Any suggestions on an additive for screenwasher fluid. I have had mine go stagnant recently - awful smell brought in when they are used.
Using antifreeze stuff in the summer seems a waste. What do people suggest using in the summer - I have been warned off washing up liquid due to its strong degreasing / salty effect.
On Sat, 22 Aug 2009 13:28:18 +0100, "John" had this to say:
Add a bit of methylated spirit to the water - it'll help to dissolve grease on the screen. Smells nice too :-)
The problem will be finding someone willing to sell it apart from on the internet. I have tried to buy isopropyl alcohol recently from 2 pharmacies (for cleaning VHS tape recorder heads) but they told me that they are not allowed to stock it or sell it.
Although I can't find it on their web site at the moment Maplin's sell it by the 1 litre can.
On Sat, 22 Aug 2009 14:08:31 +0100, "DIY" had this to say:
You can buy meths almost anywhere - try an outdoor-type store; it's widely used for such as Trangia stoves.
You can buy meths in B&Q.
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember "DIY" saying something like:
They lie. The truth is, they have lost touch with their roots and simply can't be arsed stocking it any more. If it's not packeted, bar-coded, and neatly labelled, they don't want to know. Apart from that, the demand for loose chemicals has gone way down, but it's still possible to get it from a lab suppliers.
In message , Bill wrote
5 litre bottles of IPA from CPC :)Smaller quantities also available - IPA 400ml spray cans @£3
Indeed - my experience. I just bought 500ml for about a fiver inc. on ebay - all fine and good (and expensive!) but I've no way of knowing how 'pure' it is. Admittedly I didn't know before with the chemist-sourced stuff - somehow I trusted them a little more though.
Rob
Don't use Meths - your passengers are likely to throw up every time you wash away some crap from your windscreen. IPA smells much nicer, stops bugs and mould growing in reservoir, helps screen cleaning and prevents freezing. Best place to buy it (and lots of other useful chemicals) is:
In message , Bill writes
CPC is cheaper
Yeah - might have been cut with trich ...
Don't snort it
problem. I bought the last few lots from B&Q after the local ironmonger retired.
I get IPA from CPC all the time.
I buy 5l Holts High Performance Screen Wash concentrate from CostCo (=A33.87(*)) and dilute at 4:1 water:wash which doesn't freeze to below
-6C.
Even though the reservior on my car holds 4l it still lasts about 9 months before running out. That 5l of concentrate is just about to run out now, I don't see much "waste" there and having a fairly potent brew in the summer deals with the fly splat better than weaker "summer" mixtures.
(*)Jan '06 price and is green, all I can find on a quick google is blue stuff. Maybe it's no longer available but I haven't noticed it missing in CostCo.
Got the same (well, blue) stuff from CPC this week for £4.14 inclusive.
I got one from CPC a few years ago. Was watching the UPS delivery progress on the web, when it suddenly changed to "burst package, returning to sender". I had visions of a UPS van somewhere, with everyones packages floating in a pool of screen wash concentrate...
In message , Andrew Gabriel writes
CPC are the kings of crap packing
light bulbs and reels of solder loose in the box for example
Hand cleaner tub which burst
etc etc
On Sat, 22 Aug 2009 17:02:29 +0100, ChipMonk had this to say:
Rubbish - you're suggesting using far too high a concentration. All you need is a couple of tablespoonfuls of meths (not isopropyl alcohol) to the average washerbottle.
Apart from in wintertime, I've used meths as an additive for the last
40-mumble years and nobody (admittedly I have few passengers!) has complained, passed out or died as a result.
I love the smell of meths! Reminds me of those little stoves we used when I did my Duke of Edinboroughs Award camping & stuff.
On Sat, 22 Aug 2009 14:08:31 +0100, "DIY" had this to say:
Apparently pharmacies are (officially) no longer allowed to 'make up' medicines for 'H&S' reasons, so it's no good asking your local 'chemist' to 'make up', say, a cough bottle - they have to rely on commercial manufacturers to supply the finished product. This is why it's very difficult to buy 'interesting' chemicals such as saltpetre, citric or hydrochloric acid, flowers of sulphur, caustic potash, potassium permanganate or carbon tetrachloride from such suppliers - it's all part of the nanny-state syndrome. Fortunately there are several 'old-timer'-type "chemists" who, if you get to know them, can or will (somehow!) get some of your requirements. It's certainly no use asking in the pharmacy section of Sainsburys, for example :-)
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