Aqua Hot performance

[Wayne Kotila]

Hi George I am from Minnesota and a 50/50 mix is definitely needed here. I know you can buy test strips to test antifreeze for multiple things at truck stops. You can also buy test strips to test boiler fluid at home store's, in our area Menards sells the test strips, boiler fluid and additive to neutralize the acidity if it's to high. I was told that the strips work for ethylene glycol or propylene glycol antifreeze.

Good Luck

Wayne Kotila

96PT42

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From: George Burke
To: WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Fri, March 4, 2011 1:26:49 AM
Subject: Re: [WanderlodgeForum] Re: Aqua Hot performance

Hello Wayne, Read your post with interest, and had to get up and check downstairs on my antifreeze jug, which is the Extended life 5 yr. or 50,000 mile stuff. This antifreeze is better than the older variety, and at 50/50 will protect down to -34 degrees. At 70/30, it goes down to -84 degrees, with your 60/40 mix being somewhere in between. Here in the Charlotte, N.C. area, I don't think that in my life its ever gotten below 5 or 6 degrees, so I will use 0 as a base. You are getting on the right track by lowering your mixture ratio, because water is still the best at transferring heat, but of course it doesn't offer much freeze protection. I have always used a 50/50 mix here, mainly because the anti-corrosive properties are higher at that ratio, not that I needed the lower freeze protection. Of course all the mfg.s of this stuff recommended a 50/50/ mix, even in the south. They love to sell you more. I now wonder if this newer 5 yr. stuff has a
higher amount of anti-corrosive properties in it, and then I could get away with using a 40 antifreeze/60 water mixture, being getting rid of heat is needed more here than anything else. I don't know where you are from, or where you travel to, as your last couple of posts don't say, but I wouldn't use any higher mixture than necessary to protect your Bird. Good Luck with your problem, I hope you get it solved soon. Are there any experts here on this forum that have kept up with the new and improved 5 yr. antifreeze? If so, I would like to know the latest on this stuff. You use to be able to replenish your antifreezes anticorrosive ability yrs. ago, but I haven't seen or even heard of it in many years. Anyone know if it is still available? Hope I have helped you a bit. Regards, George Burke 1977 FC31 Charlotte

On Fri, Mar 4, 2011 at 1:21 AM, Wayne Kotila <"waynekotila@yahoo.com"> wrote:

Marty insulating the hoses is a good idea and insulating the windows, I think those single pane windows are like large heat exchangers radiating cold into the rv.I took my inside warmer (53 degF).

Wayne kotila

96PT42

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From: 95 BMC 37 <"martingregg598@msn.com">
To: "WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com"
Sent: Mon, February 28, 2011 10:35:25 AM

Subject: [WanderlodgeForum] Re: Aqua Hot performance

If your 3 electric toe kick heaters will keep the coach warm and they produce a couple of thousand BTUs each, it only makes since that the A/H should do a better job as they produce 2 times the heat, each. There must be a problem? I do a lot of cold camping, last weekend it was 9 deg in Republic WA. and I keep the coach at the temp I wanted. I have done a few things to improve the system. All the hoses run along the side of the coach next to the exterior skin in the bays, so I moved them a little and encased them in pipe insulation everywhere I could, and two of the hoses ran outside to the front of the coach so I encased those in pipe insulation. One thing I do know is that the burner runs a lot when it's that cold, and diesel cost a lot, so I too heat with electric and supplement with the A/H. I also made window inserts out of ¼" white packing foam stuff, and keep the blinds down except in the sun.
Marty Gregg
95 BMC 37
Kennewick
WA