How much antifreeze

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by jvbutter01

ok, time for the stupid question.... are you refereeing to
https://www.campingworld.com/freeze-...lon-57726.html
type... propylene glycol vs what you put in your car.. ethaline glycol.

some descriptions say to put in marine engines, so its got me a bit puzzled.

The link you have there is correct. The important factor is that it states that is safe for potable water. As far as marine engine use there are basically 2 types of cooling systems for marine engines. One is called "raw water cooling" where the engine uses the water the boat sets into pump thru the engine directly for cooling. Most commonly found on outboards.

Many inboard marine engines use "fresh water cooling" where the system is much like a car engine cooling system only instead of the air cooling the automotive antifreeze via a radiator it gets pumped thru an intercooler (heat exchanger) that get's cooled by the water that the boat sets in.

In either marine system you don't want to have automotive antifreeze in the system that is in contact with water that the boat sets in as it's toxic for the environment. So for those marine systems the RV antifreeze is used as it's not toxic.

Long winded explanation but I hope it helps you understand the "marine engine use".

[skids]

Do not use ethylene glycol in your drinking water system under any circumstances!

[jvbutter01]

Originally Posted by flybouy

Long winded explanation but I hope it helps you understand the "marine engine use".

yes i do remember when I had my boats.. 1 was cooling system like a car ( closed) the other would take water form the lake, pump it through the motor, and back into the water. So yes I can see why it would need NOT be harmful for drinking / consumption.

Originally Posted by skids

Do not use ethylene glycol in your drinking water system under any circumstances!

Yes I do know about ethylene, hence my question.... hello we've all heard the stories about dogs drinking what's dripped on the ground. I've tasted a bit back in the day when working on cars, that stuff was nasty. Hence my confusion about this new to me RV stuff.

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by jvbutter01

yes i do remember when I had my boats.. 1 was cooling system like a car ( closed) the other would take water form the lake, pump it through the motor, and back into the water. So yes I can see why it would need NOT be harmful for drinking / consumption.


Yes I do know about ethylene, hence my question.... hello we've all heard the stories about dogs drinking what's dripped on the ground. I've tasted a bit back in the day when working on cars, that stuff was nasty. Hence my confusion about this new to me RV stuff.

Just a note as this RV antifreeze is a new experience for you. Unlike automotive antifreeze, the RV antifreeze will freeze. The difference is the RV antifreeze will turn into a "slushy" substance but it will not expand and therefore will not cause damage. Just thought you should know in case you put some in the deep freeze as a "science experiment".

[jvbutter01]

Originally Posted by flybouy

Just a note as this RV antifreeze is a new experience for you. Unlike automotive antifreeze, the RV antifreeze will freeze. The difference is the RV antifreeze will turn into a "slushy" substance but it will not expand and therefore will not cause damage. Just thought you should know in case you put some in the deep freeze as a "science experiment".

funny you mention this... someone on an Amazon feedback post complained about this very thing, put it in freezer and it froze. It almost seems better to just drain all water and leave empty. Except for the fact of drying out any seals inside.

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by jvbutter01

funny you mention this... someone on an Amazon feedback post complained about this very thing, put it in freezer and it froze. It almost seems better to just drain all water and leave empty. Except for the fact of drying out any seals inside.

As Marshall said, it will freeze (or at least get slushy) in below zero temperatures. I keep a 2-3" deep pool of RV antifreeze in my Dometic toilet bowl. In January/February it will freeze, sometimes "solid", but has never caused any damage. The same thing (I'm sure) is happening in the faucets, the P-traps and the Hepvo valves as well as in the holding tanks, "right next to the dump valves"...

The "saving grace" for RV antifreeze is that even though it does "freeze solid" (just like water does), it doesn't expand when frozen (unlike water) so when it freezes solid, it won't "expand and crack the fixture around it"....

As for using air to "empty the plumbing system"... Can you ever be sure that you've blown out all the water (or enough of the water that it won't pool in a low spot and freeze, expand and destroy that "low point location" within the plumbing system.... Compressed air to push water out of the plumbing is a "great first step" but in "super cold climates" it often is not enough to assure complete protection. After blowing out the water (which assures minimal dilution of the antifreeze in the next step), then the introduction of the antifreeze assures "maximum undiluted antifreeze" in the plumbing, providing the maximum protection.

In many areas of the US, where extreme low temperatures aren't a problem, then "blowing out the system" should provide sufficient protection. But, in extremely cold areas, IMHO, it's much better to spend the $5 on a couple gallons of antifreeze, the 15 minutes of time/effort and assure protection.... In the long run, if it protects the plumbing, that $5/15 minutes could easily save $500 in repair costs.... YMMV.

[flybouy]

To John's point how "dry" is your compressed air"? I doubt the "typical" driveway mechanic is using a water seperator much less an air dryer on their air supply. If you want to do a "Sid the science guy" experiment it's easy.

Take two identical sealable containers. Empty pill bottles, empty spice bottle, anything small and sealable. Fill one with antifreeze and one with water. Place both in a pan or container to catch any spillage and place it in the freezer. The one with the water will be expanded, most likely to the point of fracturing. The one with the antifreeze may freeze but the bottle won't be expanded.

[jvbutter01]

Originally Posted by flybouy

To John's point how "dry" is your compressed air"? I doubt the "typical" driveway mechanic is using a water separator much less an air dryer on their air supply. .

you have a point about air accumulating in your compressor lines. I doubt there is enough to actually collect at single location, then freeze, and cause damage. Its typically a pretty small amount, have you looked at a inline filter? I have one.