[Vwdiesel] More on overheating and plugged rads

[Sandy Cameron]

 when I started to flush the rad, gobs of
>slime came out into the sink. Mea culpa. I have from time to time re-used
>used antifreeze, although I usually filter it first.
>
>I think The AF must have been breaking down into slime (non visible in the
>reservoir).

I remember an incident a few years ago where a friend had a 16 ft camping
trailer.
He had winterized it by dumping a lot of RV antifreeze (propylene glycol)
into the water tank, and pumping some of it through the plumbing. there was
still quite a bit in the tank when he laid it up for the winter.

He did not use it the next summer, but when he went to ready it the
following summer, the pump inlet from the tank plugged up. I helped him get
the tank out of the trailer, and the A/F had turned to pink jelly. We
managed to get it out through the filler opening, and had to scrub the
inside of the tank in places with long bottle brushes and hot water to get
the stuff off that had stuck to the tank. It did not want to wash out.

If there are any organic chemists in the list, please comment. 
I know you can drink PG safely, and it is used in many foods, like Ice cream.
I wonder if EG (ethylene glycol) is somewhat similar stuff? (but poison)

I suspect some kind of bacteria enjoy munching on the stuff when it is at
the right temperature, turning it to jelly.

Maybe this is what happened to my old used antifreeze sitting in jugs in the
garage for a year or two. It should be stable as long as it's in the car
engine, as it would be sterilized any time the engine got up to temperature,
but perhaps after sitting in an open pan for a few weeks, and being stored
in plastic jugs at ambient temps for a year or 2, the little buggers start
munching again.

The blob rises again!!

OK chemists, rise to the bait.

Sandy