DEF tank and winterizing

prism wrote:

dave17352 wrote:
I would doubt that. I have a def tank on my 11 chevy and I believe it has a built in heater for cold weather. It would be impractical to have to drain it. What would you do when traveling in cold weather.

So your saying he needs to leave his DEF tank plugged in all winter while in storage.

Prism what others stated is what I meant. I didn't mean the truck had to be plugged in.

Great info.
Thank you to all who responded.

tmmar wrote:
For those who have a newer diesel with a DEF tank, do you need to drain the tank for the winter? Will the DEF freeze? What would need to be done for the DEF tank when winterizing?

I am getting a new coach that will have a DEF tank and not sure what needs to be done.

Thanks.

"Q. What is the freeze point of DEF? A. A 32.5% solution of DEF will begin to crystallize and freeze at 12 deg F (-11 deg C). At 32.5%, both the urea and water will freeze at the same rate, ensuring that as it thaws, the fluid does not become diluted, or over concentrated. The freezing and unthawing of DEF will not cause degradation of the
product.

Q. Does DEF expand when frozen? A. Yes, DEF expands by approximately 7% when frozen. DEF packaging and tanks are designed to allow for expansion.

Q. How do I keep the DEF from freezing? What happens if the DEF freezes in the tank on the vehicle? A. During vehicle operation, SCR systems are designed to provide heating for the DEF tank and supply
lines. If DEF freezes when the vehicle is shut down, start up and normal operation of the vehicle will not be inhibited. The SCR heating system is designed to quickly return the DEF to liquid form and the operation of the vehicle will not be impacted. The freezing and unthawing of DEF will not cause degradation of the product."

source: http://www.cumminsfiltration.com/pdfs/product_lit/americas_brochures/MB10033.pdf

Oops, TucsonJim beat me to it!

The information below is from the following website:

DEF Information

The key points from the data are:

Q. Is the 32.5% urea solution critical? A. Yes, The 32.5% urea concentration is the ideal solution as it provides the lowest freeze point. It is our understanding that all SCR systems will be calibrated to the 32.5% concentration.

Q. When will DEF freeze ? A. This 32.5% solution will begin to freeze at 12 deg F (-11 deg C). At 32.5%, both the urea and water will freeze at the same rate, ensuring that as it thaws, the fluid does not become diluted, or over concentrated. Unthawing will not cause harm to the product.

Q. How do I keep the DEF from freezing in the tank of a Truck? A. SCR systems are designed to provide heating for the DEF tank and supply lines. If DEF freezes when the vehicle is shut down, start up and normal operation of the vehicle will not be inhibited. The SCR heating system is designed to quickly return the DEF to liquid form.

Based on the information above, there are no special precautions you need to take.

dave17352 wrote:
I would doubt that. I have a def tank on my 11 chevy and I believe it has a built in heater for cold weather. It would be impractical to have to drain it. What would you do when traveling in cold weather.

So your saying he needs to leave his DEF tank plugged in all winter while in storage.

No need to drain

I would doubt that. I have a def tank on my 11 chevy and I believe it has a built in heater for cold weather. It would be impractical to have to drain it. What would you do when traveling in cold weather.