Has anyone been definitive about antifreeze in the AV compressors I keep mine in shop with just plain water in it but I keep my shop above freezing I'm just wondering if antifreeze is an option
AV Compressor
- Thread starter Keyman62421
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I would think 70/30 mix would be ok, 70 being water, water dissipates heat better, but you need some corrosive protection.
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I have one about 7 months now and wonder the same but the manufacturer says destilled water. Im afraid the antifreeze will destroy the hoses or something. I would like to not have to worry about outdoor temps when i take it upstate to my cabin.
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To be sure, I'd ask the manufacturer. The manufacturer most likely recommends distilled water because the heat from the compressor would cause regular tap water to precipitate out solids (scale) just like a hot water heater does. These solids (calcium, iron, manganese etc.) would form a scale inside the water jackets of the compressor just like the inside of our hot water heaters. This scale would promote corrosion to occur, just like it does in our hot water heaters. Distilled water, however, has no dissolved solids in it to precipitate out as scale as the water gets hot. Therefore, no scale results, and no corrosion results. As for antifreeze, I cannot imagine that it would hurt any of the components of the compressor, so long as distilled water was used, and the antifreeze was compatible with aluminum, such as is common in our automobile engines. Using distilled water (no dissolved solids) mixed with regular antifreeze that is compatible with aluminum would be safe for the compressor. But, again, ask the manufacturer.
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So I don't have a owners manual for my compressor yet, I'm not sure what's recommended for it, I'm 60 now and have worked in the automotive trade all my life, I have torn down hundreds of engines and can say I've seen the devastating damage from electrolysis in all types of liquid cooled machines. You need some sort of protection from this.
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