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Old 07-19-2011, 04:55 PM
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EricSilver EricSilver is offline
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Location: Fairfax, VA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Duke2.6 View Post
What is the point of using a "detergent"? It won't remove any mineral deposits or rust scale... sounds like snake oil to me.
It breaks the surface tension of water, apparently allowing it behave in a "wetter" manner. It also holds fine contaminants in suspension, rather than letting them settle.

An illustration I recall is pouring water onto dry soil and watching it bead and not be absorbed -- because surface tension prevented it. Soapy water, conversely, was absorbed straight away.
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