Welding Tips and Tricks

I have been using rv antifreeze in my tig cooler for my Miller Dialarc HF-P since I bought it. I bought it from a Miller dealer slightly used. I think it was a year old and the guy that bought it never used it. Anyway the dealer said the guy that bought it new put rv antifreeze in it. When I asked him if I should change it out he said he couldn't think of any reason that it shouldn't work just fine. I have changed it out for new every other year for about 20 plus years and never had any problems with it. After reading some of the other posts about tig cooler antifreeze I'm wondering if I should change it out to something like miller sells. It has Never had auto antifreeze in it as I know that it will conduct electricity but I have never heard anything bad about rv antifreeze. What are your thoughts on this?

I had used it previously, but now I use TIG cooler-specific coolant. This topic will likey never die and will always be in constant scrutiny just like he 4130 chromoly threads.

There are lots of different kinds of antifreeze out there. If certain kinds get mixed there can be problems ranging from gelling to acidity. If you switch kinds make sure it's comparable or flush it out with a cleaner like TSP mixed with water. Most of them that are marketed for a specific application like a tig cooler will have corrosion inhibitors added to them.

Asked and answered,your on your own..

and it goes on, my home made cooler has had 50/50 green AF since 1982,same torch,coolant never changed,only added. The flames and opinions are as bad as presidential campaigns.

rick9345 wrote:Asked and answered,your on your own..

Agreed

rick9345 wrote: and it goes on,... The flames and opinions are as bad as presidential campaigns.

And those are only every four years!

Metal Fab,
Here's a link to a post where I did the testing of the different choices you will have. I've used most every one of them and have had little ill effects. Others tell of horror stories from using other than low conductivity coolant but my experience tells me different. It's not a huge investment for a normal sized cooler either way.

http://forum.weldingtipsandtricks.com/v ... nductivity

Len

I'm making a home-brew cooler and was just going to use water wetter. Much better heat transfer than antifreeze and I don't really expect to ever have it hit the freezing point so all I really want is corrosion and biological inhibition.

http://www.amazon.com/Red-Line-80204-Wa ... ter+wetter

-Sandow

i run miller coolant in my welders and RV coolant in my RV
buts thats just how i am.
craig

Buddy at liquid air said just to use premixed antifreeze in my cooler.