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electrical conduction set aside, the tap water is actualy better. You see, in addition to just water, tap water contains minerals, which aid in heat carrying capabilities of water. I'm not saying it will be a noticable difference, but there is a difference.
--MAtt
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I don't think so. First of all, as far as conductivity goes, distilled is just as good (bad) as tap water.
Any dissolved solids in your tap water is not going to help anything. Even if your water was laced with silver, it doesn't make your water magically more thermally conductive.
In actuality, distilled water is more likely to be contaminated by algal spores and bacteria than tap water is. Most tap water is mildly chlorinated to prevent the growth of any biologicals. The chlorine dissipates harmlessly after a few hours of exposure to air. Even in a closed system, the chlorine gas is in very low concentration and will eventually dissipate out of the system via the tubes (it will go right through).
The main reason to use distilled water is because it has very little in the way of calcium carbonate. That is to say, distilled water is much "softer" than most tap water. The carbonate is responsible for the white scaling on bathroom tiles. Even if your house has a soft water system, all that is happening is the calcium is being ionically exchanged for sodium or potassium. These don't scale, but you still don't want them in your system because they CAN form buildups.
Bottom line: distilled water is cheap, use it. Add water wetter, it will prevent biologicals.
Neil