Distilled water vs. purified water?
11-10-2013, 11:12 PM
#1
Race Director
Thread Starter
Distilled water vs. purified water?
I'm not sure why this stuff pops into my head, but it does.
Is distilled water really "distilled" or is that a marketing/legal term like some synthetic oils not really being from base 5 stock, but legally can be called synthetic.
My fridge has a PUR filter on it, is that as good as "distilled"?
Please don't post how "cheap" distilled is so "just buy it".
This thread is not about the cost (you are missing the point) it's about the chemistry for what goes in your battery and coolant.
Is distilled water really "distilled" or is that a marketing/legal term like some synthetic oils not really being from base 5 stock, but legally can be called synthetic.
My fridge has a PUR filter on it, is that as good as "distilled"?
Please don't post how "cheap" distilled is so "just buy it".
This thread is not about the cost (you are missing the point) it's about the chemistry for what goes in your battery and coolant.
11-10-2013, 11:28 PM
#2
Burning Brakes
Distilled usually is distilled, since a basic 1-stage distillation of water is a pretty cheap process which basically entails that the impurities are either boiled off earlier or left behind. The condensate is usually quite pure, but some compounds have a tendency to stick with the water as it is boiled off. There are more sophisticated and expensive distillation techniques to remove these types of impurities, but it's not likely that the jug of distilled water you buy at the store uses them.
Your PUR water filter is usually just a carbon filter. The water passes through and the carbon can pick up a lot of the minerals and organics. This approach can also lead to quite pure water, but it depends on the filter and how much of it has been used up. Not sure about PUR in particular.
Not definitive if one is better than the other. It depends on what you need. Of course, if you really needed the highest grade stuff with 18.2 megaohm*cm resistivity, you can take the approach that we use in research labs, which usually employ a multi-stage process. First step is to distill the water or run it through reverse-osmosis (or both), followed by UV lamp treatments, and then multiple stages of carbon filters for final purification. Upfront costs on these systems are usually 5-20k, plus 2-5k/yr in maintenance costs.
Your PUR water filter is usually just a carbon filter. The water passes through and the carbon can pick up a lot of the minerals and organics. This approach can also lead to quite pure water, but it depends on the filter and how much of it has been used up. Not sure about PUR in particular.
Not definitive if one is better than the other. It depends on what you need. Of course, if you really needed the highest grade stuff with 18.2 megaohm*cm resistivity, you can take the approach that we use in research labs, which usually employ a multi-stage process. First step is to distill the water or run it through reverse-osmosis (or both), followed by UV lamp treatments, and then multiple stages of carbon filters for final purification. Upfront costs on these systems are usually 5-20k, plus 2-5k/yr in maintenance costs.
11-11-2013, 12:40 PM
#3
Race Director
Thread Starter
Distilled usually is distilled, since a basic 1-stage distillation of water is a pretty cheap process which basically entails that the impurities are either boiled off earlier or left behind. The condensate is usually quite pure, but some compounds have a tendency to stick with the water as it is boiled off. There are more sophisticated and expensive distillation techniques to remove these types of impurities, but it's not likely that the jug of distilled water you buy at the store uses them.
Your PUR water filter is usually just a carbon filter. The water passes through and the carbon can pick up a lot of the minerals and organics. This approach can also lead to quite pure water, but it depends on the filter and how much of it has been used up. Not sure about PUR in particular.
Not definitive if one is better than the other. It depends on what you need. Of course, if you really needed the highest grade stuff with 18.2 megaohm*cm resistivity, you can take the approach that we use in research labs, which usually employ a multi-stage process. First step is to distill the water or run it through reverse-osmosis (or both), followed by UV lamp treatments, and then multiple stages of carbon filters for final purification. Upfront costs on these systems are usually 5-20k, plus 2-5k/yr in maintenance costs.
Your PUR water filter is usually just a carbon filter. The water passes through and the carbon can pick up a lot of the minerals and organics. This approach can also lead to quite pure water, but it depends on the filter and how much of it has been used up. Not sure about PUR in particular.
Not definitive if one is better than the other. It depends on what you need. Of course, if you really needed the highest grade stuff with 18.2 megaohm*cm resistivity, you can take the approach that we use in research labs, which usually employ a multi-stage process. First step is to distill the water or run it through reverse-osmosis (or both), followed by UV lamp treatments, and then multiple stages of carbon filters for final purification. Upfront costs on these systems are usually 5-20k, plus 2-5k/yr in maintenance costs.
My use is simple automotive, so I guess I buy supermarket distilled & in a pinch use the fridge water.
11-11-2013, 01:20 PM
#4
Le Mans Master
Dissolved Solids are not removed by filtering (think "salts") by Suspended Solids are (think dirt and some biological organisms). Distillation, depending on sophistication, removes them all. Reverse Osmosis does a fair to excellent job also (depends on system). Truly "lab quality water" does all plus a mixed ion resin to deionize.
11-11-2013, 03:33 PM
#5
Race Director
Thread Starter
Dissolved Solids are not removed by filtering (think "salts") by Suspended Solids are (think dirt and some biological organisms). Distillation, depending on sophistication, removes them all. Reverse Osmosis does a fair to excellent job also (depends on system). Truly "lab quality water" does all plus a mixed ion resin to deionize.
11-11-2013, 03:41 PM
#6
Of course, if you really needed the highest grade stuff with 18.2 megaohm*cm resistivity, you can take the approach that we use in research labs, which usually employ a multi-stage process. First step is to distill the water or run it through reverse-osmosis (or both), followed by UV lamp treatments, and then multiple stages of carbon filters for final purification. Upfront costs on these systems are usually 5-20k, plus 2-5k/yr in maintenance costs.
11-13-2013, 09:27 AM
#9
Le Mans Master
11-13-2013, 09:32 AM
#10
Safety Car
I use the yellowish water from the pond at Grattan Raceway. I think the yellow color is due to the oil seeping into the ground from the track...
I mostly think that becuase the alternative is gross.
I mostly think that becuase the alternative is gross.
11-13-2013, 01:40 PM
#11
Race Director
Thread Starter
11-14-2013, 04:32 AM
#12
Not tap water, but rather gallons of water labeled as drinking water rather than distilled. It is my understanding that since distilled lacks minerals and such it tries to pull them from everything it comes in contact with eating away at all the water passages, radiator, etc.
11-14-2013, 09:23 AM
#13
Safety Car
Not tap water, but rather gallons of water labeled as drinking water rather than distilled. It is my understanding that since distilled lacks minerals and such it tries to pull them from everything it comes in contact with eating away at all the water passages, radiator, etc.
Rainwater and distilled water share an "aggressive" moniker. They said that we might need to replace the copper in the house in 70 years from the rainwater system. I'll be dead in 70 years...and considering the thiness of those pipes, the water doesn't take very much out of the metals it comes in contact with.
11-14-2013, 11:22 AM
#14
While true to an extent, it will only pull enough to be at a "balanced" state...which isn't much.
Rainwater and distilled water share an "aggressive" moniker. They said that we might need to replace the copper in the house in 70 years from the rainwater system. I'll be dead in 70 years...and considering the thiness of those pipes, the water doesn't take very much out of the metals it comes in contact with.
Rainwater and distilled water share an "aggressive" moniker. They said that we might need to replace the copper in the house in 70 years from the rainwater system. I'll be dead in 70 years...and considering the thiness of those pipes, the water doesn't take very much out of the metals it comes in contact with.
With the cleanest ultra-pure water you can strip paint and etch many materials. but this water is treated with several sequential purification methods and can cost $100+ a gallon! "Ordinary" purified water is nowhere close to that reactivity though.