¡Look at (and READ) the pink stuff jug!

[Matt_Colie]

On the advice of a friend that used to be a product engineer for a major OE chemical supplier, I have started reading the jugs of RV anti-freeze that I have.

The old ones were straight Propylene Glycol (safe to drink).

The newer ones have giant lettering that say SAFE, but do not say what they are safe for....
They are denatured alcohol, gycol (unspecified) color, water and something I don't remember. If I had this in my potable system, I would be very careful to flush the system very well in the spring.

You can probably still find PG based anti-freeze, but it won't be cheap.

Matt

[fred42]

Some links:

http://mainecamperdealer.com/what-you-need-to-know-about-rv-anti-freeze/

http://www.rvlife.com/columns/tech-tips/4015-techtipsrv-antifreeze-not-all-the-same.html

[AllegroD]

camperpaul wrote:
Just forget the RV antifreeze.

Drain the tank and pour in a couple of gallons of cheap vodka.

That will keep the tanks from freezing (good to -125°F) and will sanitize the tank.

In spring, to de-winterize, just throw a big party. 🙂 🙂 🙂

I prefer Peppermint Schnapps.

Have used at least 3 different brands of pink, every year, over the last 11 years, and my hair is not falling out, nor has my skin fallen off. Definitely no sickness. I would not drink it though.

I do drain, flush, sanitize and flush in the spring.

[ktmrfs]

dougrainer wrote:
Well, lets look at HISTORY. Hundreds of Thousands of RV's are winterized every year. They all use what is called RV antifreeze, regardless of the maker. IF ANY of the Antifreeze harmed humans, there would be BIG National news stories every spring. So, do not worry, you will be OK. The Antifreeze is not designed for regular drinking but for freeze protection. The REAL way to de-winterize is to drain and flush and then SANITIZE your fresh water system as ALL the manuals state. They recommend BLEACH (small cup) to sanitize the fresh water tank and systems. Would YOU drink a gallon of straight Bleach? But, RV'ers are always using a small bleach mixture to sanitize their systems. QUANTITY is the real issue here. Too MUCH water will kill you also. RV antifreeze will get slushy below 32 degrees, it will not stay a complete liquid. Doug

this is the first year in our area where the RV antifreeze with alcohol has been very common. Until a few years ago virtually all of it was straight propolyne glycol. Last year a few "off brands" had ethyl alcohol and propolyne glycol. This year it seems like all the stuff I've seen has ethyl alcohol and propolyne glycol.

Ethyl alcohol is safe as is, or IF it is denatured w/o deadly stuff. I'm assuming if the RV antifreeeze was denatured with methanol, acetone etc. it would have to be clearly labeled as a hazardous material and not safe for potable water systems.

[aruba5er]

I looked at a bottle of PEAK and it has ethyl alcohol and a bunch of other junk and dye. The most important part said GRAS (generally regarded as safe.) I used to just blow the lines out but somehow water pooled and froze. now I blow it out and add pink. It washes out and you should sanitize anyway.

[dougrainer]

Well, lets look at HISTORY. Hundreds of Thousands of RV's are winterized every year. They all use what is called RV antifreeze, regardless of the maker. IF ANY of the Antifreeze harmed humans, there would be BIG National news stories every spring. So, do not worry, you will be OK. The Antifreeze is not designed for regular drinking but for freeze protection. The REAL way to de-winterize is to drain and flush and then SANITIZE your fresh water system as ALL the manuals state. They recommend BLEACH (small cup) to sanitize the fresh water tank and systems. Would YOU drink a gallon of straight Bleach? But, RV'ers are always using a small bleach mixture to sanitize their systems. QUANTITY is the real issue here. Too MUCH water will kill you also. RV antifreeze will get slushy below 32 degrees, it will not stay a complete liquid. Doug

[Dog_Folks]

atreis wrote:

Dog Folks wrote:
For any product, you can get best results and most value using three simple swords: "Read the label." It is amazing sometimes what information is printed there.

Somehow I suspect I'd have problems other than freezing if I took a sword to my fresh water system. I do have three kids though, and three simple swords would be one each. I suspect they'd like this idea. 🙂

Spelling corrected. Thanks.

[atreis]

Dog Folks wrote:
For any product, you can get best results and most value using three simple swords: "Read the label." It is amazing sometimes what information is printed there.

Somehow I suspect I'd have problems other than freezing if I took a sword to my fresh water system. I do have three kids though, and three simple swords would be one each. I suspect they'd like this idea. 🙂

[camperpaul]

Just forget the RV antifreeze.

Drain the tank and pour in a couple of gallons of cheap vodka.

That will keep the tanks from freezing (good to -125°F) and will sanitize the tank.

In spring, to de-winterize, just throw a big party. 🙂 🙂 🙂

[B_O__Plenty]

I can't imagine anyone would put something into the RV anti-freeze that would be safe to drink in small quantities. It's going into a potable water tank. I hardly think they want to open themselves up to the lawsuits that would come along if they were poisoning people..

B.O.

[fj12ryder]

"Denatured alcohol" isn't necessarily harmful to drink:

"There are hundreds of ways ethanol is denatured. Denatured alcohol that is intended for use as a fuel or solvent typically contains 5% or more methanol. Methanol is flammable and has a boiling point close to that of ethanol. Methanol is absorbed across the skin and is highly toxic, so when I recommend people not use denatured alcohol for making perfume or bath products, my reason is that you usually don't know what has been added to the ethanol. Denatured alcohol for use in cosmetics often contains water and a bittering agent (Bitrex or Aversion which are denatonium benzoate or denatonium saccharide), but other chemicals are sometimes used. Other common additives include (but are not limited to) isopropanol, methyl ethyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone, pyridine, benzene, diethyl phthalate, and naphtha. In some countries, denatured alcohol must be colored blue or purple using an aniline dye, in order to distinguish it from consumption-grade ethanol." Quote by Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.

So it's very likely that the denatured ethyl alcohol in the RV antifreeze is just nasty tasting, not actually poisonous.

[Gene_Ginny]

I noticed the Aubuchon Hardware website ( LINK ) has this description for Camco Artic Ban Antifreeze:

Safe and tasteless for fresh water and plumbing systems of boats, RVs, homes, and trailers. Protects from bursting to -60 degrees Fahrenheit. Blend of propylene glycol and denatured alcohol.

The picture of the bottle on their website is different than everyone else's picture. :h

[ktmrfs]

Wind River wrote:
Camco's Arctic Ban antifreeze says: "Contains Ethyl Alcohol 64-17-5. KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN. Contains denatured alcohol." This is taken from the label of the containers I purchased about a month ago.

that certainly contradicts the posted MSDS. Personally I would never ever put anything with denatured alcohol in any potable water system. Conseqences of accidental ingestion is way to serious to consider, blindness and/or death if they used methanol to denature it (a very very common way to denature alcohol).

It' also very suprising to me that it is allowed to be sold as something that would go into a potable water system.

[Bill_Satellite]

I always used the blow out method and I still believe it's the best option available. I used the anti-freeze the first year I owned an RV and I will never do that again. To much time, too much effort and absolutely no gain over simply blowing the water out of your system and putting a bit of anti-freeze in the traps and pumps to ensure safe storage.

[Wind_River]

Camco's Arctic Ban antifreeze says: "Contains Ethyl Alcohol 64-17-5. KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN. Contains denatured alcohol." This is taken from the label of the containers I purchased about a month ago.