anti freeze ?

[Clean County]

I use antifreeze in all my PW's mixed with water for maximum protection.

As far as the hoses go I blow them out with my air compressor, the same way I blow out my inground sprinklers. I even blow out the industrial strength garden hoses that I use to hook up to my PW's.

To me it doesn't seem necessary to fill up the powerwashing hoses with antifreeze, but it couldn't hurt in doing so.

John/Clean County PW

 

[RJTravel]

Harlyn has an interesting method, but too complex for a dud like me. I have not found the 'funnel' mode to be time-consuming. I timed it this AM. Disconnect the supply line: attach the funnel hose (the funnel & hose is affixed next to the machine); pour anti-freeze into funnel and turn on machine; turn off machine when anti-freeze has chased out the water = total time from start to finish approx 40 seconds, and I am done.

For Bigboy - yes I am in the majority and use my real name. Is 'Bigboy' your real name? Don't know exactly how cold it gets in the Colorado mountains, but we have a scientific term for various degrees - 'brrr' and 'brrrrrrrrrr'.

One thing I often fail to do - one should pull the trigger (or operate the ball valve) a few times while introducing the anti-freeze in order to force the solution thru the unloader. I don't pretend to be expert - I learned this from reading B/Bs.

An associate had a unit freeze up on the way to Durango (for Dominic) in an open trailer - even though it had been properly winterized with 50/50 anti-freeze. Conclusion would suggest wind chill. Any thoughts on the effects of wind chill?

YJGLTB Richard

 

[Roger]

Regarding Wind Chill

RJTravel,

Wind Chill wouldn't have been a factor. The only way it would freeze is if the actual temp was below the freezing point of the antifreeze/water mix.

Quote from National Weather Service website: http://www.crh.noaa.gov/fsd/windchill.htm

"While exposure to low wind chills can be life threatening to both humans and animals alike, the only effect that wind chill has on inanimate objects, such as vehicles, is that it shortens the time that it takes the object to cool to the<font color=red> actual air temperature</font> (it cannot cool the object down below that temperature)."

Chances are there was a pocket of water that hadn't gotten flushed out be the antifreeze which froze.

Hope this helps,
Roger

 

[Dominic A]

Wind chill

Richard,
I often wonder about the wind chill. I have not had anything freeze up on me yet this year. Knock on wood. I have been winterizing everything as usual this year. The one thing I have been doing diffrent is when I pull up to the job site I run an extention cord from inside and hook up a halogan light and point it at the machine. So it has a few minutes to get everything a little bit warmer just in case something froze a little. I don't know if this has helped or not but in my mind it has. Just to show how cold it is down here. I went duck hunting this morning I had to break the ice on the pond with a hammer, must have been at least a half inch thick. When I walked out in to the feild the temp. read 4 degrees. BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!! Have a good one guys. Better safe then sorry.

 

[RJTravel]

Roger,
Thanks much for your input on the windchill factor. Makes sense to me - after all an inantimate object has no core temp to siphon off. Still, I was unsure - thanks. It occurs to me that driving in Colorado has special concerns. I am told that if one were to take a giant iron and flatten out Colorado the result would be the biggest state in the contiguous U.S. The cold is uneven and it is much, much colder in the low spots. Perhaps this contributed.

Dominic,
I hate to be the one to tell you this but there appears to be a major gap in your education. Ducks do not live in ponds. They fly in the air. But what else could be expected from one who goes hunting when it is 4 degrees?

YJGLTB Richard

 

[Dominic A]

You got a point

Richard,
You are have a point only a nut would be out at in that weather. And to be playing in the water at that temp.? Heak mama did not raise no fool I have a duck blind with a portable heater to go inside. I stay nice and warm. I can say was not expecting the ice to be that thick guess I better start to go to the warm water ponds now.

I must agree you can feel the diffrence in temp. from droping in to one place to the next. and I bet that had something to do to it. how bad did it freeze up on him? Did it bust anything? That is my biggest fear in the winter. Well I hope you have a great holiday Richard. Be safe

I have a few more questions about cleaning hoods in the winter I will ask them later got to go now. See ya

 

[Roger]

RJTravel

The colder temps in the low spots may have been a contributing factor, but only if the antifreeze and water were not mixed to the proper proportions, assuming it was an Ethelene Glycol based antifreeze.

An Ethelene Glycol based antifreeze/water mixture reaches it's lowest freezing point(aprox. -70 degrees F) when mixed at a rate of 60%/40%. Once the % of Glycol starts increasing above 60% so does the freezing point of the mixture.

So too much of a good thing can be bad.

Here is an article which may give a little more detail and has a chart plotting the mixture ratio vs the freezing point.
http://www.gi.alaska.edu/ScienceForum/ASF6/680.html

As for some of the other types of antifreeze that I had heard others mention, such as using RV antifreeze and windshield washer fluid. I dont know what their base is, possibablly alcohol. I also don't know what the mixture ratios(with water) vs freezing points are. But with a little research on the net, you could find a chart somewhere to compare against a glycol based antifreeze and see which offers the best protection.

Hope this helps,
Roger

 

[RJTravel]

Roger,
It amazes me that someone from Dallas knows so much about anit-freeze! In respect to windshield washer fluid it is pre-diluted therefore I don't think you would want to dilute it further - ditto for RV fluid. Also I have discovered that an auto anti-freeze testing device does not work with washer fluid. It produces no reading at all.
Richard

 

[Dominic A]

Roger,
I must agree with Richard it is very amazing how a guy from Texas knows so much about this process. I am not trying to knock you , but you keep pointing out web sites to visit which is great. But my question to you is do you practice these methods first hand or are you passing on knowledge that you just read?I bring this up because if you don't do these things day in and day out you really don't know what to do. Please don't take offence but if feel this is a legitament question?

 

[HarQuin]

Propylene glycol antifreeze @ 60% to 40% water protects to -54 degrees.

If it gets that coold here...I am retiring and moving south for the winter!!

I am just north of the Mexican border, been in these parts for almost thirty years and I do not recall ever seeing the temp at zero but have seen the single digits. We are at 4800 feet, with mountains around us. I would not want to be up north working in the COLD.

My units are either in the shop or antifreezed. We are only expecting high 30s to night but...

I checked the RV antifreeze out at walmart but I am going to stick to the environmentally safer automotive.

Why, after spend thousands of $ for a machine, would anyone want to risk the damage to the pump, hoses, and coil. you change the oil, tune motor, put clean gasoline in it, you depend on this machine. Why risk the loss to save a couple of bucks??

Adapting to what works for you is important.

Happy Turkey-Day!!

Harlyn

 

[Roger]

Dominic,

No offense taken.
However I'm not sure what PROCESS you are refering to? The freezing points of antifreeze mixtures, the affects of wind chill on inanimate objects or the method of applying the antifreeze to a machine? I was not trying to tell Richard how to apply antifreeze to his machine. I was just giving him some info on antifreeze and wind chill and some possible reasons why the unit he was refering to, froze while being trailered.

Why do you think it is so amazing that someone from Texas could know something about antifreeze or wind chill? We all aint idiots down here. Some of us do have edumications and common sense....LOL. Although I grew up in the North Texas area, and have lived here the majority of my adult life, I have lived in the mountains of New Mexico, it got cold there. Also keep in mind, that the temp in the Dallas area does occasionally get below freezing, not for long periods, but every now an then we will have a 2 or 3 day ice storm.

Do I practice these methods first hand? Well, of the 30+ vehicles I've owned in my life, I've never had one freeze yet. This is my first winter doing pressure washing and thankfully, so far we haven't had any temps below freezing so I haven't had to worry about protecting my unit, yet. But when the time comes, I'll know the correct ratio of antifreeze/water to use and will devise a way to get it into my machine that works for me.

Am I passing on knowledge that I JUST read? I was passing on knowledge. But if memory serves me right, I learned about the freezing points of antifreeze mixtures and wind chill back in high school Science, which about 4 years before you were a gleem in your mother's eye, how long ago was that? So no, it wasn't something I JUST read. Posting a link to the reference material was to give aditional info that was not included in my reply to Richard.

Your last statment:
"I bring this up because if you don't do these things day in and day out you really don't know what to do."

I don't want to offend you, but I think this is a legitimate question also. Do you change light bulbs day in and day out?

Have a happy Turkey Day,

 

[Dominic A]

You bet I do I change light bulbs everyday for some reason or an other.I am sorry but I think that was still a legit. question. I have meet a few people that think they know what they are doing when they only know what the book says. I if you don't use something first hand how can you know it really works they way they say. As for learning about wind chill ect. 4 years before I was a gleem in my mothers eye. YOu might what to cheak over some new books, new info. is always going into those science books. lol. When you learned that back then did they have school in caves still?lol Please don't take offence I am just messing with you now. Have a very happy and safe holiday season. OH yea I am sorry I forget that Texans can be smart I am just use to the ones that come up here for hunting season. I should not let a few bad apples let me stereo-type Texans. Sorry

Harlyn,
As for Rv anti-freeze I don't know which one that you looked at the one I get is rated -60 degrees. The way I look at this business is if you can have something that works just as good as another or even better in cases I say why not save a few bucks. The name of the game here is money and saving money. I don't think if some one uses this they are risking the machine to save a few bucks. But what works for you is the only way to go.

 

[Roger]

Dominic,
I was just yanking your chain as well.
I am here to learn, like everyone else, and I have learned a lot in the short time I've been here, thanks to those who post and share their knowledge. If I have information that I feel may be helpfull to someone, I will post and share as well. If I post something that is incorrect, I am not opposed to someone correcting me, nor would I be offended by it. If the reader chooses not to use the info that I post, thats fine also. I feel everyone here has something positive to contribute, whether they have been in this business for years or are just starting out.

No, We didnt have school in a cave, we couldn't afford one, so we just had to kinda huddle under a tree.....lol

If you change that many light bulbs, If you are interested, I can show you a way where you can get to a point where you won't have to pay for bulbs anymore. But let's take it to another thread so this one can get back to the topic of antifreeze.

Talk to you later,

 

[Hotwaterwizard]

If you want to know more, do a search on this page for Antifreeze. We have posted all of this before. A bunch of posts can be found in the archives of last year.


My quick solution to the environment was a Light Bulb above the machine.
Another way is a shop heater or a heating blanket wrapped around the machine.