[Nathanael Jones]

OK,.. I agree it does help with cleaning the windows,.. but as an antifreeze it just isn't up to the job!

I got home late last night,.. normally I'd run the heater and warm up the van tank to keep the frost away overnight, but it was late and I'd put IPA in the tank that morning (500mls in a 400 litre tank), so I thought it'd be fine.

This morning it was all frozen solid. The pump, hose reel, the lot!

To make things worse,.. I just went out to run the heater,.. and the heater has stopped working. The pressure switch burst open from the ice!!

That's the last time I ever rely on IPA!

 

[Chris Galloway]

Hpw can you rely on it if its in the tank? its not in your hoses, pumps etc unless you run them and ensure its in them too.

Best to keep a heater in the van or use a nice big duvet.

Bummer bout your heater thou.. do you have a spare one?

[ftp]

It's not rubbish, it's the percentage that's all wrong work out what your percentage was and it's probably less than one percent.

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/ispropanol-water-d_988.html

http://www.onlineconversion.com/percentcalc.htm

[Nathanael Jones]

I had been using the water with the IPA in,.. so it had run through all the hoses,..

I was told 500mls in a 650 ltr tank, so I thought I was being generous with it!

I've a spare heater (Just got an L5),.. my "lazy afternoon" tomorrow will now be spent fitting it.

[Jeff Brimble]

Hmm.. looks like wewill  have to drain down our heaters/remove them or keep them warm see  www.avondhucleaning.com/Yabb_2/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1227033021/0#0

[NWH]

Not a problem for me as i drive 20 miles to the first job most days with the heater on,you must live somewhere very very cold for the inside of your van to freeze..

[Sir Squeaky]

IPA is alright, but I wouldn't clean windows with it.

Try Spitfire Ale, it's like washing up liquid.

[NWH]

Nat why use IPA if you have hot water,like you say you just need to make sure you drain it if it`s cold.

[ftp]

I had a camper van with a gas heater that split one winter when the water inside the unit froze. 

[ftp]

In theory - going by the chart, if it goes to minus seven you will need 20% alcohol which would be 130 litres of the stuff in a 650 ltr tank. 

[Nathanael Jones]

Nat why use IPA if you have hot water,like you say you just need to make sure you drain it if it`s cold.

I was just being lazy last night,... never again!

[WCE]

Nat why use IPA if you have hot water,like you say you just need to make sure you drain it if it`s cold.

I was just being lazy last night,... never again!

Aint that always the way!!! I take it Ireland's the same as here at the min then - Cold!!!
Ps Got you email need to speak to you about it I will email you about in tomorrow (nothing serious so dont panic!!!).

[NWH]

Nat the L5 didn`t have a problem itself with the flame going out it was the draft blowing it out from the sides,you need to put something in front of the side vents in order to stop it i`ve finally found out lol.

[baldeagle]

Nathaniel,

If you were using 500ml to 400l, then you had only about one eighth of a percent of concentration.

You need 10% concentration to depress the freezing point of water to minus 3.1 deg C.

It's a directly proportional formula, so 20% takes you down to minus 6.2 deg C and so on.

Be careful what you are doing with it, Isoprop has a flash point of about 12 or 13 degree, and although there is alcohol in its title, it ain't the drinking sort - it's poisonous.

Baldeagle

[Nathanael Jones]

I honestly thought  was a more effective antifreeze!

At those concentrations, its simply too expensive to use as antifreeze, though I will continue using a bit here and there when I'm doing really dirty first cleans etc.

I'm just going to add a frost protection system to my hot setup instead.

[Chris Galloway]

Nathaniel,

If you were using 500ml to 400l, then you had only about one eighth of a percent of concentration.

You need 10% concentration to depress the freezing point of water to minus 3.1 deg C.

It's a directly proportional formula, so 20% takes you down to minus 6.2 deg C and so on.

Be careful what you are doing with it, Isoprop has a flash point of about 12 or 13 degree, and although there is alcohol in its title, it ain't the drinking sort - it's poisonous.

Baldeagle

so a 400 litre tank is 80 litres of ipa? at 20%   

edit

just noticed, ftp's post on this, seems about right then.. ouch! cheaper to buy and run a oil heater or a nice big thick duvet..lol

[Nathanael Jones]

Someone also told me that pure water doesn't freeze till about -10 because there's no impurities for the ice crystals to begin forming around,.....

RUBBISH!!!

[NWH]

Someone also told me that pure water doesn't freeze till about -10 because there's no impurities for the ice crystals to begin forming around,.....

RUBBISH!!!

Correct Nat it does,if it didn`t it wouldn`t have froze my Y pieces although i found when i used iso nothing froze at all even on the coldest of mornings.

[craig mcneil]

Someone also told me that pure water doesn't freeze till about -10 because there's no impurities for the ice crystals to begin forming around,.....

RUBBISH!!!

Completely rubbish. Pure water will freeze at exactly 0C. Ice is frozen water as simple as that - no need for there to be any impurities in it for it to freeze! Best example is sea water - loaded with salt and God knows what else, it won't start to freeze till about -6C at least.

[dai]

Just a thought guys. put some into a couple of 25 ltr containers, and use these for the first couple of jobs, it usually gets above freezing by about 9.30. If you can't do this then at least run some through your pump and hoses after you finish your last job. Do this with your back pack and at least you can rely on that to get you started in the morning.