You know that tap water is bad for your tabletop fountain because of the minerals (calcium and lime). So, you have a clever idea: "What if I boil the tap water first?"
It makes sense, right? We boil water to purify it for drinking. It should be safe for a fountain... right?
Wrong. Using boiled water is actually one of the worst things you can do for your fountain. In fact, it might create limescale buildup faster than using plain tap water.
Here is the science behind why this "hack" fails.
1. Boiling vs. Distilling: The Big Difference
There is a massive confusion between these two processes:
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Boiling: You heat water to kill bacteria and parasites. The water turns into steam, but the minerals stay in the pot.
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Distilling: You boil water, catch the steam, and cool it back down into water. The minerals are left behind, and the collected steam is pure.
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The Problem: When you boil water in a kettle and pour it into your fountain, you are pouring in all the minerals that were there at the start. You haven't removed a single milligram of calcium.
2. The "Reduction Sauce" Effect
Think about cooking. If you simmer a sauce for a long time, the water evaporates, and the sauce gets thicker and saltier. Boiling water does the same thing to minerals.
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The Process: As water boils, pure H2O evaporates as steam.
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The Result: The water left in the kettle now has less volume but the same amount of minerals.
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Concentration: You have effectively created "concentrated hard water." When you put this into your fountain, the white crust (limescale) will form even more aggressively.
3. What About "Cooled Boiled Water"?
Some people think the white flakes at the bottom of the kettle mean the minerals have "precipitated out." While some minerals might settle, the water is still saturated with dissolved solids. Once it enters your fountain's pump, the heat from the motor will cause these remaining minerals to crystallize instantly, clogging the impeller.
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See what happens when pumps get clogged in our article: What happens if I don't use distilled water?
Conclusion
Boiling water is great for tea, but it is terrible for fountains. It wastes your time, energy, and electricity, only to produce water that is still full of pump-destroying minerals.
Save the kettle for your coffee. For your tabletop fountain, stick to the only scientifically proven safe option: Distilled Water.