Distilled Water

[skyplus]

(apart from the cost)is there any difference between distilled water bought in a motor factor shop to that sold in a pharma

Thank you in advance?

[Mamyalynne]

No.

[Buenchico]

Much of what people refer to as 'distilled' water is actually 'deionized' instead (because it's cheaper to produce). However it makes no difference for day-to-day uses:
http://www.waterandmorehub.com/deionized-water-vs-distilled-water

[mikey4444]

Apart from topping up the fluid in a car battery, I am not sure what other uses distilled water would have ?

[Buenchico]

You obviously don't do the ironing in your house, Mikey ;-)

[Buenchico]

Actually distilled water has a place in first aid kits. (Saline solution used to be used but it's been shown that distilled water is just as good).

[mikey4444]

Chris ....I most certainly do, although not as much as my Mum used to.....to her, wrinkly sheets were the work of the Devil. Me....I'm content to put up with it !

But I have never used distilled water to put in my steam iron,,,,,should I have done ?

[Buenchico]

You're always meant to use distilled (or deionised) water in a steam iron but you can probably get away with tap water if you don't live in a hard water area. (£1.50 for 2.5 litres, which lasts for ages, from Asda)

[mikey4444]

Lovely soft water here in Wales Chris !

[hc4361]

A lot of iron manufacturers now say that distilled water should not be used. Rowenta:
owenta irons are specially constructed to deal with normal levels of water hardness found in ordinary tap water (make sure the tap water is not filtered or softened in any fashion).

If hard water is used, it will cause your iron to emit minerals from the soleplate. If the water in your area exceeds 12 grains of hardness per gallon or is high in organic matter such as rust or iron, we recommend using an economical brand of spring water. (Please contact your local water company to determine the water hardness.)

The use of 100%-distilled/reverse osmosis waters should be avoided, due to the fact that it will only convert to steam at a higher temperature. Additionally, if 100%-distilled water is used in our irons you may encounter dripping, spitting and leaking."

[gingejbee]

grains per gallon? Are we in 1917 rather than 2017?

[Mamyalynne]

I hadn't heard that used either.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grains_per_gallon

[gingejbee]

Mamy...I had come across grains per gallon, but in very old textbooks...

[Mamyalynne]

There may be more modern terms to describe levels of water hardness, can't claim to know them.

Not my field at all.

[gingejbee]

Parts per million (ppm) or milligrams per litre of calcium carbonate....I was an analytical chemist in the water industry!

[Mamyalynne]

Rowenta behind the times then lol.

[EDDIE51]

Water purity is normally measured in parts per million 'ppm' , Total Dissolved Solids 'TDS'
Here in Hertfordshire our water is very hard 35 ppm TDS . Distilled or deionised water will be under 0. 1 ppm TDS.
Soft water such as you get in Yorkshire & Wales is under 10 ppm TDS.

[EDDIE51]

ginjebee , me too I am an analytical chemist ( LRIC 1976) and for my last 5 years ran a water treatment plant.