Man has known the science of distillation for centuries as sailors distilled water from seas while on long voyages. So, it is nothing new, but one might not know in detail about uses of distilled water in modern times. This article attempts to describe some such regular uses of distilled water in our days and times.
Distilled water is not cheap to manufacture commercially so industries have often substituted de-ionized water for distilled water but level of purity in de-ionized water is always considerably lower as compared to distilled water. So, for experiments usually laboratories use distilled water, and sometimes double-distilled water.
The first and most common use of distilled water that we are familiar with is its use in topping up of our car batteries. If any other water is used instead, the lead electrodes get corroded faster and considerably reduce battery life.
Same is applicable for air conditioning and air cooling systems of cars. Use of anything other than distilled water actually reduces efficacy of anti-freezing solutions in these systems by causing totally unwanted chemical reactions. The fact that non-distilled water tends to eat away the sensitive and sophisticated innards of these machines is of course another equally distracting bit of news.
Use of non-distilled water in any form of steam boiler causes residues to remain within the boiler and connected pipes and these scales either totally jam up the pathways meant for steam or severely restrict those leading to marked reduction in levels of efficiency of these machines. So, distilled water must always be used where either water comes in contact with narrow tubes and pipes or where water is heated to obtain steam UNLESS the boiler and the pipes are made out of cast iron or other kinds of metals that rust easily, in which case, damage to the boiler and pipes is possible if using distilled water.
Some overenthusiastic lovers of colorful fish often feel filling their aquariums with distilled water in place of normal water would make the fish healthier. While there is absolutely no doubt that distilled water is purer than natural water, the former does not have essentially salts and minerals that are needed to maintain a healthy ecosystem for fish to thrive and if distilled water is indeed used in aquariums it must be replenished by adequate amounts of absolutely necessary salts and nutrients. For humans, however, consumption of distilled water is safe because humans derive close to 100% of their nutrients from food sources and not water.
Tobacco enthusiasts are of the opinion that their favorite cigars or tobacco that they stuff in their smoking pipes do not taste half as good if they are not stored in optimum humid conditions. To maintain this ambient humidity manufacturers often take recourse to humidors that use copious volumes water to maintain desirable levels of humidity. Distilled water is the only option to use in such humidors as scales from tap water will choke up the capillary type pipes in these machines if used for a considerable period of time.
And here is an all important insider information from those that prefer to brew their own drinks at home instead of buying from wine shops. For these connoisseurs, distilled water is an absolute must when they brew their Pilsners as distilled water can be safely used to mimic soft water of the famed rivers of Pilsen, and for regular drinks, distilled water enhances the flavor because of its purity.
