Pink Stuff Facts

[Midnightsun]

Time to shop for the pink stuff for some and getting closer for others.

Pink stuff is not all the same. Most of if not all the cheap stuff you find at your big surface hardware stores contains alcohol. This is fine for your potable water system however not the best for engines as it will dry out rubber such as hoses, o-rings and impellers. You want to use polypropylene glycol which is motor friendly and remains 100% non toxic even in your water system. I am cheap so I use the good stuff in the engines and the cheap alcohol based stuff in the water system.

If you are close to a Marine Mart, (Ont. QC.) they have a good sale on the good stuff right now @ $4.79 a gallon. I need 15 gallons so well worth it. https://www.entrepotmarinemart.com/en/a ... 0-cam31757

[bud37]

Thats a good price you got there.......alcohol = flammable label....quick check.

[Midnightsun]

It's in french but translated it says "contains no alcohol, Made with polypropylene glycol" Also says protects your motor against corrosion.

[bud37]

Yes, sorry I meant that a quick check for people while looking, is to just look for the flammable label, i didn't mean that stuff was wrong at all. If it has the flame symbol , it means it has enough alcohol to be flammable.You don't want the stuff that is flammable.

I just bought a case of 6, cost me 40 cad. Stupid me left the inlet pipe off the water pump and pumped 2 gallons into the bilge, huh, couldn't figure out why it was disappearing so fast.....

[Viper]

Source of the post Time to shop for the pink stuff for some and getting closer for others.

Pink stuff is not all the same. Most of if not all the cheap stuff you find at your big surface hardware stores contains alcohol. This is fine for your potable water system however not the best for engines as it will dry out rubber such as hoses, o-rings and impellers. You want to use polypropylene glycol which is motor friendly and remains 100% non toxic even in your water system. I am cheap so I use the good stuff in the engines and the cheap alcohol based stuff in the water system.

If you are close to a Marine Mart, (Ont. QC.) they have a good sale on the good stuff right now @ $4.79 a gallon. I need 15 gallons so well worth it. https://www.entrepotmarinemart.com/en/a ... 0-cam31757

I've been preaching this for years but you simply can't convince people that say they've been using the cheap plumbing stuff or windshield washer fluid to do their engines for years with seemingly no ill effects. Glad somebody else brought it up for a change Hans.

Personally I don't like using the the cheap stuff at all, not even for the water system. I think every body here uses a fresh water pump that has a rubber bellow in it with seals, check valves, etc. and I'm not crazy about running it through AC pumps and their condenser coils. I suppose you can then blow it out of the coil but I don't have time for that, so for me it's way cheaper to just use a better product.

[Midnightsun]

Not sure I would be using windshield washer fluid on any water system is it normally contains methanol which can kill you!

[Helmsman]

Source of the post Time to shop for the pink stuff for some and getting closer for others.

Pink stuff is not all the same. Most of if not all the cheap stuff you find at your big surface hardware stores contains alcohol. This is fine for your potable water system however not the best for engines as it will dry out rubber such as hoses, o-rings and impellers. You want to use polypropylene glycol which is motor friendly and remains 100% non toxic even in your water system. I am cheap so I use the good stuff in the engines and the cheap alcohol based stuff in the water system.

If you are close to a Marine Mart, (Ont. QC.) they have a good sale on the good stuff right now @ $4.79 a gallon. I need 15 gallons so well worth it. https://www.entrepotmarinemart.com/en/a ... 0-cam31757

Thanks for your post. The stuff I have says it has propylene glycol and ethylene alcohol. So I guess I should return it? Bought it at Wal-Mart.

[Helmsman]

Source of the post Yes, sorry I meant that a quick check for people while looking, is to just look for the flammable label, i didn't mean that stuff was wrong at all. If it has the flame symbol , it means it has enough alcohol to be flammable.You don't want the stuff that is flammable.

I just bought a case of 6, cost me 40 cad. Stupid me left the inlet pipe off the water pump and pumped 2 gallons into the bilge, huh, couldn't figure out why it was disappearing so fast.....

The stuff I mentioned above doesn’t have a flammable label but it does say it contains both ethylene alcohol and polypropylene glycol. Still the wrong stuff?

[bud37]

I can't say what you have there, but the absence of the flammable symbol may mean there is not enough alcohol to meet the flammable criteria. So can you say the manufacturer of this stuff , product number.The terminology is important.

For me , if it has alcohol, it is a no go period, the price difference isn't worth it for me.

I just look for the symbol and if it is there I ignore that product and if it is not there I read the label more closely, like you did. Still a personal choice, many people have used it for years. Just my opinion here as always.

[Helmsman]

Thanks. I returned it and will use some stuff from Wholesale Marine.