It’s a norm among a vast population of local transporters in Nigeria to use water as a coolant. Most drivers use dirty water from streams, others fetch dirty water from drainages, while the rest manage to fill the radiator with pipe-borne water. This practice is very bad, it reduces the lifespan of the engine. Yes, water cools down the engine but it doesn’t serve the purpose of effective cooling, and maintaining the engine.
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What is an engine coolant and its constituents?
Coolant or antifreeze protects your engine from overheating. Aside from cooling down the temperature of the engine, coolants also lubricate the moving parts it comes in contact with as well as protect your engine from freezing in cold temperatures.
Coolant constitutes a mixture of di-ionized water, glycol with addictive packages, and some chemical additives. The constituents vary across vehicles and engines.
When to use water as a coolant.
Water should be used to top up the coolant in the radiator if the level is low and should be driving for a short distance until you get to a mechanic who will fix the fault.
How does untreated water used as coolant affect the engine?
The use of dirty water as a coolant will always affect the engine. When I say dirty water, I mean any water that is not di-ionized, water that contains impurities. Yes, most water from boreholes is not treated, they contain heavy minerals from the earth’s crust. I will outline a few disadvantages of using water as coolant below:
- Corrosion and rust in the engine: using dirty water can lead to corrosion of the internal engine components, thereby reducing the life span of the engine. This is caused by chemical components contained in the water.
- Overheating: driving a car over a long distance using water as coolant will cause overheating because, at a point, the coolant will be boiling, thereby bringing about no cooling in the engine. a coolant is mixed with glycol to increase its boiling point, but in this case, it’s not so.
- Reduce the life span and efficiency of the engine: Corrosion and corroding reduce the life span of the engine.
Using the best coolant will prolong the lifespan of the engine, see what you should do.
I strongly advise all drivers to read the car user manual to know the exact coolant that’s recommended for the car. When adding water, make sure you are adding di-ionized water. If you follow these steps, your engine will last longer and also reduce the cost of maintenance or procuring a new engine.
