Blue windshield washer stuff wtf?

[Oldandfat]

So right now it’s -35c outside. About -31f

In our vehicles the washer fluid is fine. It don’t freeze. Good till -40.

It’s sitting in jugs in my garage (-6) and still fluid. Good to -40

I put some blue stuff in a pail with a squeegee to clean lights and windows. Frozen solid.

Wtf? Am I missing something ?

[Hanley]

Wtf? Am I missing something ?

The freezing point is somewhere between the temperature of your garage and the current temperature outdoors?

[Oldandfat]

Wtf? Am I missing something ?

The freezing point is somewhere between the temperature of your garage and the current temperature outdoors?

If it’s good to minus 40 it shouldn’t freeze in the pail in the garage. The jug I poured it from doesn’t freeze.

You left me hanging about your tundra issues…..

What year, and what issues? Tundras are generally very reliable

[Hanley]

Wtf? Am I missing something ?

The freezing point is somewhere between the temperature of your garage and the current temperature outdoors?

If it’s good to minus 40 it shouldn’t freeze in the pail in the garage. The jug I poured it from doesn’t freeze.

Put the capped jug outside.

If that doesn't freeze, I'd guess the open container is freezing because of alcohol evaporation (it evaporates super fast).

###

Dude, the Tundra shit is behind me and I don't want to relive it. I shouldn't have brought it up.

[weisgarber]

Isn't washer fluid a mixture of alcohol, other solvents, and water? The solvents and alcohol will evaporate if left in an open container, leaving behind mostly water.

[Oldandfat]

It’s in a 5,gallon pail with lid on it (not snapped closed, just “sitting” on pail).

I didn’t think the alcohol stuff would evaporate?

[mgil]

It’s in a 5,gallon pail with lid on it (not snapped closed, just “sitting” on pail).

I didn’t think the alcohol stuff would evaporate?

When you spread it thin on a windshield, yes, it still evaporates quickly.

Most stuff is good to -20F. Even around here on a cold day around ~0F, idiots will spray their windshield with the washer nozzles and be greeted with an immediately opaque windshield.

[Culican]

It’s in a 5,gallon pail with lid on it (not snapped closed, just “sitting” on pail).

I didn’t think the alcohol stuff would evaporate?

Methanol is fairly volatile.
It doesn't take a loss of much methanol to raise the freezing point from -40°C to -30°C.

Freezing Points of Methanol/Water Solutions

[Oldandfat]

My garage is -6 right now. Washer stuff in Home Depot orange bucket frozen solid. I guess it has to be air tight to not evap

[JonA]

It makes more sense if you think about it terms of relative humidity rather than temperature. Water evaporates quicker when the relative humidity is lower. Well, the atmosphere is 0% humidity with respect to alcohol (unfortunately). So it's going to absorb alcohol faster than water, regardless of temperature. (Even with the typical low relative humidity at subzero temperatures)

Washer fluid can freeze on your windshield because misting increases the surface area for evaporation, but also increases the air flow across fluid (both because it's traveling through the air onto your windshield and also because you are probably driving down a road). That's normally a bonus, because your windshield will quickly dry with only a few swipes of the wipers. But if it's cold enough, the alcohol evaporation will allow the water the freeze before _it_ can evaporate.

Pouring the wiper fluid into the bucket had much the same effect. The increase surface area and agitation caused by pouring can cause evaporation, especially for the methanol. You could probably smell it in the air after your poured it in the bucket. And if you poured a single bottle into a 5-gallon pail, there is quite a bit of air volume to absorb the alcohol, even with the lid on.

[Oldandfat]

It makes more sense if you think about it terms of relative humidity rather than temperature. Water evaporates quicker when the relative humidity is lower. Well, the atmosphere is 0% humidity with respect to alcohol (unfortunately). So it's going to absorb alcohol faster than water, regardless of temperature. (Even with the typical low relative humidity at subzero temperatures)

Washer fluid can freeze on your windshield because misting increases the surface area for evaporation, but also increases the air flow across fluid (both because it's traveling through the air onto your windshield and also because you are probably driving down a road). That's normally a bonus, because your windshield will quickly dry with only a few swipes of the wipers. But if it's cold enough, the alcohol evaporation will allow the water the freeze before _it_ can evaporate.

Pouring the wiper fluid into the bucket had much the same effect. The increase surface area and agitation caused by pouring can cause evaporation, especially for the methanol. You could probably smell it in the air after your poured it in the bucket. And if you poured a single bottle into a 5-gallon pail, there is quite a bit of air volume to absorb the alcohol, even with the lid on.

Who knew? My plan b is to pour the stuff in a spray bottle and use it “on demand” with the mini squeegee. Or a shop rag

[Hanley]

It makes more sense if you think about it terms of relative humidity rather than temperature. Water evaporates quicker when the relative humidity is lower. Well, the atmosphere is 0% humidity with respect to alcohol (unfortunately). So it's going to absorb alcohol faster than water, regardless of temperature. (Even with the typical low relative humidity at subzero temperatures)

Washer fluid can freeze on your windshield because misting increases the surface area for evaporation, but also increases the air flow across fluid (both because it's traveling through the air onto your windshield and also because you are probably driving down a road). That's normally a bonus, because your windshield will quickly dry with only a few swipes of the wipers. But if it's cold enough, the alcohol evaporation will allow the water the freeze before _it_ can evaporate.

Pouring the wiper fluid into the bucket had much the same effect. The increase surface area and agitation caused by pouring can cause evaporation, especially for the methanol. You could probably smell it in the air after your poured it in the bucket. And if you poured a single bottle into a 5-gallon pail, there is quite a bit of air volume to absorb the alcohol, even with the lid on.

Who knew? My plan b is to pour the stuff in a spray bottle and use it “on demand” with the mini squeegee. Or a shop rag

Wait, what? Spray/mist will absolutely freeze.

[Oldandfat]

It makes more sense if you think about it terms of relative humidity rather than temperature. Water evaporates quicker when the relative humidity is lower. Well, the atmosphere is 0% humidity with respect to alcohol (unfortunately). So it's going to absorb alcohol faster than water, regardless of temperature. (Even with the typical low relative humidity at subzero temperatures)

Washer fluid can freeze on your windshield because misting increases the surface area for evaporation, but also increases the air flow across fluid (both because it's traveling through the air onto your windshield and also because you are probably driving down a road). That's normally a bonus, because your windshield will quickly dry with only a few swipes of the wipers. But if it's cold enough, the alcohol evaporation will allow the water the freeze before _it_ can evaporate.

Pouring the wiper fluid into the bucket had much the same effect. The increase surface area and agitation caused by pouring can cause evaporation, especially for the methanol. You could probably smell it in the air after your poured it in the bucket. And if you poured a single bottle into a 5-gallon pail, there is quite a bit of air volume to absorb the alcohol, even with the lid on.

Who knew? My plan b is to pour the stuff in a spray bottle and use it “on demand” with the mini squeegee. Or a shop rag

Wait, what? Spray/mist will absolutely freeze.

Nope. Works like a charm. Spray headlights/tail lights, and wipe clean. Works at -6 anyway. Didn’t feel like trying in -30 tonight. Maybe tomorrow.