![]() (In this experiment, the ice formation will exit the shot class because liquid water will take up less room than solid water. Note that when the water freezes it expands the container in this case, the shot glass. Visit for more information.Įver take a shot glass – fill it with plain ole water – and place it in your refrigerator’s freezer for awhile? Russ and Tiña De Maris are authors of RV Boondocking Basics-A Guide to Living Without Hookups, which covers a full range of dry camping topics. I promise you this: I’ve never tasted what comes out of there! What little antifreeze we use goes down the plumbing drain p-traps. What do we use? Hah! We don’t worry about taste or plumbing deterioration problems: When we winterize, we use air pressure to blast water out of our pipes. Keep a weather eye open on its other brand, Artic Ban -50. Likewise is Camco’s Easy Going -50 brand. Shop at Wal-Mart? Its house brand, Super Tech RV and Marine Antifreeze, is virgin pure. To save you trouble, we checked with manufacturers of other popular RV antifreeze brands. Dow, of course, makes a big noise about its materials being strictly “virgin” in every jug of Dowfrost. How do you know if your brand of propylene glycol RV antifreeze might contain recycled materials? You wouldn’t from looking at the label. The recycled product, warns Dow, could come to you along with other chemical nasties that might not be so potable. Often the runoff is captured and sent to a recycler. When your 707 sits on the tarmac on a chilly day, that stuff they spray on the wings to keep the plane from icing up is typically propylene glycol. Can you imagine RVers running out with buckets every spring, catching those precious drops of antifreeze, and shipping them back to some chemical plant for recycling? Nah! But there are some outfits that actually do recycle propylene glycol: airports. In a news release touting its own brand of propylene glycol antifreeze, Dow Chemical warns against similar products made by others-ones that could possibly be made with recycled products. Since ethanol antifreeze is combustible, if you decide to use it, then by all means, keep it away from flame.ĭoes this mean that propylene glycol antifreeze is the choice for RVers? Here’s one more fly in the ointment. Some warn that rubber plumbing seals can be adversely affected by contact with ethanol. At least one RVer says when he took his rig out of the “deep freeze” and began to use it during travel season, the taste from the plumbing was bad, and it took quite awhile to flush the unwelcome spirit out of the system. Some RVers have reported that using ethanol-based antifreeze did keep their pipes intact, but unexpected side effects cropped up. At that point, frugal RV logic would ask, “What’s cheaper?” Some retailers would have you believe that the ethanol-based antifreeze is less expensive, and hence, the product of choice for winterizing.īut hold on to your credit cards for a minute, there’s more than money to be considered. For our purposes as RVers trying to keep our pipes from breaking, either one will do the job. Technically a “double alcohol,” this is not like a “double shot.” But like grain alcohol, it also raises the freezing point of water. That other antifreeze contender, propylene glycol, is also an alcohol of sorts. Yes, ethanol is a good antifreeze (not in your bloodstream) because it raises the freezing point of water. You may remember from your high school chemistry class that ethanol is the “kick” in Kickapoo Joy Juice-grain alcohol. The primary components are either ethanol or propylene glycol. There are two basic contenders in the world of non-toxic RV antifreeze. ![]() So when asking what kind of antifreeze they use to winterize their rig’s plumbing system, many RVers respond, “Oh, I use the pink stuff.” Huh? Just what is the “pink stuff?” There really is a difference in RV antifreeze formulas, and it can make a big difference on how things turn out. ![]() Many types are toxic, and should only be put into an engine cooling system. Automotive antifreeze is a whole different critter. ![]() RV antifreeze is non-toxic and meant for pumping into the plumbing system. In case you missed it, here’s a quick recap. Most RVers are savvy enough to know there’s a huge difference between RV antifreeze and automotive antifreeze. One question that pops up when winterizing is discussed is this: Is there a difference in the types of RV antifreeze? Keeping your RV water lines from freezing (and breaking) is serious stuff. We’ve written on this important subject before. If your rig is sitting in cold country and you haven’t already done so, it’s high time to get winterized. ![]()
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