the pump failed. When I tried replacing it the pump had a lot of mineral/calcium deposit on it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lapis_lazuli (Post 3138001)

As we all know, distilled water finds use in at least 3 places in our car. The coolant as a diluting agent, the windscreen wash fluid, again as a diluting agent and most importantly, the battery.

Needless to mention, he lost his INR50 a month customer. Big deal...

Little OT. Why would you be needing 5 liters of distilled water every month? Coolant does not need replacing/replenishing that frequently, most batteries nowadays are maintenance free.

As for the cost, 30-50 rupees for 5L is not really that expensive. Regular mineral water bottles will probably cost more, and IMHO that is perfectly fine to be used for windscreen wash and coolant dilution.

Quote:

Originally Posted by swarnava.m (Post 3138105)

Swarnavo,

Good question! I need the water for the windscreen washer. I use it a bit too much and it consumes about 2-2.5 litres each time. NCR is a dusty place! The rest : to the planted aquarium to top up the water level, while not un-balancing the fragile chemistry. What remains, as a quick detailer/car wash diluting agent.

Its not the 50 bucks, I am happy to pay more. But is it truly distilled, is my concern. Remember the old mineral water ad: using cattle drink to fill up and a candle to seal it off?

Maintenance free batteries : well reminds me of that dialogue in "Dont mess with the Johan" : "The watch is water-resistant, not water proof....you see...!!!"lol:

My maintenance free batteries have screw caps, oxymoron or what!

Quote:

Originally Posted by lapis_lazuli (Post 3138001)

Which is the way to go, please..! I had been to Bhagirath Place, where i could find lab grade DW, for much higher price, but would be an overkill.

This is what I go for- lab grade is Rs. 120\5 ltrs where I live. This is the stuff I use for my car and inverter batteries. The coolant and windshield washer get regular tap water. The coolant I use says it's fine with tap water (on the label) and the tap water we get is pretty soft, so no harm done (yet- 9 years). I flush the coolant lines before I put in the new one.

I really don't think Rs. 120 is too expensive- mainly because I only use it for the batteries.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lapis_lazuli (Post 3138001)

Dear all,

As we all know, distilled water finds use in at least 3 places in our car. The coolant as a diluting agent, the windscreen wash fluid, again as a diluting agent and most importantly, the battery.

I wanted to ask the dealer. What he replied was something in these lines. There is a special chemical. They use any water, and put the chemical which makes it distilled. Maybe in my case chemical "thoda jyaada dal gaya". I was :Shockked:!

Well, strictly speaking using an reverse osmosis filter is considered a chemical process. Not sure if you would call the end product distilled, but the result is essentially the same. Very little salts left.

As many mentioned before it baffles me you use distilled water in anything else than a battery. Even the battery is a bit of mystery as most batteries are maintenance free.

To be frank the only home application for distilled water these days is in some steam irons. And even those can cope with non distilled water these days!

Modern car washes (don't know about India, talking Europe/USA) will use distilled or reverse osmosis produced water for the last rinse cycle in order not to have to dry your car.

Jeroen

Quote:

Originally Posted by RM2488 (Post 3138145)

I have never filled a battery before , Do i need to do this frequently? My batteries last for about 4 years each.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RM2488 (Post 3138145)

Sir I stay in Thane (kalwa) too. I want to buy this lab grade water for my inverter batteries. please share the address of the shop.

[@Mods, I'm posting this here and not sending a PM to him, so that other members from thane can get the information too]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Catalyst_delhi (Post 3138176)

I have never filled a battery before , Do i need to do this frequently? My batteries last for about 4 years each.

All you have to do is top up- depending on the charging circuitry, climate, coupled with usage of vehicle/inverter, you may have to do this anything from every month to once every 3 to 6 months. There are indicators for this- the floats for big batteries, and the min/max marks on all. Many people (including many batterywallahs) make the mistake of adding acid. I simply add distilled water and start a charging cycle. Regular maintenance gives a LONG battery life- it is not unusual for my batteries to go 5+ years without significant loss of capacity. I don't have the numbers to prove this (AMP-HOUR tests), but I've never had to replace a battery before then due to a battery not holding enough charge. This, of course, does not go for sealed batteries (although some people drill them), gel batteries, or the hundred other "maintenance free" variants out there.

Quote:

Originally Posted by motionfreak (Post 3138215)

The place is "OMKAR TRADERS" in Amar Gyan Industrial Estate, on the first floor. It's close to the ST Workshop, bang opposite Akruti SMC. The proper address is:

OMKAR TRADERS,
Amar Gyan Industrial Estate,
Complex 160 161,
L B S Marg,
Khopat,
Thane (W) - 400601

NOTE: I have had dealings with them before, they stock a myriad of other chemicals I find useful. However, I am not associated with them in any way. I am sure there are other lab suppliers of repute in the area, and I am not profiting monetarily by mentioning them. This only reflects the good experience I have had with them.

P.S. Sometimes they take up to 15 minutes to process your order- they go through the entire billing process, with VAT etc. And they keep your details on file- I usually get my work done in less than five, since they have me registered. Parking on the street outside MAY result in your vehicle getting towed. It is really up to the RTO's whims and fancies.