freezing weather tip

Gather some sticks and stones and make a little bond fire inside the van.
:joke::yes::biggrin:

Good tip. I'm not sure if you mean literal antifreeze or not, but just in case any one doesn't already know, you should use something like window washer fluid rather than true antifreeze.

What I have done with my box truck is buy a onboard electrical heater and with a flip of a switch in my cab this heater turns on and when I am driving down the road in -5 degree weather the box stays nice and warm. The heater cost me 350.0 and the installation cost me 100.00. Well worth the price paid.

I have to disagree eyeball. Winshield washer fluid does actually freeze when it comes in contact with water. Unless your portables and truckmounts are bone dry it is ineffective at subzero temps. Antifreeze is what you want to use.

The only thing I worry about when it comes to freezing temp is my van sitting over night in front of my house. I don't have a company garage or anything like that. So I run an extension cord to my van from my house and plug in a small non-flamable furnace. It doesn't make it hot inside but keeps the van at about 72 degrees inside.

I installed a little giant heater in my trailer to aid keeping the heat cleaning T&G. I picked up a small propane catalytic heater (Olympian Wave 3) that I fire up between jobs just in case I break down or blow a tire. Something to look into if you have a propane water heater.

Wrong. I run 3 gallons through my system, purging all water, and my truck sits out all winter with no insulation and huge openings in the floor. Indiana is cold, and I've never had anything freeze.

If you want to stink your customers' homes up like engine coolant be my guest.

If you flush the system properly it doesn't smell like coolant. I keep my vans in a nice, big, heated garage so I don't have to worry.
Washer fluid has a freezing point eyeball. Some are -35 some are -40. And when even a little bit of water is introduced it lowers that rating significantly more. Telling people not to use real anti-freeze is false information.

No, telling people not to use wand glides is false information.

Where do you dispose of all that lovely smelling engine coolant you have running through your pump and solution line? Why is it that in ten years I have never had a pump or solution line freeze with washer fluid? Why would anyone use $8 worth of engine coolant when you can use $3 worth of non-toxic washer fluid, which can be reused? Why do professional window washers mix washer fluid in with their cleaning solution and advertise that they can still clean windows in sub-freezing temperatures?

I think, Ara, you might have some sort of superiority complex that doesn't allow you to accept that some of us do things differently than you. You have already declared yourself the best carpet cleaner ever at one time. That throws up a couple red flags to me.

You yourself just said you can flush your system of engine coolant. Then why can't I flush my system of water and replace it with washer fluid--washer fluid that smells pleasant and won't ruin someone's carpet or stink up their house. Washer fluid that won't freeze until -20 or -30.

WOOT! Arguing with you is like taking candy from a baby.

Wow, Eyeball you've got me all figured out. To be honest I really don't care what you think. You go ahead a put washer fluid in your box. And I'll put anti-freeze in mine.
FYI- I reuse the anti-freeze when I need it. And when its done I take it Murray's with all my used oil. If you must know.
Yeah I made that statement about being the best on the planet. God came down and told me himself. :joke: When I was in my prime I actually thought I was. I like to think positively about myself sometimes.
Ten years and a perfect record of no freezing and you keep your van outside. Hmmm, sounds like a lie to me. I wasn't born yesterday.
:fencing:

C'mon Ross and Ara. Did i sound like Lleyton Hewitt then?
Cant we agree to disagree without slanging?
It's cool to disagree but here on TMF i like to think we can do that and stay friends and move on.
No one is perfect, hell believe it or not even i have made mistakes, (hard to believe eh)
When you do get the chance, why not try the other guys method and see if it works.

Mick
Were all facing some uncertain and tough times and i would like to think that we, as a family here, can support and assist each other, god knows were going to need it.

Good point Kiwi Lover......... thanks for keeping it friendly here...,.,.,.,

Dude, it's not hard to keep a truck from freezing. Proper training and a little vigilance go a long way.

PS--On this forum I've made unsavory admissions about myself and highlighted many mistakes I've made. So who sounds like more of a liar? The guy who can admit mistakes, or the big dog who has to bark about being the best ever, and "doing" a couple of housemaids?

I may be a lot of things, but a liar I'm not.

At the request of others in this thread, I'm considering this matter closed.

There is plumbing antifreeze as well, completely non toxic and only costs about the same as winsheild washer antifreeze. You can get it at RV stores too. I cant see ever needing to use it even if I did get stuck, as I would probably keep the truck running with heat on to keep my unit from freezing until I could get out, but you never know, in the event of a breakdown or something. So how exactly will we circulate the antifreeze? I'll take my best guess here:

Add the antifreeze to your waterbox and start up the machine. Attach a specially made hose (1/2" male connect on one end and 1/4" male on the other and about 3 feet long, get one made up at a local hose store) connect the hose from the solution outlet to the water box inlet and let it idle with the pump on for a few mins to circulate through the machine. Same way as when you are descaling.

Would this be correct?