Dear phD School sifus,

I have a question in mind (for a long time already) haha.... I tried looking from books and the internet for answers but I'm din't really find much
I was wondering whether you guys could clarify, what's the differences between:

1. Pipe water
2. Rain water
3. Distilled water
4. Deionized water
5. Battery water

We are using some of these waters in our lab but it would be good to know if I can actually use different type of water for different processes i.e. PCR etc..

As for those in our daily lives... one thing which I'm very interested in is.... what type of water can we actually use for our car's battery? Some say battery water, some say distilled water... very confused

Hope you guys can help me out, thanks thanks, appreciate your help!

I thought distilled water is very poor, if not doesn't conduct electricity?
My dad asked me to refill the car battery with distill water... [doubtful]

I've been thinking for quite a long time and I still don't know what's the difference...
May need to wait for Highwind85 to explain the usage of water when it comes to molecular level

As I've mentioned earlier, I thought distilled water is not (or very poor) in conducting electricity? O___O
I think its more likely deionized water...

Well... I never tried to take the water out from the battery and test it, my bad

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Added on September 28, 2010, 12:40 pmWell... I don't really trust Wiki but still here's a quote from there:
"Non-laboratory uses
Distilled or deionized water are commonly used to top up lead acid batteries used in cars and trucks. The presence of foreign ions commonly found in tap water will cause a drastic reduction in an automobile's battery lifespan.
Distilled or deionized water is preferable to tap water for use in automotive cooling systems.[6] The minerals and ions typically found in tap water can be corrosive to internal engine components, and can cause a more rapid depletion of the anti-corrosion additives found in most antifreeze formulations.[7][8] Distilled or deionized water is especially important in automotive hybrid system component cooling systems, mixed with hybrid system coolant, to prevent corrosion and/or electrolysis of hybrid components.[9]"

That settles one question....

I'm living proof... drank distilled water and deionized water everyday

This post has been edited by [PF] T.J.: Sep 28 2010, 12:40 PM

I think the reason why distilled water can be used (even though it is not good in terms of conductivity) is because there's still sulfuric acid inside the automotive battery. Based on Wiki, the car battery consists of 35% sulfuric acid and 65% water.

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Added on September 28, 2010, 12:44 pm+1

This post has been edited by [PF] T.J.: Sep 28 2010, 12:44 PM

I work in a lab... I have ample of deionized water and distilled water haha
I don't think its dangerous to drink distilled water, as long as we don't replace our everyday drinking water with distilled water. Normal water has more minerals, even though minute, which may be good for us

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Added on September 28, 2010, 7:11 pmYeap, d dH2O is even purer, but quite expensive haha
Tried both dH20 and deionized water for PCR, both works

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Added on September 28, 2010, 7:19 pmThe human's digestive tract isn't exactly "empty", as in there's a lot of other excretions i.e mucus, HCL acid, bile etc., which will offset the hypotonicity of the distilled water once consumed, regardless of how pure the water is... which probably explained why I'm still alive hahaha

This post has been edited by [PF] T.J.: Sep 28 2010, 07:19 PM

Well, the hypotonicity of the water will be decreased when mixed with other "stuffs" within the digestive tract, upon absorption, only then what you say will happen
LOL.... Even if I don't eat excessive Sodium also won't matter kua... osmoregulation via aldosterone will occur anyway
I eat a lot of vegetables (non-salty) to save money hahaha

You are scaring me ar dude haha
I should turn into vegetarian

The cells on the epidermis are dead cells.... I don't think they will burst

The dead cells are permeable to water. Upon permeating through those cells (after prolonged exposure to water), they come into contact with the inner cells, causing them to swell... since there's not enough space, they tend to push each other causing a wrinkled effect. I don't think the cells burst though....

LOL.... I remembered stealing some potatoes home to cook french fries
Bad example, don't learn guys haha

No they don't haha
Explanation available in previous pages