Need help with a boiler---antifreeze

[Brian in NY]

I am having a new boiler installed, and the installer is telling me that if I want to protect my system with antifreeze, I would need about 10 gallons of antifreeze (sounds reasonable to me, this is a big house) input into the system, at a cost of $550 including the antifreeze which should run him about $300.
Is this price in the ballpark, it sure seems high to me!
Thanks in advance!

 

[Anonymous-0]

I installed an outside boiler in 1988, with underground lines going to the house and the shop. Boiler and lines, radiators, took about 100 gallons of water to fill. I used 30 gallons of antifreeze, 70 gallons water. No problems with freezing when the system was shut down. He's charging $30 per gallon for antifreeze? It's only about $8-9 around here- for straight antifreeze, not the pre-mix, which is half water. And he wants $250 to pour it in?

 

[Anonymous-0]

Car antifreeze is poison so If your boiler is one where the make up water comes from your house water systyme then there is a chance of drinking antifreeze. So I have a bunch of questions to ask your plumber. What kind of antifreeze will he use. A safe one for this application may be more expensive. Also where will the make up water come from and when new water happens to be let into the systym how will the pure water affect the strength of the antifreeze. I would like to know how often the antifreeze should be changed as a maintaince item. One could run the pop off valve into a container that has a pump hooked up to it that would return the expelled antifreeze back into the boiler. That way the fresh water lines and your boiler would be completly seperated and you could use auto antifreeze. Also it is good to know that the antifreeze that is right for cars with aluminum blocks and other parts like heads or radiators is not approiate for use in diesel truck engines. The high silicone content settles out as a green goo. This may also happen in a boiler???

 

[djfarmer]

I bought a 5 gallon bucket of boiler antifreeze a couple of months ago at Menards. Called "Cryotek" or something like that, made for boilers, non toxic. Cost $80.00 for the bucket I think. Stuff doesn't protect nearly as well as car antifreeze in that at a 50% mix it is good to around 0 degrees, but it won't kill you.

 

[Anonymous-0]

So is this something you put in yourself? Is this difficult to do?

Thanks!

 

[Tim B from MA]

I assume this is a boiler located outside? If not, why do you need antifreeze?

The boiler should have a back-flow preventer on it, so I'm not sure getting auto antifreeze into your potable water pipes is a real issue.

If you are concerned, you might consider RV antifreeze - not sure how it holds up under heat thought. Right now it is about $3 to $4 a gallon, in winter it will be about $1.50 a gallon.

 

[djfarmer]

Yes I did put it in myself. I drained the boiler using a garden hose on the drain valve which I ran outside. Closed the drain valve,then took off a pipe cap on top of the boiler and filled it with the antifreeze using a funnel.

 

[djfarmer]

You need the antifreeze in northern climates to keep your heating system from bursting should the boiler stop working.

 

[Dusty MI]

In this area if automotive anti-freeze is used TWO back flow preventers are required.

Also automotive anti-freeze does a better job of exchanging heat.

 

[bill mar]

I think house systems may use propylene glycol vs.ethylene glycol which is used in automotive sytems

 

[Gus]

I was told that auto antifreeze is also a coolant. Therefore it"s harder to heat. So they told me not to use it in my boiler. I just have a neighbor fill it if I"m out of town. I would like to protect the system in case the neighbor can"t make it.

 

[MarkB_MI]

Unless you intend to close up your house in the winter, there's no need to put antifreeze in the system. After all, you don't have antifreeze in your water supply lines. That's assuming, of course, that your pipes are routed properly. I have one zone that will occasionally freeze if it's turned down.

Don't forget, if you have a problem with your system, you may need to drain it. If it's filled with straight water, you can just run it down the drain. But I don't think you will want to dump 300 bucks worth of antifreeze down the drain.

I read somewhere that the preferred antifreeze for hydronic systems is propylene glycol, and that it is sold in bulk for food service use.

 

[Tim B from MA]

As my handle says, I from Massachusetts and it gets plenty cold around here. I don't know of anyone with antifreeze in their boiler.

Also, as pointed out, no one has antifreeze in their potable plumbing - point is, don't let your house freeze, and if it inevitible, drain all your water systems and if possible blow them out with a compressor.

 

[Lou NY]

There are several reasons to anti-freeze a boiler system, 1) if a room is closed off and not in use on a cold spell a baseboard radiator can freeze. 2)During a power outage baseboard heat can and will freeze before many water pipes do. 3)And lastly it can reduce corrsion in the boiler and give peace of mind on one system in a home in the winter.
Lou

 

[Diggerman]

The antifreeze used in home heating system is far different from the automotive antifreeze you buy at your local Walmart or automotive store. I've been installing boilers for the last 15 years and I can assure you that they are not one and the same. Home antifreeze is designed to last 20+ years. It's designed to conduct heat btus efficently. Can you get by with auto antifreeze? Yes. Should you spend the extra money for the home antifreeze? Absolutely

 

[caterpillar guy]

If this is a free standing outside furnace for like the wood,corn, and such the make up water will dilute the antifreeze so whats the gain. I have to add water during the heating season and I just use water no additive at all. The lines are in an insulated pipe and only about 30-36 inches deep I'm in Michigan and gets 20 below zero air not wind chill. The ground will keep them from freezing there. In the cellar it won't freeze till a week or more after the heat is off. So out side is the only thing I have to worry much about.