is there a big difference here? or not much at all... wondering if maybe i should get coolant instead of water....

thanks...

Coolant is something you add to water to prevent galvanic corrosion and biological growth. It's not a replacement for water. There is a big difference, additives such as Watter Wetter, Zerex, and antifreeze don't work anywhere near as well as plain water. Figure about a quarter the cooling potential of water.

Remember this phrase: Nothing cools better than water...period.

It's the standard everything else is measured against. Anything you add to water will lessen it's ability to move heat. Use a mix like 90-95 percent distilled water and 5-10% additives for the best performance and protection. And change it out every few months. Over time a coolant mix will lose it's non conductive nature and the anti corrosive agents will break down.

Well said AntiM. Just to clarify a couple points:

1. when we say water ......... we mean distilled or de-ionized, NOT TAP WATER!

2. you MUST add something to your distilled or you WILL have rust and biologic overgrowth.

I think that when he says coolant he may be refering to those ready made bottles of crap that some online stores sell. Mix you own it will come out better. Oh and those "coolants" are mostly water. In the end it is better to mix your own instead of buying those off the shelf deals.

alright cool,,, thanks for the help...

i'm going to stick with water.......

and since i've only had my wc system installed a week or so i should be good,,, i put in purified water.. but i'll have to go out and get an additive...

i was under the impression that there were liquids you could buy that were made to conduct heat better than water...guess not haha...

I've been wondering. Would running water with too little coolant also add to troubles with air pockets forming (from the heat)?

No.

The only function of the additives are anti-corrosive and anti-biologic.

Edit: I voted "coolant", but I meant distilled plus an additive.

Personally, I prefer coolant. It leaves less to mix together and less chemicals to buy and store.