The pink stuff??

R

RM

Member
Joined
Jan 1, 2000
RO Number
468
Messages
325
Is there any difference between the stuff West Marine sells for $4.99 or whatever ridiculous price it is this year and the stuff Kmart or the hardware store sells for $2.99? Someone said the cheap stuff doesn't have the additives for marine use.

Whats the concensus?
 
I don't use either. As they say, air doesn't freeze.
 
As a former associate, we were told that WM had additives and the others didn't , however I have come to believe that they are the same. I've used the cheap stuff before, and haven't had any problems, however I blow out our fresh water system, and use a couple gals of cheap vodka for that. Payed #2.97 at wallyworld this yr.
 
It usually indicates on the label whether or not there are additives for corrosion protection.
 
I'm with Ed, I stopped using the pink stuff and just blow the system out. The pink stuff is good for drains though.
Rob
 
I blow out systems.
Genny and engines get pink stuff from Ace for $2.99.
Corrosion stuff is crap, its all the same, read ingredients.
Made by same company! I looked at MSDS.
 
Be careful... I did heavy research last year. The cheaper stuff is usually for fresh water systems and not engines. It's usually ethanol based vs. propylene glycol based. The alcohol will dry out hoses and cause corrosion in your engine.
 
The main difference is $2.00. I buy mine from Walmart and never had a problem.
 
Gas has ethanol! Not sure it matters much.
Been doing this for 12 years now with the cheaper stuff and no issues.
Our boats don't sit so long.
 
I think I used 20 gallons last year (first year doing it). That would mean spending an extra $40 to get it at WM. But wait, if you show them the price at wall mart they will price match.
 
I use the cheaper stuff and never have a problem.
But, I usually do it as a follow up after blowing out the fresh water (then bypassing the HW heater), Air Conditioning, pumping out the waste completely, and draining the raw water side of the engine cooling systems.
I could probably get away with just blowing out the fresh water and A/C, but adding a couple of gallons of the pink stuff to the shopping list doesn't break the bank and it only takes another couple of minutes to use it.
I also pour a little bit of the pink stuff around the bilge pumps and then activate them for a few seconds with the float switches. Once that is done I use a shop vac to get the bilge areas nice and dry.
 
quote:
Originally posted by HOGAN

The main difference is $2.00. I buy mine from Walmart and never had a problem.

Click to expand...


No it's not. I did the research. Look at the MSDS. I even called the manufacturer. The ethanol versions are not recommended for engines. It will dry out the hoses and cause additional corrosion in the block.
 
I think one is -25 and the other is -50, I got 2 cases of -50 for $4.25 a gallon for my holding tank and water system. Blowing the water system works on some boats sometimes it doesn't, so if you've done your boat before you have one it works on, if you haven't tried it your taking a chance.
 
After using the $2.99 a gallon pink for 20 years, I never had a issue with the engine block or hoses. You would think after 20 years that if were bad it would have shown it by now.
 
I actually use the “even” more expensive green (-100) for the engines and the cheaper (Wal-Mart) for the rest of the boat. We have this air vs. pink discussion every year. Jim is right it may not work on all boats. If you are thinking about switching to air try this…use pink this year. In the spring blow out all the pink like you would blow out the water before winterizing. Hook up your water line then go to each faucettoilet and see how much pink comes out, if none or VERY little then you are probably good to switch to air. If a lot of pink comes out that’s how water “would” of stayed in your lines for winter.

Niles
 
I used to use the pink stuff mixed 50/50 with windshield washer fluid (an old George V trick) and never had a problem. Now, since we've moved and live on the water and downsized to 20' with closed cooling I just drain the raw water side and put the boat in the garage!
 
What's the theory behind mixing it with windshield wash?
Jim
 
The WW fluid is cheaper than the AF and is good to -50.
 
As long as it is prop. glycol its good. wallmart, tractor supply, all good to go
 
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