Next spring was thinking that I could capture and reuse the non-toxic antifreeze that was in our fresh water tanks for next fall winterizing.
Comments?
Comments?
Recycle Non-Toxic Antifreeze?
- Thread starter Ducati
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Hi Ducati,
I used mine again in the fall to flush the head before the final pump-out. Once the tank was pumped dry I added 2 gallons of new anti-freeze through the head. The old stuff had some sediment in it so I didn't want that to run through my fresh water lines.
All U Get
I used mine again in the fall to flush the head before the final pump-out. Once the tank was pumped dry I added 2 gallons of new anti-freeze through the head. The old stuff had some sediment in it so I didn't want that to run through my fresh water lines.
All U Get
It's probably not a good idea....But, I do it. If the stuff that gets pumped out of the water system doesn't look too diluted then I'll just pump it into an empty bottle & reuse it next year. I won't put it into the engine and I won't reuse it more than once tho. Been doing it for several years sucessfully.
NEVER put glycol in the potable tanks. The taste problems will be worse.
Put a T and 2 valves before the pressue pump and suck glycol in there. Much easier and much cheaper. Pump out the water tank, and shop-vac out the last inch; leave the tank bone dry. I use the oportunity to clean it.
Done this way, a 36-foot boat can be done with 2 gallons of glycol. I've done my 32-foot cat with 1-gallon (water heater, shower, stern shower, 2 sinks) by letting the pump blow the lines out. 2 gallons is easier.
"Recycling companies" will gladly pick up used antifreeze .... they distill it and add any needed 'additives' and resell it. Getting to be a big business. Just find a place that accepts 'old' antifreeze; much better and ultimately more responsible than 'dumping it'.
Even Propylene Glycol is toxic ... albeit 'low' toxicity.
Yup, all true. Additionally, the PG antifreeze from boats can all go in with the EG antifreeze from cars and engines. Runway deicer is mostly PG and is segrigated for that market, the the dribs and drabs from boats aren't separarted.
The Maryland Environmental Service (MES) tanks and most marinas in the Chesaspeake have their AF collected and recycled in a plant located near Richmond, VA, by vacuum distilation (I designed and built it about 17 years ago). The resulting glycol meets all ASTM standards for virgin materials. Several million gallons per year.
I posted this on winterizing and glycols some time ago; perhaps it is of some interest:
http://sail-delmarva.blogspot.com/2009/11/marine-winterizing-antifreeze-and.html
Why not just 'blow it out' in the spring and into a container ... then take it to a collection site. LOW-TOXIC is still 'toxic'. If there are ~20-30000 boats on the 'bay' that are 'dumping' at only a gallon per boat .... that adds up to one hell of a lot of PG into the water.
Ed H:
I would agree with you. At $10/gal for 100- why would you try to reuse it. Especially considering that you really don't know what level of protection you have after it is diluted. If you purchase the 50- it is even more diluted if you still have water in your system.
Just another thought!!!
The problem is, and I'm guessing here, that you don't even know the actual freeze protection rating or glycol content of the -100 when it is new in the bottle. The bottle probably does not say (they only label the bust point, which is not tested by any ASTM recognized method). Generally -100 products begin to freeze at about +10F. Second, the vendors are basically exaggerating; Dow Chemical, the manufacture of most of the PG antifreeze and a respected source of product data, shows minimum bust ratings of -63F at any ratio (the information is in the link I posted above).
It seems obvious that anyone winterizing their boat would have an automotive type antifreeze tester, so that they KNOW what the freeze protection is. Be aware that you need a tester calibrated for PG (refractometers read both).
Neither EG nor PG have appreciable toxicity to fish or marine life in general. They do contribute COD. Spent antifreeze from cars can accumulate some disolved metals (sub ppm) and oil, but not even this is possible in marine systems (a trace of iron, perhaps, which is harmless). I would love to see it recycled, but I'd worry far more about bottom paint and bilge oil; those are actual hazards.
Been doing it for years, just insure it has not been too diluted to protect against freezing.
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