All the years since your childhood, you must have seen your dad pouring water or a fluid in the car’s bonnet. If you ever asked him what it does, he would say it keeps the car cool. He was not wrong, but that is not the only thing that a coolant does.
Water although scientifically declared as a universal coolant, is less suitable to engines compared to coolants, which are widely and commercially available.
Why It Is Important
Why is the coolant so important to engines? Engines consist of a lot of moving parts. These movements cause friction and friction produces heat. Heat is a major source of energy losses. Energy cannot be created; the energy input and output would be different which means the operation will be inefficient.
Apart from efficiency, there are safe temperatures for engines to run, exceeding which could damage the equipment or result in fire. This is the reason cars shut down automatically if they ever become overheated.
This is the reason it is necessary to have a fluid running inside the vessels of the engine that absorbs heat, carries it away from the engine and then cools itself in a radiator. Here are a few reasons why we use coolant fluids in cars and other engines.
Impurities
Impurities in the tap water can segment on the bottom surface of the engine or settle down at the bottom causing it to jam or clog.
Corrosiveness
Water is corrosive. It can easily rust or corrode the internal metal parts of the engine. Rust will reduce the engine’s life and destroy it. On the other hand, coolants have components that are anti rust and prevent corrosion. They form a protective layer on the surface of the metal, which prevents it from reacting with the air and forming oxides.
Freezing Point
Most coolants have additional antifreeze properties. It requires adding certain elements to the coolant that lower its freezing point. This is beneficial in the areas where temperatures fall below zero. Water freezes at zero degrees Celsius and as the temperature falls further, it expands. This expansion can break the vessels where it runs and rupture the hoses of the car’s cooling system
This is why you need an anti freeze coolant which does not freeze well below zero degrees Celsius.
Boiling Point
Coolant has higher heat capacity than water. Which means it will require more heat energy to reach the same temperature which water can reach with much lesser energy. Components in the coolant also raise its boiling point making it safer for operation in the engine. Non-boiling fluid can run through the engine vessels more appropriately.
The Bottom-Line
If you have been using only water in your radiator, you might want to flush it out and use a coolant instead. Depending on the areas, you live in and the condition of your engine, you can always mix water with the coolant. It will retain its properties to an extent. Whenever you plan to re charge the coolant, it always better to choose coolants from Kost USA.
