Can I use straight automotive antifreeze coolant?

Like the title says, can i use auto coolant? my machine will get used very little and dont want to drain it or leave water in that will grow fungi.

HI,

Part of the problem in using Auto anti-freeze/coolant is that there is no mold / fungus because of the operating temp that the coolant sees. Not sure that the laser tube can do the same thing.

It might be better to have the return line held above the surface of the water so as to have the water to drain out of the tube each time so that there is nothing to mold.


This needs more research.



Paul,

I use RV antifreeze and leave it in the system for over a year with no sign of mold


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I use it for over 3 years now. And never changed it.. Maybe the cooling is fractionally less than destilled water but i don't notice any difference in cooling.
Everybody, who wants to hear it, is advised to use this Auto anti-freeze IMHO..

Kees

One note. I used to use auto antifreeze (ethylene glycol), in a transparent reservoir - it got slimy from bacterial growth after sitting a couple of weeks. Having a dark reservoir would help, but I read up a bit and found that most bacteria and mold can actually thrive on ethylene glycol! So I have switched to propylene glycol, which they can't eat. Propylene glycol is RV antifreeze (or "non-toxic" antifreeze), and it is naturally antimicrobial and antifungal for this reason

Reading a little more, I found that the threshold of antimicrobial effect is somewhere below 15-25% propylene glycol. And from freezing point charts, I estimated that the standard "-50F" RV antifreeze is probably around 55-60% propylene glycol. So I use a 50:50 mix of pink RV antifreeze and distilled water to give me about 30% PG in water, and I've been clear of bacterial growth since then.

I'll add:
I recently had to flush out a used tube that I acquired. It has massive bacteria growth so much in fact it was clogged up. I flushed it for 2 days straight using straight CLR. It went from a science experiment gone bad
to a perfectly clear tube. Once clean I continued on to flush with tap water .And then with mineral free water. after 2-3 days continuous flushing . I moved onto the last stage of refilling my closed system with
de-stilled water and the correct mixture of Purple Ice. Purple Ice® - Radiator Coolant Additive | Royal Purple . Within a mont or so the solution appears very cloudy. since Its a closed system I cannot and or have not
ascertained if tis slimy yet. Im glad to report back. But rather than re flush Im going to move to straight propylene glycol. Im confident it'll perform well enough. But Im on board with your findings electronrancher.
-S

My anti freeze reservoir is inside a fridge, pipes plumed through the side. Keeps the coolant cool and completely fungus free :)