Posted by Jean B. on January 16, 2006, 2:45 pm
Bill wrote:
> FWIW ethylene glycol antifreeze is a pet killer. It is sweet and they die
> from licking it from the garage floor. Less than a teaspoon will kill the
> average cat.
>
:-( So if a cat walks around on my car after it is sprayed,
that would be very bad for it? Is the same true of prolylene
glycol?
Thanks for the reminder. The plot, er, solution thickens....
--
Jean B.
Posted by Michael Pardee on January 17, 2006, 1:33 am
> Bill wrote:
>> FWIW ethylene glycol antifreeze is a pet killer. It is sweet and they
>> die from licking it from the garage floor. Less than a teaspoon will
>> kill the average cat.
>>
> :-( So if a cat walks around on my car after it is sprayed, that would be
> very bad for it? Is the same true of prolylene glycol?
> Thanks for the reminder. The plot, er, solution thickens....
> --
> Jean B.
Propylene glycol is considerably less toxic - it is used in Sierra (?)
reduced toxicity antifreeze and as a flavoring in cream soda... yum!
It would be a good idea to keep cats from even casual ethylene glycol
exposure, since they groom themselves. Small amounts of ethylene glycol do
no harm, but in creatures as sensitive as cats I hesitate to take chances.
Mike
Posted by Jean B. on January 16, 2006, 2:43 pm
Michael Pardee wrote:
>
> It is a bit of a problem. If it helps, some spray de-icers contain ethylene
> glycol (which sounds like what you had), but some are only alcohol and don't
> leave the gunk behind. The active materials will be listed on the label
> since both are toxic :-( Contrary to popular belief, glycol antifreeze is
> very biodegradable - it is only us stupid vertebrates that metabolize it to
> methanol and get metabolic acidosis.
>
> Mike
>
>
Alcohol and propylene glycol. Does pure alcohol work somehow
even though it just evaporates?
Another reason I didn't spray the night before last is because
the windshield was already wet. Does that matter (with the
mix)? And what would this have done in the case of thick ice
(as vs frost)? I am still wondering how I will get the ice
off my windshield wipers!!!!!
--
Jean B.
Posted by Michael Pardee on January 17, 2006, 1:36 am
> Michael Pardee wrote:
>>
>> It is a bit of a problem. If it helps, some spray de-icers contain
>> ethylene glycol (which sounds like what you had), but some are only
>> alcohol and don't leave the gunk behind. The active materials will be
>> listed on the label since both are toxic :-( Contrary to popular
>> belief, glycol antifreeze is very biodegradable - it is only us stupid
>> vertebrates that metabolize it to methanol and get metabolic acidosis.
>>
>> Mike
> Alcohol and propylene glycol. Does pure alcohol work somehow even though
> it just evaporates?
Yes - it works in the same way salt does, gradually mixing itself with the
water in the ice to raise the freezing point. It takes a few minutes and
sometimes some reapplication but it works pretty well.
Mike
Posted by richard schumacher on January 16, 2006, 2:06 pm
wrote:
> My poor Prius has no shelter and got very iced up last night.
> I scraped off what I could, which was not nearly enough to
> drive, and went and turned on the defrosters. But when you
> just sit there trying to defrost, it seems to only use the
> battery, so I had to turn off the car when the charge was
> perilously low. Sooo, how do you work around this?
>
> I did use the spray deicer a few times this year--and that's
> fine as long as you get frost, snow or ice on the windshield,
> but it left gunk on the glass the time it remained dry--gunk
> that did not come off in the car wash or when I tried to wash
> it off, so I am somewhat reluctant to go that route.
>
> BTW, my windshield wipers are still encased in ice and
> unusable, so I couldn't stay out when it started snowing again.
Why are shutting the car off? The Prius monitors its own battery
charging. Just turn the car on ("READY"), as if you were about to drive
away, and leave it in Park; then you can sit there all day with the
defroster running if you want, until you run out of gas.
Once one could buy flexible plastic sheets with magnetic strips made to
cover just the windshield and prevent ice buildup. I've no idea where
to find these now.
> from licking it from the garage floor. Less than a teaspoon will kill the
> average cat.
>