anti freeze

[simon1]

Hi
would this be ok to use http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Halfords-OAT-Ready-Mixed-Antifreeze-Summer-Coolant-2-Litres-Ltr-/321989567707?clk_rvr_id=1393410550916&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=twenga&utm_campaign=twenga&utm_param=eyJlcyI6MCwicyI6OTcyMzIxNywiY2kiOiIwMzIw YjY5ZTUxNTUzOWNiYzJiODNjOGE3YTEzNThkNyIsImkiOiI1NT UyNjYxMDUzMDYyMjU1OTk1IiwidHMiOjE1MTMzNTUzNjUsInYi OjMsInNvIjoxNTAwLCJwciI6MTEuOTksImMiOjc0MjgyLCJiIj ozODAxMCwicCI6MTY3MH0%3D&rmvSB=true

Thanks simon

[SV650rules]

I have used Halfords universal silicate free OAT antifreeze in bikes and cars and it is fine, I always buy premixed coolant as it takes guesswork out of mixing. From memory it is pink.

[andy650]

+1 on Halfords OAT, also called "Advanced" I think. Mix yourself is cheaper, but also buy battery water to mix it with.

Also make sure you remove all previous antifreeze with a good flushing, if switching to OAT.

It needs replacing less often, that is the advantage of OAT.

[R1ffR4ff]

Whilst you are in Halfords get yourself one of these,

Halfords Antifreeze Tester MEG

Item: 527374

Halfords Antifreeze Tester MEG
£1.99

http://www.halfords.com/motoring/engine-oils-fluids/antifreeze/halfords-antifreeze-tester-meg

Then you can check it from time to time :)

[SV650rules]

+1 on Halfords OAT, also called "Advanced" I think. Mix yourself is cheaper, but also buy battery water to mix it with.

Also make sure you remove all previous antifreeze with a good flushing, if switching to OAT.

It needs replacing less often, that is the advantage of OAT.

If you mix it yourself use distilled water not deionised which will corrode metal - deionised is cheaper than distilled and OK for use in battery but not in engine.

[andy650]

use distilled water not deionised which will corrode metal

No more than any other water, when mixed with coolant in a sealed system.

Any clean water is fine (inc non hard tap), or make it simple and buy premix.

[simon1]

Thanks very much for the info.........

[SV650rules]

No more than any other water, when mixed with coolant in a sealed system.

Any clean water is fine (inc non hard tap), or make it simple and buy premix.


Deionised water is unique in having been stripped of ions (positively charged particles) it will do its best to scavenge these back from any metal it comes into contact with. Safest to use premixed and save any left over for topping up system if needed.

Distilled water has just had minerals removed, so will not deposit calcium or other dissolved substances in your cooling system, but is pretty inert otherwise.

[R1ffR4ff]

I always make my own Coolant mix.It's not ,"Rocket science".I use melted ice from my Fridge/Freezer that I keep in old 4 pint Plastic Milk containers.Virtually ever vehicle I've owned has the same 50/50 mix so buy the none ,"Ready Mixed" as it works out cheaper.Then just use a Kitchen jug,I have mine marked@ 500 mL(half a litre) and just throw a couple of these into the Milk container then a couple of the water.

PS

I known several mechanics at different places that just boil up a Kettle of Water and use that but they never tell the customers ;-)

I trust,"Advanced Coolant" as much as I trust,"Advanced oil".I prefer cheap and often,better than Expensive and forgotten.

Happy New Merry :santa:

[Bibio]

also try eurocarparts. they often have deals on the web with codes. any longlife 'pink' antifreeze will do the job.

whats £20 over 5 years.. burger all so best getting the premix.

i live in scotland where the water quality out the tap is superb but still buy premix.

[littleoldman2]

I cannot see why the water quality matters at all as long as it does not have anything capable of producing scale. So Softened, RO, DI, Purified or Distilled should not really make any difference. Distilled water should not contain any ions or ionising impurities at all, so should not be any different in this respect to DI water.
Don't forget modern engines do not evaporate water (and hence concentrate the impurities) like they did in the 50s, 60s and 70s.

[R1ffR4ff]

also try eurocarparts. they often have deals on the web with codes. any longlife 'pink' antifreeze will do the job.

whats £20 over 5 years.. burger all so best getting the premix.

i live in scotland where the water quality out the tap is superb but still buy premix.

I cannot see why the water quality matters at all as long as it does not have anything capable of producing scale. So Softened, RO, DI, Purified or Distilled should not really make any difference. Distilled water should not contain any ions or ionising impurities at all, so should not be any different in this respect to DI water.
Don't forget modern engines do not evaporate water (and hence concentrate the impurities) like they did in the 50s, 60s and 70s.

+10.
Basic Chemistry.Way too much preciousness methinks :smt104

[littleoldman2]

Just as an aside I use the water from our household dehumidifier which has a "total dissolved solids" of 10 ppb, which is probably within the experimental error of the operator and the cheap tester.

[simon1]

Bibio.....would this be ok?...https://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/p/car-accessories/engine-oils-and-car-fluids/antifreeze-and-screenwash/red-antifreeze/?523770511&&cc5_866

[Bibio]

Bibio.....would this be ok?...https://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/p/car-accessories/engine-oils-and-car-fluids/antifreeze-and-screenwash/red-antifreeze/?523770511&&cc5_866

that will do nicely. its G12 compliant so same stuff as halfords and at £8 for 5ltr ready mixed you cant go wrong ;)

[simon1]

Great..thanks

[johnnyrod]

Water: Deionised is the name of the process, it doesn't (read: can't) just remove positive ions, it removes ionic materials which is basically all the things that cause scale, and any salt. The things in water that cause corrosion are, except for a tiny bit of organic acid perhaps, ionic i.e. minerals. Purified is a bit vague but it'll be deionised, distilled or RO (reverse osmosis) water, RO being the "best" but any of these will be good enough. Softened means the "hard" water metals of calcium, magnesium etc. are replaced with sodium, so you don't get any scaling of pipes/kettles but no change in ionic strength and it will corrode things more than one of the purified types of water. Water from a dehumidifier or condensing tumble drier is essentially distilled water, but might have a bit of fluff in it.

[SV650rules]

Water: Deionised is the name of the process, it doesn't (read: can't) just remove positive ions,

There are anions (positive charge) and cations (negative charge) that get removed, but this makes water chemically active (the dissolved solids that make water 'passive' get removed by de-ionosing process)

Excerpt from an article.

Placing the electrodes of a pH meter into a beaker full of deionized water will result in a somewhat meaningless value. This is because deionized water has a very low ionic strength (most if not all of the dissolved ions have been removed) and it is an extremely aggressive solvent when in this state.

This company (link below) warns about using deionised water in cooling systems other than ones using special metals which will resist action of the aggressive water.

http://www.lytron.com/Tools-and-Technical-Reference/Application-Notes/Deionized-Water

[Red ones]

The only reason that distilled or deionised are usually started is so that it's clear not to use tap water. In my neck of the woods tap water would kill the cooling system in weeks as all the timescale falls out.
Water is somewhat corrosive but doesn't need to be distilled etc to stop the corrosion. You could use tap water if you are willing to check pH balance, total dissolved solids and a couple of other things. But that's a faff unless you're running a water treatment plant.
Distilled and DI water will corrode your cooling system, but firstly you are not running pure water, you are adding coolant, and secondly the corrosion is slow. You'll sell the vehicle usually before corrosion is an issue. The bike will probably fall apart some other way first.

[johnnyrod]

Various things increase the ability of water to corrode things. If it's acidic, of course, and mineral acids tend to be stronger than organic acids. Dissolved materials such as salts or minerals are the main culprit in the modern world. The link talks about water being the universal solvent, it is, but corrosion is not a dissolution process, it's a chemical reaction on the surface of the metal. Removing things from water only makes it less corrosive. Higher ionic strength can make some things dissolve more, some things less, for what it's worth.

To be honest the quote about the pH meter is meaningless and demonstrates someone's misunderstanding of what it all means. Yes ionic strength is low but this does not mean you don't get a meaningful pH reading, you do - odds are it'd be neutral (pH of 7) as it's pretty much pure i.e. no acids or alkalis in there.

[DuncanC]

As you are adding coolant which is full of corrosion inhibitors as well as antifreeze any corrosive affects of using pure water are negated. I have 1000s of litres of the stuff at work and the supplier recommends using deionised/demineralised water as the base for the coolant.
The pH of demineralised water will be 5.6 in air due to dissolved CO2. Unless you use a very specific pH meter it won't read anything like accurately as the demineralised water will just dissolve the electrolyte.
However the corrosion inhibitors in the coolant will mean that the water is no longer demineralised and the pH becomes irrelevant.
Personally unless you have a source of pure water at home I'd buy premix as it is less hassle. Remember it is not just dissolved solids it is particulate matter as well. Particles in your coolant are grinding paste for the water pump seal.