Malcolm Walker wrote:
> What's the best way to dispose of antifreeze?
Dont "just dump" it! Here in Calif. antifreeze is considered toxic,
and it is a offence to dispose of antifreeze anywhere but a recognized
"antifreeze recycler". One of the large problems with antifreeze is that
it is attractive to animals (why?!), and as little as 1 tablespoon
of the raw stuff is enough to kill a large dog, painfully. 1 teaspoon
of the stuff will kill a small dog or cat. It also kills trees, and whatever
else it is poured on. You dont want this stuff around. Brake fluid is
far kinder to life than antifreeze (re thread yesterday on "Sprite").
I'm not sure, it may be a federal offense to dump the stuff illegally.
Contact your local government, in the white pages, probably under
refuse or recycling or hazardous waste. They will tell you where it can
be recycled. You could also dispose of your old oil, batteries etc at
the same time, as such dumps are usually co-located.
FWIW, I stopped using antifreeze in my cars some years ago. I now use
straight water, with 1 quart of Redline Waterwetter and 1 pint of NalCool.
Once per year I drain off enough fluid so that I can refresh with a new
quart of Waterwetter and a pint of NalCool. NalCool provides the lubrication
necessary for the pump and rust retardant. NalCool is used by truckers
rather than antifreeze, but note that because those guys never shut down their
engines, I dont know how it will do in a freezing climate. In 5 years of use,
my coolant is clean (ie no rust) and my cars runs 20 degrees F cooler. As
testimony, Panteras are well-known for running hot, but last August, I
had the opportunity to run it for an hour at over 110 mph (sometime 140)
in the SoCal desert, where the ambient temp. was over 100 degrees F; the
car ran about 5 degrees above where the thermostat opened (180 F) - cool! I
was amazed, because I know that had I used antifreeze, it would have
pegged at 230 F.
Using this combo, I have never see the Triumph run hotter than 180 F,
even stuck in the SoCal parking lot (so-called freeways) on hot summer
days.
Shane Ingate in San Diego
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