cooler coolant?

[jdt1986]

just bought a tig cooler with a stainless steel tank and a procon pump wonder what kind coolant would be suitable for the cooler?would distilled water be fine?

[parkour]

DW is fine, but only if kept above freezing. Also, you may get some growth in it after a while.

[jdt1986]

growth? is it something that could harm the cooler or can i just clean it out ? thanx

[parkour]

mildew, algae, or maybe something just just smells. I've never heard anything about damage; so i assume just flush it with fresh DW.

[bigjoeinkg]

You would get an algae growth in the water. You could change the water on a regular basis, put in some algaecide. Or, buy the coolant for a LWS. I bought mine because it will freeze here. It was $20 / gal.

[jdt1986]

yeah thats what i was afraid of i knew that stuff was pretty expensive im in fl it gets cold here but rarely freezing how often would i have to replace the cooler coolant if i got the stuff from lws?

[bigjoeinkg]

It is suggested to drain, flush and refill every year. But, I would think that would be in a production setting. Maybe someone else will chime in.

[geezer]

There has been too much talk about DW versus tap water, consider the fact that tap water in the amount of 2 gallons will actually contain a very small amount of particlate matter in it. the advantage of DW is minimal, might make you feel better if you used DW, but that's about it in a practical sense.

[performance]

Geezer,

I can tell you don't live in S. GA. The well water and city water around here is drawn from the aquifier which is loaded in limestone/calcium deposits. Its pure and clean, but heavy in deposits. 2 gallons of this stuff will leave a heavy white film on anything it drys on. Just canned some tomatoes last night and the outside of the jars have a crusty film of calcium on them. Acidity of the water also plays a part on eating the parts inside. My 2003 taursus needed a timing cover replacement after just 100k miles because of what the water did to it, eating several holes through the aluminum, even though I had kept the water changed out in it. Open up any old car around here, and the fins are plugged with calcium.

[bigjoeinkg]

Also, don't forget that distilled water will have a lower conductivity than tap water. Don't want that HF to bleed to other places. For 20 bucks a gallon you get a low conductivity, algaecide and antifreeze.

[geezer]

Geezer,

I can tell you don't live in S. GA. The well water and city water around here is drawn from the aquifier which is loaded in limestone/calcium deposits. Its pure and clean, but heavy in deposits. 2 gallons of this stuff will leave a heavy white film on anything it drys on. Just canned some tomatoes last night and the outside of the jars have a crusty film of calcium on them. Acidity of the water also plays a part on eating the parts inside. My 2003 taursus needed a timing cover replacement after just 100k miles because of what the water did to it, eating several holes through the aluminum, even though I had kept the water changed out in it. Open up any old car around here, and the fins are plugged with calcium.

You and everybody else in that area must be walking around with kidney stones the size of grapefruits, in which case DW might be the answer.

[jdt1986]

well it may be me just being cheap but what if ...... what if i got a couple gallons of automobile antifreeze dont know which color green or orange and then added some distilled water? huh what about that? shoot that idea down why dont ya!!!

[ASE_MasterTech]

Geezer,

My 2003 taursus needed a timing cover replacement after just 100k miles because of what the water did to it, eating several holes through the aluminum, even though I had kept the water changed out in it.

This is a very common issue with Ford V-6, we have changed out just about every V-6 Taurus timing cover (due to leaking coolant) that's been through our fleet here in NJ, which is quite a few.
I would say that particular problem has more to do with design/poor casting issues, then water composition.

[geezer]

well it may be me just being cheap but what if ...... what if i got a couple gallons of automobile antifreeze dont know which color green or orange and then added some distilled water? huh what about that? shoot that idea down why dont ya!!!

Cannot see a problem with that, just avoid using tap water or beer filtered through your kidneys, cause we know what that stuff is.

[jdt1986]

ahh jk ..... if distilled water will do everything that the welding coolant will do except keep it from freezing then ill prob just do that either that or if i get a job that pays a little bit then ill buy some coolant i know i dont have 5 grand tide up into my setup but if it will make everything (cooler and tig torch and lines) last longer and perform better then i dont mind springin for the welding coolant. thanx to all for the advice and insight.

[bigjoeinkg]

Don't use automotive anti-freeze. It contains additives that you don't want in your TIG torch. As a last resort, you may be able to use RV anti-freeze.

[jdt1986]

well what ill prob do is just put ice in the tank and just switch it out when ever it melts.lol
nah im using distilled water ive done a couple 3-4 hour jobs its doing great thanx for all the help

like i said though ill prob get some cooler coolant from the lws whenever the money comes in

[Wookie]

tap water promotes electrolysis just like in a car system and eat holes in things also has the problem of leaving deposits in your lines and torch head with possible plugging.. Distilled water in a closed loop system will not also distilled water carry's hifreq alot better then tap water and its cheap. No go on automotive antifreeze .. some have used rv antifreeze with good results i dont live in a climate where it freezes so i just run distilled water...on the water changing just change it if and when you get algae growth

[WILD BILL]

I'm using RV anti freeze and have had nothing but good results so far.

[DaveO]

If automotive antifreeze is not recommended, how is RV antifreeze different? Is it used in an rv for something other than cooling the engine? (Preventing drains from freezing...?)