Can't Get -100 Engine Antifreeze

[midexp]

Yikes, West Marine doesn't have this stuff. Seems there's a shortage. Anyone up north use the -60 deg. stuff for engines? Says it's only good to 7 deg. F. One place has -100, but price is crazy.

 

[Strecker25]

Yikes, West Marine doesn't have this stuff. Seems there's a shortage. Anyone up north use the -60 deg. stuff for engines? Says it's only good to 7 deg. F. One place has -100, but price is crazy.

i use -60 and used to use -50 without issue. We’re in Rochester, NY.

the burst protection is way lower than 7*, it will slush up around that temp but nothing will crack.

 

[my3sons]

Anyone up north use the -60 deg. stuff for engines? Says it's only good to 7 deg. F. One place has -100, but price is crazy.

I used -60 a few years ago for my generator and air conditioners. Somehow I ended up with a case of it when I bought the AF that fall, must of been mistakenly put on the pallet with the - 50 and when we were loading it we never noticed it. It worked fine.
It has the “ special” additives in it for engine systems.
Our local WM is selling the cheaper “ for water systems only” -50 sea fit stuff as well as the “engine approved” premium WM -50 this year. I don’t recall them selling that before. Maybe they think they will need it. As of last week they had pallets and pallets of everything.

 

[yobub]

I was talking with the manager of our local West Marine a couple weeks ago, and he was lamenting the inventory shortages. He pointed to the shelf with about 15 bottles of the -50 stuff, and said that was all he had and probably all he was getting. I would recommend that you buy what you can, and then keep an eye out for the -100 if you are concerned.

Other outlets, like Tractor Supply, Home Depot, etc. are also possible sources.

 

[Pirate Lady]

Dear god. If you live where you need -50 to -100 antifreeze, in the immortal words of Sam Kinison “MOVE!!!”.

 

[Strecker25]

I used -60 a few years ago for my generator and air conditioners. Somehow I ended up with a case of it when I bought the AF that fall, must of been mistakenly put on the pallet with the - 50 and when we were loading it we never noticed it. It worked fine.
It has the “ special” additives in it for engine systems.
Our local WM is selling the cheaper “ for water systems only” -50 sea fit stuff as well as the “engine approved” premium WM -50 this year. I don’t recall them selling that before. Maybe they think they will need it. As of last week they had pallets and pallets of everything.

Do you normally use -50 pink for engines? I did for years but for some silly reason I started buying -60 when we got the new boat. Paranoia on more expensive engines probably, but -50 was always fine

 

[Strecker25]

Dear god. If you live where you need -50 to -100 antifreeze, in the immortal words of Sam Kinison “MOVE!!!”.

lol tell me about it…

 

[midexp]

Thanks guys. Yes I have used the -50 pink stuff for my AC units and never had an issue. I think I will get the -60 stuff tomorrow at WM as I just stopped by and they are running low. We might all be using the -50 pink stuff for engines this year. BTW, love your comment Pirate Lady!

 

[hottoddie]

Picked 10 gallons of -50 at Walmart yesterday for $2.58/gal. The label says it has propolyne glycol not ethelyne glycol. I'll add some corrosion additive for some added protection. Before winterizing the engines I'll drain the mufflers and heat exchangers to prevent dilution. Don't expect any issues.

 

[my3sons]

Do you normally use -50 pink for engines? I did for years but for some silly reason I started buying -60 when we got the new boat. Paranoia on more expensive engines probably, but -50 was always fine

Yes, always have used the -50. My paranoia on the diesels is now I pull the aftercooler bottom anode out which drains about 3 cups of residual water before I suck up 6 gallons of pink. It's the only water left anywhere in the raw water side except for the mufflers when the boat is pulled. The rest drains out the shaft seals. And then 3 gallons at least of pink runs out the shaft seals after she shuts the engines off. Every year I say that I should catch it in buckets and pour it in the sumps instead of wasting it, but never do

 

[Fill Ess]

Dear god. If you live where you need -50 to -100 antifreeze, in the immortal words of Sam Kinison “MOVE!!!”.

I think it was more like: Why don't you people live where the FOOD IS ???

 

[Fill Ess]

Maybe get a bilge heater for extra insurance?

 

[Strecker25]

Yes, always have used the -50. My paranoia on the diesels is now I pull the aftercooler bottom anode out which drains about 3 cups of residual water before I suck up 6 gallons of pink. It's the only water left anywhere in the raw water side except for the mufflers when the boat is pulled. The rest drains out the shaft seals. And then 3 gallons at least of pink runs out the shaft seals after she shuts the engines off. Every year I say that I should catch it in buckets and pour it in the sumps instead of wasting it, but never do

funny you say that, I catch ours not to reuse in the sumps but so I can test it with a refractometer and see how diluted it is. The first run through last year was significantly diluted so I ran another few gallons and it was full strength

I could see using it in the bilge sumps but it has a pretty significant diesel exhaust smell so I wouldn't put it in the cabin

 

[Jus the two of us]

I paid $20 Gal. for 100 at Sea Ray in Cinn. Ouch!!!

 

[paulswagelock]

If you remember, there was a bad batch last year that hit the market. The -50 batch was no where near that concentration. Operator error at the factory that made it. I purchased a refractometer and tested the AF before use and will do that with every gallon again this year. I already noticed a difference in brands with concentration of glycol. There is a brand called absolute zero that claims -100 burst pressure. It has a freezePoint of 17 degree f versus 12 degree f for all my -50 stuff. I called them and asked if I had a bad batch, nope. They told me that there are no burst protection measurement standards and that is just the results of the way they do their testing. So they claim -100 but are less concentrated then everyone else’s -50. So beware, the burst number might be a marketing number. FYI, -50 usually tests with a freezePoint of 14f, -60 is 5f, and -100 is -49f.

 

[Creekwood]

Picked 10 gallons of -50 at Walmart yesterday for $2.58/gal. The label says it has propolyne glycol not ethelyne glycol. I'll add some corrosion additive for some added protection. Before winterizing the engines I'll drain the mufflers and heat exchangers to prevent dilution. Don't expect any issues.

Propylene glycol is the right one. Its the non-toxic version. Ethylene glycol is closed system antifreeze and is poisonous to people, fish and animals.

I have used -50 for years in our area. Our winter weather is about the same as Chicago, but less snow. Never an issue. But you want to make sure you use enough so its not diluted with water in the systems.

 

[Strecker25]

Here’s how I caught it last year to test, a big Walmart plastic bin

 

[mratlndmrk]

Picked 10 gallons of -50 at Walmart yesterday for $2.58/gal. The label says it has propolyne glycol not ethelyne glycol. I'll add some corrosion additive for some added protection. Before winterizing the engines I'll drain the mufflers and heat exchangers to prevent dilution. Don't expect any issues.

Yep....wally world -50 for the water systems and WM -60 in the engines & genny. 44 gallons in all.

 

[Lazy Daze]

As others have stated, the -50 is MORE than enough. It starts to turn to slush much earlier than that, but won't really expand. The "rating" is when it will expand to the point to burst a copper pipe. -50 is all you need.

Concerning the toxic part... there are two "pinks" - one with propylene glycol for water systems AND engines, and another with ethyl alcohol for water systems ONLY. However, BOTH are NON-TOX. If I'm getting all of my terms correct, the ethylene glycol is the one to worry about - that's your traditional antifreeze used in engines year round and for normal engine operation. Prop Glycol CAN NOT be used for "running" the engine under normal circumstances.

 

[Strecker25]

Yep....wally world -50 for the water systems and WM -60 in the engines & genny. 44 gallons in all.

wow that's a lot of AF. most of it in the water tank I'm guessing?