On Wed, 24 Jan 2007 04:28:15 GMT, Steve Kraus
wrote:

A few seconds of Googling suggests that most alternative antifreezes are
geared towards being more enviro or pet friendly, not necessarily cheaper.

Yeah. I was looking for something we already had at home, like
rubbing alcohol (or drinking alcohol, but that's probably too
expensive. How about cheap white wine? Would that damage the
engine?)

I'm really curious about sugar now. It doesn't evaporate. I wonder
why I've never heard of it being used.

Or pepper. I have an extra can of ground pepper.

Or a weak solution of baking soda or vinegar. AiUI, anything
dissolved in water lowers the freezing temp and raises the boiling
temp. The lowest it ever gets here is 10 and usually no lower than
20, and this year so far, no colder than 29. If really cold weather
was predicted before I had time to receive and install the new
radiator, I could go out and drain the radiator etc.

There could be something out there, some chemical powder say, that disolved
in water depresses the freezing point and is also not corrosive but if so
why wouldn't we be using it in the first place?

For example, we no longer use alcohol as an anti-freeze because it
evaporates**, but that must take a measurable amount of time (like
maybe all winter), or we never would have used it in the first place.
So it would probably last at least as long as it takes for the water
to leak out, but I don't know what kind of alcohol is best or how much
it would cost.

**That's why ethylene glycol is called "permanent" antifreeze.

Would an engine block heater be a least costly solution?

I don't know, maybe, but in my particular case, the electric cord
would have to cross two sidewalks to get to my car. And other people
walk on the sidewalks and I'd be afraid someone would trip, especially
at night. (If I had the right trees, I could run the wire above
everyone, all I have are 5-foot bushes. )