Is everybody having trouble finding alcohol free RV antifreeze this season?Walmart has always had it in past seasons. This year, three different brands, but all alcohol based.Checked on line, Home Depot had it at a store 15 miles away (plus at other stores even further). Drive all the way there, but they can't find it. Now when I check again on line, they have zeroed out all inventory within 100 miles of my zip code.Drive to the local hardware chain (since they don't do on line inventory) and they have several brands as well, but all alcohol based.Try Autozone, same thing. Two different brands, but all alcohol based.Is everybody having this problem?

i thought the 'pink stuff' was vegetable based. ???

Ummm, why do you want it to be alcohol free? Not trying to start something, I really want to know the rationale.All you are trying to do is get the water out of the system. The pink stuff with alcohol will do that. Once the water is out, you can safely drain the pink stuff out too. It doesn't have to remain in the system. The water is gone.rk911 wrote:i thought the 'pink stuff' was vegetable based. ???The RV antifreeze is either ethanol based or propylene glycol based. (Note that there is NO ethylene glycol in it. That is in car antifreeze and is deadly.) I am assuming that the OP is talking about avoiding the ethanol based stuff. However, technically, propylene glycol, also, is an alcohol.

ok...we need clarificafiom. OP....are you looking for engine anti-freeze or anti-freeze for the RV's fresh water system? pretty sure the latter is vegetable based.

I never checked to see which I get, they have all worked like they should so I don't really care. Been doing it for 10 years with no issues, so it all seems to work okay.

I ordered in a couple gallons of alcohol free Propylene glycol when I winterized my boat. I didn't have any trouble finding it online. I got it from an online marine retailer. I think it was West Marine. I didn't even try the stores. Our nearest Home Depot is about 30 miles away but then it's 15 miles to the nearest traffic light.What's with all the "vegetable based" comments? I've never heard of such a thing. It's propylene glycol.

Trouble finding alcohol free RV antifreeze this season?

cummins2014
Explorer
Dec 05, 2021
Cummins12V98 wrote:
cummins2014 wrote:
Cummins12V98 wrote:
I had my last Mobile Suites in single digits in SD for three days. The plastic manifold did crack but the Pex lines were just fine.

Point is blowing the lines with a bit of residue left won’t hurt a darn thing.

Only issue I have using air is the rusty water ,and what have you that can accumulate in a compressor tank, unless it's filtered . I see some nasty stuff coming out of a compressor tank when drained off , certainly wouldn't want that **** in my water lines .

Blow out the tank first if concerned. I think you just want to say something different just for kicks.

I don’t blow the lines ,,antifreeze is good enough for me . Just pointing out what comes thru those air hoses , if I did use air , yes I’d most certainly drain the tank , and clear the hose.
Cummins12V98
Explorer III
Dec 04, 2021
cummins2014 wrote:
Cummins12V98 wrote:
I had my last Mobile Suites in single digits in SD for three days. The plastic manifold did crack but the Pex lines were just fine.

Point is blowing the lines with a bit of residue left won’t hurt a darn thing.

Only issue I have using air is the rusty water ,and what have you that can accumulate in a compressor tank, unless it's filtered . I see some nasty stuff coming out of a compressor tank when drained off , certainly wouldn't want that **** in my water lines .

Blow out the tank first if concerned. I think you just want to say something different just for kicks.
cummins2014
Explorer
Dec 04, 2021
Cummins12V98 wrote:
I had my last Mobile Suites in single digits in SD for three days. The plastic manifold did crack but the Pex lines were just fine.

Point is blowing the lines with a bit of residue left won’t hurt a darn thing.

Only issue I have using air is the rusty water ,and what have you that can accumulate in a compressor tank, unless it's filtered . I see some nasty stuff coming out of a compressor tank when drained off , certainly wouldn't want that **** in my water lines .
TurnThePage
Explorer
Dec 04, 2021
My 2004 trailer gets the pink stuff (either variety) through all the lines and drains every winter. My black and gray still don't leak.

I always keep a couple gallons on hand so I don't have to worry if it's in stock when I need it. Never understood why so many others (that winterize) don't do that.
StirCrazy
Moderator
Dec 04, 2021
TechWriter wrote:
StirCrazy wrote:
I just looked up the chemical compatability of Propylene glycol and rubber, it is listed as satasfactory. I have no issues using it im units, and neither do thougsands of rv dealers and service departments, its actualy recomended in my owners manual.

Chances are that those rubber seals are actually made of Santoprene. Alcohol has little effect on it.

no its pure rubber that the compatability chart is for, and you have to remember Propylene glycol is a modified alcohol so the properties arn't the same as ethanol alcohol which everyone seems to use when looking up compataibilities. now if the seals are made out of somthing different then thats even better. like I said my camper has had rv antifreeze in it every year since 1991 and seals are all still good.

Steve
blt2ski
Moderator
Dec 04, 2021
AF at least locally in puget sound has been a PITA this fall. There was a 14-21 day stretch from late October to mid November where I work was out of AF, now there is plenty!
seems to be par for the course for many supplies this year! Cant get AGM batteries from our supplier at the moment either. Hopefully in the next week or two they will get some to us via local distributor. Been going on for 12 months or so due to lack of peeps in factory due to covid rules.
We had up thru about two weeks ago, only 100 55 gal drums for one of our customers that usually buy 150-200 drums per season.......

Marty
Cummins12V98
Explorer III
Dec 04, 2021
I had my last Mobile Suites in single digits in SD for three days. The plastic manifold did crack but the Pex lines were just fine.

Point is blowing the lines with a bit of residue left won’t hurt a darn thing.
dieseltruckdriv
Explorer II
Dec 04, 2021
CavemanCharlie wrote:

I do the basically same thing. I drain, flush with antifreeze, and then blow the antifreeze out with air. I've been doing this for over 10 years on this Travel Trailer with no problems.

Yep. If the last thing in the lines was antifreeze, it doesn't matter if there is an elbow that is a low spot, the antifreeze will not hurt it.

-30f is too cold to hope that the water left behind by only using air didn't end up in a low elbow. There might be no water left behind, but for what it costs and the time it takes to use the pink stuff compared to replacing broken plumbing it is very well worth using it.
CavemanCharlie
Explorer III
Dec 03, 2021
dieseltruckdriver wrote:
Now that I went down a rabbit whole, back to the original post.

I have also had problems finding the non alcohol pink stuff. But since I drain my water, flush with pink, then drain that, I am not very worried about it. It just gets too cold here to trust only air. With draining the lines after the pink flush I have no problems with flushing in the spring, since there was almost no antifreeze left in the lines. The feel good thing I get from it is if there was an elbow that was a low point I don't have to worry about it cracking at -30 f.

I do the basically same thing. I drain, flush with antifreeze, and then blow the antifreeze out with air. I've been doing this for over 10 years on this Travel Trailer with no problems.
TechWriter
Explorer
Dec 03, 2021
StirCrazy wrote:
I just looked up the chemical compatability of Propylene glycol and rubber, it is listed as satasfactory. I have no issues using it im units, and neither do thougsands of rv dealers and service departments, its actualy recomended in my owners manual.

Chances are that those rubber seals are actually made of Santoprene. Alcohol has little effect on it.

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