Can You Add Mineral Water to a Car Radiator?
1 Answers
You cannot add mineral water to a car radiator. A car radiator, also known as a heat exchanger, is designed to cool the working engine and prevent mechanical overheating and metal expansion, which could affect the car's operation. Under normal circumstances, the radiator should be filled with dedicated automotive antifreeze, which has characteristics such as rust prevention, a low freezing point, and a high boiling point. Disadvantages of adding mineral water: It generates more rust compared to antifreeze, which is detrimental to the smoothness of the engine's water passages; its boiling point is lower than that of antifreeze, making it prone to boiling; mineral water is likely to freeze in winter when temperatures drop below zero degrees Celsius; adding mineral water can easily lead to overheating: under normal pressure, the boiling point of water is approximately 100°C. Modern cars generally use high-performance engines that can reach temperatures of 90~100°C during normal operation, with some individual engines even reaching 110°C. In such cases, if the car radiator is filled with water, it can easily overheat, failing to cool the engine effectively. The full name of coolant is antifreeze coolant, also known as antifreeze. Antifreeze prevents the coolant from freezing and cracking the radiator or damaging the engine cylinder block during cold-season parking. Antifreeze is not only for winter use but should be used year-round. As part of regular car maintenance, the engine antifreeze should be replaced every year.
