Ever Wonder If It’s Possible To Freeze Anti-Freeze?

This is an excellent question because after all it IS called “ANTI-freeze.”

What is anti-freeze? Basically, anti-freeze is an additive which lowers the freezing point of a water-based liquid. The purpose of anti-freeze is to essentially prevent any rigid enclosures from bursting or breaking due to expansion that occurs when water freezes.

Anti-freeze can be made up of different chemicals such as: methanol, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol or glycerol. However, ethylene glycol is the most commonly used anti-freeze chemical today. Anti-freeze also consists of a mixture of distilled water and some kind of alcohol.

Ethylene glycol is an excellent antifreeze, mainly due to it having a freezing point of 9 degrees fahrenheit and a boiling point of 387 degrees fahrenheit. In addition to this, it is also miscible in water, which essentially means it can be mixed in virtually any type of proportion. The only issue with ethylene glycol is that it has about half the specific heat capacity as pure water, which means water is actually way more effective at transferring heat away from the engine. Mixing ethylene glycol with water however makes a very beneficial solution.

The anti-freeze levels in your car should be checked regularly, as this prevents your car from overheating which can cause significant damage.