Hola Steve et al!
Steve C. wrote:
> Jerry:
> Common windshield washer fluid is mostly water with 15-30% methanol
> added depending on the area of the country you buy it. The alcohol is
> only used as a freeze preventer. Haven't you ever had any cheap stuff
> freeze or slush up when it's REALLY cold? 99% methanol would never
> freeze- and it would cost at least $3/gallon.
>
> Steve C.
>
> ...snip...
Cheap stuff yes has less active ingredient, as expected....in Mexico, if
I buy a bottle of alcohol from one of the tiny corner stores, it WON'T
EVEN BURN...maybe 10% alcohol if that...but its only like 15 cents a bottle.
If I buy a bottle of alcohol from a bigger store, like Soriana (similar
to Walmart), its a better quality, higher price but is about 70-95% and
burns well....I use it to kill ants...<LOL>...
Windshield washing fluid brands like HEET are mostly methanol as posted
in a prior article where a guy was using that in his car because it was
so strong, though more expensive than the cheap stuff.
http://www.localb100.com/testbatch/buyingmethanol/
Methanol is made from natural gas and the price fluctuates with the
price of natural gas. It is sold either 'by the gallon' (ie bring your
own gas cans) or by the drum- 15, 30, or 55 gallon drums. For test
batches, we often use yellow bottle Heet brand gas line antifreeze (99%
methanol) from auto parts stores.
-------------------------
I never believe any one person or website, so tend to look for a range
of corroborating sources and use the weighted average for veracity...you
can see the widely varying percentages as on the following sites;
http://www.epa.state.oh.us/pic/facts/hhwauto.html
Windshield wiper solution may contain methanol, detergent and water.
Because of its hazardous nature, windshield wiper solution is required
to have a child-proof safety cap. The most toxic windshield wiper
solutions contain 100 percent methanol. Methanol is highly toxic and
readily absorbed by inhalation or skin contact.
----------------
http://www.southernchemical.com/principle.htm
Windshield wiper fluid is 10-20% Methanol
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http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node=methanol
Most windshield wiper fluids are fifty percent methanol.
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http://dnr.wi.gov/org/caer/ce/news/on/1998/on980915.htm
For example, Feyerherm says, some car windshield wiper fluids are 75 to
100 percent methanol, one of the chemicals included on the TRI.
If the 4.5 million cars registered in Wisconsin each used a minimum of 2
gallons (13 pounds) of these washer fluids a year, motorists would be
contributing almost 60 million pounds of methanol to the
environment--from something as simple as washing their car windshield.
----------------
http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/showthread.php?s=24f6cc258be44152759f11ff50db2a4e&p=3715864#post3715864
Wal Mart windshield fluid is reputed to be about 25-30% methanol.
----------------
http://www.chron.com/content/chronicle/business/97/03/26/fuel-cells.2-0.html
About 2.5 billion gallons of methanol is made each year in the United
States. Most of it is made in the Houston area from natural gas. It
currently costs about 40 cents per gallon. The average motorist most
likely sees methyl alcohol in windshield washer fluid, which is as much
as 50 percent methanol depending upon climate.
----------------
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3225/is_n1_v47/ai_13411364
Methanol also is added to a variety of commercial and consumer products,
such as windshield washing fluid and de-icing solutions (35 to 95
percent concentration), duplicating fluids (95 percent concentration or
greater), solid canned fuels (4 percent concentration), paint removers,
model airplane fuels and embalming fluids.
----------------
http://www.mhtx.com/media_center/ustecharticle.htm
The system was fueled with a 50 percent methanol water mixture. Hockaday
said, "We expect to complete a fully working prototype before mid 1999.
Our ultimate goal is to maintain a digital cellular telephone on standby
for more than six months and to provide 100 hours of talk time with a
single refueling of several ounces of a methanol/water mix." He said
that a convenient source for the "fuel" is ordinary windshield washer fluid.
----------------
http://www.setonresourcecenter.com/msds/docs/wcd00008/wcd00802.htm
RAIN-X (R) DE-ICER WINDSHIELD WASHER FLUID
Ingredient Name - METHANOL (20-40%)
----------------
Methanol = wood alcohol = denatured alcohol (without water)
----------------
Interesting comment from;
http://rohmhaas.com/cincy/CAC/minutes/8-03-TRI_Presentation.pdf
Methanol is used to hold products in solution.
----------------
Thanks for the feedback!!!
--
Jerry Decker - http://www.keelynet.com
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