I pay about 2 dollars for a quart. and it's only for emergency use as washer fluid, I do have washer fluid down to -60C aswell, but that's 50% alcohol. Very good but if you need to add that to a near full tank with summer fluid in it you won't get much protection.
Windshield washer fluid additive to depress freezing point?
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Owen Lucas
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Karcher Karcher EDI 4 Cordless Electric Handheld Ice Scraper - Rotating Disc Windshield Scraper for Ice, Snow, & Frost EDI 4 - The Home Depot
The EDI 4 electric ice scraper finally puts an end to the strenuous task of scraping ice off your windshield bit by bit. With its rotating disc and sturdy plastic blades, the ice scraper removes even stubborn ice from car windows effortlessly in a single movement. When the EDI 4 is in standby...
www.homedepot.com
-60C??? You live in Antarctica?
Yeah, not really cost effective then. Amazing how much more expensive it is online but I guess shipping can really add to it. Throwing in a bottle of alcohol doesn't really help if the lines are frozen and once you unfreeze them, you can just run the pump to get rid of what's left in there and just refill with regular windshield washer fluid.
Also not really sure if it got mentioned earlier, but some of those alcohols aside from methanol aren't good for the paint finish so best to just stick with regular windshield washer fluid.
For me...usually plain water makes its way to the output nozzle from the windshield and such, then that freezes the nozzle closed.
??? Despite the fact that this product has nothing to do with unfreezing a windshield washer reservoir, I was intrigued. The fact that *every* user review on Home Depot's website for this product was "collected as part of a promotion" doesn't give me much faith in it. The amount of effort it would require to move a battery operated tool across a windshield would surpass that of an ordinary ice scraper and a bit of elbow grease, IMO.Karcher Karcher EDI 4 Cordless Electric Handheld Ice Scraper - Rotating Disc Windshield Scraper for Ice, Snow, & Frost EDI 4 - The Home Depot
The EDI 4 electric ice scraper finally puts an end to the strenuous task of scraping ice off your windshield bit by bit. With its rotating disc and sturdy plastic blades, the ice scraper removes even stubborn ice from car windows effortlessly in a single movement. When the EDI 4 is in standby...www.homedepot.com
Probably the best overall solution to a frozen washer system would be a day in a heated garage and a through flush with a good 20f washer fluid. The Rain-X 2-in-one All Season fluid is rated to -20, their Purple De-Icer to -30. Start by filling any available space in the tank with hot water to start the process.
Not only that, but when my windshield is frozen by a thick layer of ice, I'm at home so I can easily fill up an old gallon jug of hot water and just pour it on the windshield. It rarely happens though and the back of the snow brush is an ice scraper so it only takes a few minutes to clear off a thin layer of ice. Or just start the car, let it warm up and hit the defroster.
I buy the 91% alcohol at Walmart in the drug section for this reason. But I run the -20 year round so I never have really had to use much of it.
I found Super Tech -25 to work good. I go through 40-50 gallons in a winter, and never had issues.
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Half a bottle of Heet, one drop of Dawn Dishwashing liquid…
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Bottle of Heet is about 12 oz of methanol. Gallon of -20 F is about 50 oz of methanol. Price is about the same, but you get a lot more with the gallon of windshield washer fluid and you don't have to mix your own.
Sounds like a great way to crack a windshield in really cold weather.
Well I've only done it a couple of times and it's been fine.
But I have 0 deductible on my glass coverage and new windshields don't raise your insurance. Might actually be a good idea, I like how clear it is afterwards. You don't notice how it gets pitted over the years.
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You said unfreeze a frozen Washer fluid resevoir…
I use the purple -25 usually, but I have a weep leak I have to repair first warm day…
I use the purple -25 usually, but I have a weep leak I have to repair first warm day…
I added 8oz of 91% isopropyl alcohol to the reservoir last night, overnight temps were 7F, car sat outside. Today temps got into the high 30’s, after the car sat 8 hours at work, I had perfectly working windshield washers. Just in time because the snow melt / slush / road spray was at full swing on the drive home. It’s raining right now, hopefully this winter mess is over.
50 oz of methanol in a gallon is equivalent to about 40% methanol. That should provide freeze protection down to approx -40F.
That said, it'd still take a good bit of methanol to get to -20F freeze point.
In northern climates at gas stations and even at most Walmarts nation-wide, you could buy a bottle of ISO-HEAT for $1, not too long ago IIRC. Is that not so anymore?
Depends on your insurance carrier. Here in KY, all insurance companies must cover glass claims at zero deductible. But it's still a claim, and there's no law prohibiting them from raising rates (in all states AFAIK) for even something as small as a glass claim.
I made the mistake when I was younger of taking advantage of that zero deductible to repair a crack that had just started (rock chip). I think the total cost billed to my insurance was less than $50, but my insurance was raised for the next 3 years till the claim dropped off. Every insurance company I would get a quote from picked up that claim and raised rates accordingly for those 3 years. Nowadays I spend the $300 to replace the windshield and save money in the long run-- granted I don't own anything with uber-expensive windshields.
