Pure antifreeze question

I have always read and heard that pure antifreeze will freeze without water added, well I left a new unopen gallon of old style green antifreeze outside last night, got down to 8 with wind chill around -10 check it no slush no freeze it was just fine. HAs anyone ever had 100% or close to 100% freeze????
 
(quoted from post at 13:50:50 01/06/18) I have always read and heard that pure antifreeze will freeze without water added, well I left a new unopen gallon of old style green antifreeze outside last night, got down to 8 with wind chill around -10 check it no slush no freeze it was just fine. HAs anyone ever had 100% or close to 100% freeze????

Here's what I know... antifreeze had come a long way in the past 100 yrs. Early manuals said to add alcohol and other concoctions. When I was a kid dad would say... make sure you get permanent antifreeze. The latest gimmick is selling 50/50 antifreeze. You're getting half a gallon of water and antifreeze for slightly less money.

There may have been a time when the antifreeze of the time would freeze without water.. but I can't imagine how or why.
 
Antifreeze is basically ethylene glycol with some additives for corrosion protection, etc. Some other chemicals are sometimes used as well for antifreeze but properties would be similar. Pure ethylene glycol freezes at about 10 degrees F so it has to be pretty cold for it to freeze. The mixture of water and ethylene glycol freezed at much lower temperatures. A 60%/40% solution freezes at about -50 F.
 
A Google search turned up a Wikipedia page that says ethlene glychol freezes at 10.4 degree F. When mixed 60% Ethlene glychol to 40% water freezing point drops to -49 degree F.

There's another page about why and how ethlene glychol lowers the freezing point of water but you will have to Google that yourself.
 
Pure ethylene glycol freezes at 8 degF. If it contains additives freezing point can be a bit lower. So your observation of it still being liquid at 8 deg is consistent. (A few deg lower would have turned it solid.)

Incidentally your -10 deg wind chill observation is irrelevant. "Wind chill" applies only to exposed human skin...not to inanimate objects.
 
Or you can buy a gallon of the antifreeze and with it a gallon of distilled water for about a dollar and mix your own. Distilled water is available at any drug store or supermarket,etc.
 
Ya $12 for the 50/50 mix or $14 for the 100% antifreeze and then a gal of distilled water for a buck. So yes $15 for 2 gal of 50/50 mix sure is a savings over $12 for 50/50 premix
 
(quoted from post at 15:27:42 01/06/18) Pure ethylene glycol freezes at 8 degF. If it contains additives freezing point can be a bit lower. So your observation of it still being liquid at 8 deg is consistent. (A few deg lower would have turned it solid.)

Incidentally your -10 deg wind chill observation is irrelevant. "Wind chill" applies only to exposed human skin...not to inanimate objects.

Although technically correct about skin, Wind-chill can and does affect inanimate objects. It causes them to lose heat faster. Objects such as vehicles will cool to the ambient temperature at much quicker rate due to the wind-chill, they will not however cool below the ambient air temperature.
 
If you are worried about bad water buy distilled water for about $1 a gallon. A lot cheaper than the water they add to pre mixed.
 
I needed a gal last week and I stopped at the local truck stop,I knew they would be a little high but it was the only store between me and home. $18.00 a gal premix. I waited till the next day!
 
" got down to 8"

Rex, you apparently have NO idea of how CCCCold CCCCold is! You were at least 40 Fahrenheit degrees from being CCCCold! (IMHO.)
 
(quoted from post at 20:04:48 01/06/18) If you are worried about bad water buy distilled water for about $1 a gallon. A lot cheaper than the water they add to pre mixed.
If you run a dehumidifier in the summer you can collect your own distilled water for free.
 
I was in Richmond Indiana over new years green 100% was $17.99 a gallon home depot south of Cleveland it was on sale for $10.00 normal price $12.00
 
You should not put pure antifreeze in you engine, because it will reduce the cooling capability of your cooling system. Pure antifreeeze (ethylene glycol) has a much lower heat capacity than water. For maximum cooling in your engine pure water is the best. Next best is a combination of antifreeze and water e.g. 50/50 mix. Antifreeze is added just as the term says to prevent the coolant from freezing. Today's antifreeze also has anti-corrosion additives to keep things from corroding inside the engine and radiator.
 
(quoted from post at 15:39:04 01/06/18) Or you can buy a gallon of the antifreeze and with it a gallon of distilled water for about a dollar and mix your own. Distilled water is available at any drug store or supermarket,etc.

Only problem I got with that is, if you keep your place picked up at all, you got a FULL gallon of water and a FULL gallon of antifreeze...

What do you mix it in?
 

Surely you have a bucket you can mix them in and pour what you don't need back into the jugs, then mark the jugs.
Even if I kept my place super neat I'd keep a empty jug or two some place to carry water in.
 

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