RV Anti-Freeze Freezes

mlts22 wrote:
I do something slightly different... I blow out the lines, add vodka, blow them out again. Any water in the lines will have its freeze point lowered to where it isn't an issue in Texas weather. (Now that I stated that, watch Murphy come along and send Austin 0 degree temperatures for a few days straight.)

It is an issue in the Panhandle, where the winter temps are measured by the wind chill factor, and bright sunny day highs don't get above freezing.

But down here in the Hill Country (and Austin), the freezing temps rarely last more than a few hours, so we've done just fine by blowing out all the lines and not buying the pink stuff anymore.

Knock on wood, furtively looking around in case Murphy appears...

What might be helpful is for the manufacturer to label the container with information on the apparent "freezing" of the RV Anti-Freeze and what that really means.


Jay

Vulcaneer wrote:

WyCamper wrote:
Just discovered that undiluted Supertech RV antifreeze, rated for -50F and sold at Wal-Mart, freezes solid at MINUS 2F!! I have 6 gallons of undiluted SuperTech in my 2010 5th wheel currently. Went out a few days ago to check that my toilet seal was holding antifreeze and found it frozen solid. Took pic with box of matches set on it. Bought another gallon at Walmart this week and set it out, unopened, two nights at below zero. Took another pic of it frozen solid this morning at Minus 2F. Getting the run-around from Wal-Mart, all they want to do is give me replacement product...they are missing the point. SUPERTECH should be pulled from the shelves and change their advertised rating of "-50F".

Funny...all these pages of responses and not one (that I saw) questions that he has used 6 gallons of A/F in his 5th wheel.

To the OP. You should try not to fill your water heater, or put a large amount of A/F in your tanks. My 38 foot trailer takes about 1 1/2 gallons. That includes the clothes washer and P-Traps. None in the water heater or fresh water tank. When (we snow bird) in warm weather, I run clean water thru the system for about 5 minutes, (with open faucets and open low point drains) to clear out any residual A/F. Run one empty load thru the clothes washer. Never get any after taste or odor.

I noticed that myself but not knowing what is involved with a clothes washer made no comment. I would hope that he would buy/install a WH bypass and a AF pickup so water heater and fresh water tank need not be filled.
bumpy

WyCamper wrote:
Just discovered that undiluted Supertech RV antifreeze, rated for -50F and sold at Wal-Mart, freezes solid at MINUS 2F!! I have 6 gallons of undiluted SuperTech in my 2010 5th wheel currently. Went out a few days ago to check that my toilet seal was holding antifreeze and found it frozen solid. Took pic with box of matches set on it. Bought another gallon at Walmart this week and set it out, unopened, two nights at below zero. Took another pic of it frozen solid this morning at Minus 2F. Getting the run-around from Wal-Mart, all they want to do is give me replacement product...they are missing the point. SUPERTECH should be pulled from the shelves and change their advertised rating of "-50F".

Funny...all these pages of responses and not one (that I saw) questions that he has used 6 gallons of A/F in his 5th wheel.

To the OP. You should try not to fill your water heater, or put a large amount of A/F in your tanks. My 38 foot trailer takes about 1 1/2 gallons. That includes the clothes washer and P-Traps. None in the water heater or fresh water tank. When (we snow bird) in warm weather, I run clean water thru the system for about 5 minutes, (with open faucets and open low point drains) to clear out any residual A/F. Run one empty load thru the clothes washer. Never get any after taste or odor.

Supercharged wrote:

WyCamper wrote:
Just discovered that undiluted Supertech RV antifreeze, rated for -50F and sold at Wal-Mart, freezes solid at MINUS 2F!! I have 6 gallons of undiluted SuperTech in my 2010 5th wheel currently. Went out a few days ago to check that my toilet seal was holding antifreeze and found it frozen solid. Took pic with box of matches set on it. Bought another gallon at Walmart this week and set it out, unopened, two nights at below zero. Took another pic of it frozen solid this morning at Minus 2F. Getting the run-around from Wal-Mart, all they want to do is give me replacement product...they are missing the point. SUPERTECH should be pulled from the shelves and change their advertised rating of "-50F".

Remember at W-Mart you saved 7 cents on a loaf of bread.

If you have a problem with saving money at Wal Mart why don't you just ignore this post? Showing everybody you are a narrow minded bigot is not helpful to us or you.

Why do the moderators allow posts like yours to stay?

If this was just a simple joke and I am reading too much into it I apologize in advance.

JJBIRISH wrote:
A dry system wouldn’t need protected… but I haven’t seen a dry system that was used until winterization and then blown out… yes they had compressed air run through them to empty the bulk water… but they are not dry, and I have repaired more because they thought the system was dry, and it wasn’t, than for any other reason… I have never repaired one the was winterized with the pink stuff when done properly…
As a matter of fact every one that I was told was winterized with air alone already, I was able to blow more water out of the lines a week or a month later… sometimes a significant amount of water ( I know, I hear it all the time, I have done it for years with no problems)…

Sometimes the plumbing is stubbed out for an outside shower or a washer that was never installed, if you look at most RV plumbing installations it’s easy to find one low spot after another… blowing the lines out seldom gets all the water out and works as long as enough of what’s left behind doesn’t pool in one spot or fitting…

Exactly! many people don`t understand gravity and what happens to water inside the lines in a trailer when it moves. everything finds the lowest point! That is why I will always use and recommend RV antifreeze. just to much of a gamble not using it.

BTW, what makes people think the near minimum wage person at Walmart cares about at what point the RV antifreeze freezes?!

JJBIRISH wrote:
A dry system wouldn’t need protected… but I haven’t seen a dry system that was used until winterization and then blown out… yes they had compressed air run through them to empty the bulk water… but they are not dry, and I have repaired more because they thought the system was dry, and it wasn’t, than for any other reason… I have never repaired one the was winterized with the pink stuff when done properly…
As a matter of fact every one that I was told was winterized with air alone already, I was able to blow more water out of the lines a week or a month later… sometimes a significant amount of water ( I know, I hear it all the time, I have done it for years with no problems)…

Sometimes the plumbing is stubbed out for an outside shower or a washer that was never installed, if you look at most RV plumbing installations it’s easy to find one low spot after another… blowing the lines out seldom gets all the water out and works as long as enough of what’s left behind doesn’t pool in one spot or fitting…

You are spot when you say "when done properly" but the use of air or pink stuff matters not IMHO.

I rarely see anyone doing it properly with air, you need a large reserve, 10 gallons minimum, 20+ is better. Once the initial blast of water is cleared there's still a LOT of water left in the lines and it takes a sustained flow of pressurized air to drive those drops out. A little 2 gallon unit doesn't make, or hold, enough air to do that.

A buddy of mine keeps his unit at my place, after he finished blowing the lines on his RV I ran the line from my shop compressor (5hp with 120 gallons of tanks) and hooked it onto his adapter. He was amazed at how much more water came out!

If the compressor you're using to blow the lines isn't capable of maintaining 50 - 60 psi with a wide open hose, it isn't up to the job.

Yeah I noticed there are a few people on here that always know more that anyone else and they're not afraid to tell the rest of us either.

I use the pink stuff with temps down to -40 and never had a problem.

Mike LeClair wrote:
Don't worry about the antagonistic nature of some of the elderly curmudgeons. Heck, I got roasted and flamed for committing the sacrilege of referring to the water heater as a "hot water heater". Take it easy on conclusion jumping without doing some research to back yourself up and don't ever venture out without your flame proof suit on.

Cheers!

Mike

I saw that thread!!! oh my god!! talk about "grumpy old men" and splitting hairs. I got called out for calling them "sway-bars", when in fact they're called ANTI-sway bars!!!

But I bet every person who read my post knew what I was talking about.

People need to chill.