Can You Use Water As A Coolant?

Can you use water as a coolant?

It is very common for drivers to try to save money when making any replacement or repair on the vehicle. Many car owners scrutinize the prices of substances such as oils or coolants. This is normal, since they are substances that must be replaced relatively frequently, and less spending on them can lead to great long-term savings.

However, it is not advisable to try to minimize expenses in car maintenance, and it is important to use quality products, just as it is important to keep abreast of the general good condition of all vehicle systems.

The problems of using water as a coolant

Some customers even wonder if it is valid to mix the coolant with water in order to increase its volume and achieve some savings. However, refrigerants are products designed for specific purposes, and vehicles are designed to work with some and not other substances.

For starters, refrigerants have antioxidant properties and boiling points higher than those of water. This allows this fluid to absorb more energy in the form of heat before becoming a gas, and contributes to a more efficient operation to the engine’s cooling system.

This is why it is important to use only the fluid recommended by the manufacturer, which will be the one for which the vehicle’s system has been designed. Against this, water can cause particles to accumulate, with its consequent obstructions in the ducts.

As an added problem, we must bear in mind that water has a rather peculiar property, which is that it expands when it becomes a solid state. This means that if the car is exposed to very low temperatures, the water can freeze inside the pipes.

The pressure exerted by the ice inside the pipes of the vehicle would cause serious ruptures in the entire system, which would lead to a series of very expensive repairs.

Use of factory refrigerants

It should also be noted that if the vehicle has been using water as a coolant for a long time, returning to the product recommended by the manufacturer may cause some damage to the system. For this reason, it will be important to submit the car to a detailed inspection to check the condition of the cooling system.

The type of refrigerant recommended for the model will appear in the technical information of the vehicle, and it is best to use this fluid at all times, since the vehicle leaves the factory. Otherwise, changing the type of substance can eliminate the good properties of the refrigerant, which allows you to clean the lines. The new fluid can cause rust breakouts in certain areas of the system that previously used water.

These dislodged fragments will circulate through the system and can lead to plugging in the engine block, which in turn will lead to costly repairs. Therefore, it is important to follow the manufacturer’s advice and only use the substances for which the car was designed.

As for the water and coolant mixture, it could cause problems like those already mentioned. However, in a critical situation, such as if we have been stranded on the road, it can be a valid solution.

It is best to fill the tank with all the available coolant and then add the amount of water necessary to reach the minimum volume. Of course, the water must always be clean, as any particles will affect the internal components of the cooling system.

Keys to good coolant maintenance

If in less than a month a drop in the refrigerant level can be seen, it is very likely that the system has a leak. This leak can be easily located by stopping the vehicle and watching for any drips onto the ground.

Once located, it is best to go to a workshop to do a repair. If the leak is not found, it is likely in the internal parts of the system, and can only be detected by sensing the drop in the level of coolant in the tank.