Limitations of using RV Antifreeeze for Cold Weather Camping
Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2012 10:33 pm
Pure pink RV antifreeze will protect water lines and tanks from bursting down to a temperature of -50 degrees F. However, if your intent is to pour just 1 gallon of this antifreeze in each of your gray and black water tanks and expect that will protect those tank contents from freezing, you most likely will be wrong.
Refer to the RV antifreeze performance chart below. This chart assumes that there is a linear relationship between amount of antifreeze in the water solution to the reduction in the freezing point temperature.
As an example, if you have 12.5 gallons of RV antifreeze in a tank with 12.5 gallons of water, i.e. a 50%/50% solution of a total of 25 gallons, that tank would be protected to only -9 degrees F and that 12.5 gallons of antifreeze would cost you anywhere form $37.50 to $62.50. And to get that level of protection, you have to give up 1/2 of the tanks capacity for holding water alone.
Another example: Lets say that you add just one gallon of antifreeze to a tank holding 10 gallons of water. The freezing point of that solution would be lowered to only approximately 25 degrees F.
So as a practical matter it takes a lot of antifreeze to protect a tank plus using up a large portion of the tank's capacity to hold water.
Refer to the RV antifreeze performance chart below. This chart assumes that there is a linear relationship between amount of antifreeze in the water solution to the reduction in the freezing point temperature.
As an example, if you have 12.5 gallons of RV antifreeze in a tank with 12.5 gallons of water, i.e. a 50%/50% solution of a total of 25 gallons, that tank would be protected to only -9 degrees F and that 12.5 gallons of antifreeze would cost you anywhere form $37.50 to $62.50. And to get that level of protection, you have to give up 1/2 of the tanks capacity for holding water alone.
Another example: Lets say that you add just one gallon of antifreeze to a tank holding 10 gallons of water. The freezing point of that solution would be lowered to only approximately 25 degrees F.
So as a practical matter it takes a lot of antifreeze to protect a tank plus using up a large portion of the tank's capacity to hold water.