Antifreeze is one of the materials that vehicle owners need during the winter months. Antifreeze attracts attention as a chemical mixture that prevents water molecules in the engines of automobiles and commercial vehicles from freezing, as well as preventing overheating due to seasonal conditions. On the other hand, it is a chemical mixture that can also transfer heat.
The most well-known feature of antifreeze is that it is preferred as a mixture that prevents freezing. However, it is recommended to use this material actively not only in winter but also in summer. In other words, as it prevents freezing in winter, it also prevents boiling and heating in summer. In this regard, every person who owns a vehicle should have an antifreeze. In this context, if you want to have detailed information about antifreeze, you can continue reading our article.
WHAT IS ANTIFREEZE, WHY IS IT PUT IN VEHICLES?
Radiator water may freeze due to climatic conditions. At this point, antifreeze lowers the freezing point of this water and protects the health of the engine. On the other hand, although antifreeze can be identified in winter, using it in other seasons is important to protect the engine.
WHAT ARE THE FEATURES OF ANTIFREEZE?
Antifreeze, which should be used in both summer and winter months, helps prevent various problems such as rust, wear and corrosion when added to the radiators of the engines. Antifreeze, which is vital for cars, raises the boiling point when added to the coolant, while lowering the freezing point. On the other hand, it does not cause any damage to the metals and rubber hoses in the cooling system.
When antifreeze is added to the coolant in an amount of thirty-five percent, the freezing point of the mixture drops to -19 degrees. When a fifty percent antifreeze is added, the probability of engine water freezing is reduced by an average of -38 degrees. It is necessary to mix a certain amount of antifreeze into the radiator according to the season. In order to distinguish the transparent antifreeze from the color of the water, it is necessary to add some colorant.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF ANTIFREEZE?
Antifreeze, which is important to use in summer and winter months, has many benefits for the vehicle. Antifreeze is primarily effective in cooling the engine. At this point, the question comes to mind, does antifreeze prevent overheating? Yes, antifreeze prolongs the life of the engine by preventing it from overheating.
Antifreeze, which is preferred especially in the winter months, undertakes the task of increasing the freezing point of the engine water and preventing it from freezing. This prevents the engine from being damaged.
Antifreeze protects the cooling system and radiator from many foreign substances such as rust and dirt. This affects the efficiency of the vehicle and allows it to operate at the same performance for many years. Therefore, antifreeze provides superior benefits both in winter and summer conditions. However, at this point, it is necessary to know that the rate of antifreeze added to the water will vary according to the seasons.
Antifreeze prevents the engine from freezing and overheating. Not only that, it also prolongs the life of the vehicle by preventing corrosion. Pump systems with antifreeze feature also play a superior role in protecting vehicles. In this way, many more problems such as overheating, corrosion and freezing can be prevented.
Antifreeze also has colors produced depending on the type, characteristics and age of each vehicle. Among these colors, red antifreeze, green antifreeze, blue antifreeze and orange antifreeze draw attention. So, what are the antifreeze colors designed specifically for each vehicle?
WHAT ARE ANTIFREEZE COLORS?
Although antifreeze is generally colorless, different colors can be seen in the market. For example, red antifreeze is common. The variety of these colors gives various information about the properties of antifreeze. One of the most preferred antifreezes today is blue. Said antifreeze is produced by adding inhibitors with classical production technology.
The red antifreeze option is obtained as a result of the addition of organic production inhibitors. When comparing blue antifreeze and red antifreeze, red antifreeze is said to last longer than blue. Although red antifreeze offers long-lasting use, it does not offer as much efficiency as blue antifreeze. Sometimes red antifreeze can be harmful. The aforementioned damages may occur depending on the age of the vehicle in question. If the commercial vehicle or car model is quite old, red antifreeze can cause various malfunctions in that vehicle. Since it contains a strong active ingredient, it can damage the vehicle.
One of the antifreeze colors is green. Green antifreeze, which is inorganic in nature, shows a good efficiency in calcification and freezing of the vehicle. It minimizes both freezing and calcification with its content. Although it shows a strong protection feature on the vehicles, it cannot be said that it is very long-lasting. It offers an extremely short lifetime compared to red antifreeze.
Another of the antifreeze colors is orange antifreeze. The orange antifreeze type, on the other hand, has an organic structure and offers a long service life to the vehicle. In terms of engine protection, it shows weaker protection than green antifreeze. It is important that the aforementioned antifreeze colors and properties are taken according to the type, age and other characteristics of the vehicle. Otherwise, it may do more harm than good to the vehicle.
HOW IS ANTIFREEZE USED?
For those who are looking for an answer to the question of how to use antifreeze, it can be said that adding antifreeze to the radiator water is not a very difficult process. Adding antifreeze can be done easily if the specific parts in the vehicle are known and where they are located.
Before adding antifreeze, it is necessary to ensure safety. For this, it is important to add it after making sure that the engine has cooled completely. After opening the hood of the vehicle, there is a grill-like radiator, and then the radiator cap is opened together with the spare water cap.
After opening the drain cover at the bottom of the radiator, all the water in it is emptied. It is very important to close the lid tightly after the emptying process has been carried out.
Antifreeze begins to be poured into it in a controlled manner. Pure water can also be added to mix the spilled antifreeze. When the radiator part is completely filled, the vehicle’s engine starts to run. While the engine is running, the hood is started again and water is added to the radiator to balance the water losses that will occur in the radiator due to the running engine. When the water in the radiator reaches the normal level, the water addition process is terminated. We close the radiator cap again and complete the antifreeze process.
In order to complete the antifreeze addition process correctly, it is sufficient to find out in which part of the vehicle the radiator cap and the drain cap are located. However, most vehicle drivers may have problems choosing which of the antifreeze options to choose. When choosing among antifreeze types, it is much healthier to act according to the type, not the color. Antifreezes, which are divided into inorganic, organic and hybrid antifreeze types, differ in price, usage areas and production materials.
When choosing among these materials, it is necessary to consider the protective properties of the engine, the frequency of vehicle use and the characteristics of the water of the place where you live. Apart from these, the type of antifreeze used before is also effective in making a new choice. It is among the details that should be considered that the new antifreeze to be used should not be mixed with the old antifreeze in order not to lose the engine protective effects in its components.