Vodka as anti-freeze

N

northern

Well-Known Member
Jan 17, 2007
3,525
Anacortes Washington
Boat Info
380 Aft Cabin 1989 Charts Timezero radar Furuno
Engines
Twin 454 strait shaft
I read an article that one person used vodka as an anti-freeze in their potable water system instead of pink propylene glycol. Said the vodka taste washed out with one fresh tank of water.

Questions

Has any tried this?

Will the vodka hurt the 12 volt water pump, rubber in the faucets and the water lines in the boat?
 
The cheap antifreeze is alcohol based, and about the same percentage so yes it would work. It is an expensive alternative to $5 a gallon for antifreeze. There is one type of plastic it will affect, but it is ok for most. It is flammable however so not the best choice.
 
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Have you considered blowing out your water system with an air compressor? Not only is it considerably cheaper than anti-freeze, there is no flushing of the water system required when recommissioning in the spring.
 
T
LTD.330 said:
Have you considered blowing out your water system with an air compressor? Not only is it considerably cheaper than anti-freeze, there is no flushing of the water system required when recommissioning in the spring.
Click to expand...

This X2. Been doing it for 15 years. Connect compressor to the shore water inlet, lower the pressure to 50 psi and blow the lines clear. I hate pink anti freeze in the lines.
 
I blow mine out too as was mentioned... I don't blow through the pump... After connecting to the shore water connection and blowing out the system, I disconnect the inlet and outlet from the pump and blow back to tank and to the HW heater... I also drain the HW heater before begin blowing out the water... I also blow out the AC system... However, I like the idea of using Vodka, if you can get it keep...
 
i have used air from the exhaust port of a small wet/dry vac to blow out the water lines and engine block of a previous boat for winterization....this worked very well since it is a source of 'high volume - low pressure' air....the force of the air was not enough to do any damage.....

cliff
 
Always used a compressor. Never thought to bypass the pump though. That might be a good idea. Shop vac worked great for seacocks. I've never winterized these closed cooled engines so I'm not sure how I'm going to do it this year. New to me boat with 8.1L motors.
 
I blow it the system out too after bypassing the HW heater, but I still add 2 gallons of pink and run it through the faucets just to be safe. Probably overkill, but we don't use the fresh water tank for drinking and I flush it with a fresh water and chlorine bleach solution when I re-commission anyway.
 
VODKA?!?! Good God, no. Flammable, expensive, and just a waste of booze.
Air is free- compress it and use that! I like the wet dry vacuum idea. I manually drain all lines and petcocks, then fill with the pink stuff at $2.50 a gallon.
 
SloBurn
Where do you get food grade pink for $2.50 a gallon. WestMarine is 5.99 for the pink with propylene glycol. ACE has the other pink with alcohol for 1.99 some time.
 
I'm pretty sure the WallyWorld version of the pink antifreeze sells in the neighborhood of $2.50/gallon.
 
On a serious note I would stick with the pink stuff - @4/gal at WalMart I get the Prestone propylene glycol based. The cheaper Walmart brand is ethanol based, probably ok for the engines, but I would keep it away from the water system.

Use the Vodka for this:
 
School me on polypropylene vs. ethanol based antifreeze.

As previously mentioned, I use air to blow out my water system, and use one gallone of walmart brand antifreeze for the shower sumb and head.
 
My understanding is the ethanol (alchohol) based anti-freeze can cause damage to rubber hoses, seals etc in the freshwater and head system - much like ethanol gasoline works on fuel system components. As for the engine I don't think it matters, but since I only use 4-5gallons I just buy the propylene glycol based version, it's usually a dollar or two more per gallon at Walmart.
 
I used vodka for years.... works great, and is not that much for the cheapest state stod stuff... and the smell and taste is gone instantly
 
LTD.330 said:
School me on polypropylene vs. ethanol based antifreeze.

As previously mentioned, I use air to blow out my water system, and use one gallone of walmart brand antifreeze for the shower sumb and head.
Click to expand...
Ethyl alcohol based antifreeze is flammable, is harsh on some plastic and rubber, and not good for engines because it doesn't prevent rust (might even promote it). Propylene glycol is more expensive and getting harder to find. It can also attack some plastics.
 
Ethelyne glycol is toxic, propelyne glycol is not and is a food additive. Both are alcohols, neither is flamable.
 
Adding to the mix... Ethyl/Ethylene based pink AF should NOT be used in the engine. It can be used for the fresh water system, head, AC, etc. But not for the engine. Propylene based pink AF can be used anywhere. Ethyl-based is generally a buck or two cheaper than Propylene.
 
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