What to do if the anti-freeze in the car is frozen? Tips from experienced drivers

With the onset of the autumn-winter season, the weather can change unexpectedly - yesterday you were walking in light clothes, and today it has been freezing since the morning. Motorists know that by this time you need to prepare well. One of the most common problems is frozen fluid in the windshield washer reservoir. The problem is not fatal - the car will be able to drive, however, it will be impossible to clean the windshield - the brushes will simply smear the dirt.

What to do in this situation? - we will try to find a solution on the pages of our portal Vodi.su.

What can not be done?

There are a lot of articles on automotive topics on the Internet, but with a closer acquaintance with them, you understand that they were written by people unfamiliar with the topic. So, for example, you can find advice - pour boiling water into the tank.

Why you can't do this:

• hot water can deform a plastic tank;
• water can overflow and flow straight onto the fuse box or any other important node;
• in the cold, boiling water quickly cools and freezes.

Boiling water can be added only when the tank is less than a third full. Add water to the very top, but carefully, then it will need to be drained. At the same time, you will merge the non-freezing liquid itself, which is not always cheap.

Sometimes warming up the engine helps, but only if the washer fluid container is fixed not closer to the wing of the car, but directly next to the engine.

How to defrost non-freeze?

The simplest solution is to drive the car into a heated garage or parking lot and wait for everything to thaw. It is clear that this method is not always suitable. If your car is already in a garage or in an underground parking with heating, then there should be no problems with a frozen anti-freeze.

Responsible drivers are ready for any situation, so if the liquid has crystallized in the tank, nozzles and nozzles, they proceed as follows:

• always buy a windshield wiper with a margin;
• they take a plastic bottle with anti-freeze and warm it up a little - the keyword is “a little”, that is, up to 25-40 degrees, for example, they hold it under running hot water from the tap or put it under a stream of hot air from the interior heater;
• heated liquid is added to the tank, and not to the top, but in small portions;
• After 10-20 minutes, everything should thaw, the pump will start working and the jets from the nozzles will clean the glass.

After such an operation, it makes sense to drain the anti-freeze, because during the next frost, it will freeze again. Or then add more concentrate without diluting it with water.

If there is no glass cleaner on hand, you can use any liquid containing alcohol, such as vodka or isopropyl alcohol (IPA).

It is also worth recalling that due to the fact that ice crystals settle in the tubes themselves, under high pressure they can come off the fitting. You will have to make some effort to plant them back. Do not forget that you can use a hair dryer to warm the tank or nozzles - this will speed up the defrosting.

Choosing a non-freezing liquid

Such questions will never arise if you buy a good anti-freeze and dilute it correctly.

A wide range of products is currently available:

• methanol is the cheapest, but it is a strong poison and is banned in many countries as an antifreeze. If the vapors seep into the cabin, then severe poisoning is possible;
• isopropyl is also one of the types of poisonous substance for humans, but this is only if you drink it. The liquid itself has a very strong and unpleasant odor, but it is hidden by strong flavorings;
• bioethanol - allowed in the EU, does not crystallize at temperatures down to minus 30, but very expensive, a liter can cost 120-150 rubles.

There are also drivers who take ordinary vodka, add a little dishwashing liquid to it - such a composition will definitely never freeze.

There are also many fakes. They are usually bottled not in plastic cans into ordinary PET bottles or, as they are called, eggplants of 5 liters. They are obtained in artisanal conditions by mixing IPA with water and dyes. Preference should be given to proven products, it can be sold both in the form of a concentrate, which must be diluted in strict accordance with the instructions, and in the form of liquids ready for pouring.

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