Genie47 1st Gear October 14, 2003 Share October 14, 2003 The results are very good. Isopropanol improves the wetting properties of the washer fluid. Final concentration is 10% in DI water. The original cheapo formulation is actually 9 cups water to 1 cup isopropanol plus 1 TBS of dishwashing liquid. I didn't use the dishwashing liquid for fear of it drying up along the lines. This works out to be roughly 2.5L if you take into consideration 1 cup = 250mL. I think the rationale is this. Isopropanol is a more "organic" alcohol compared with ethanol so grease and grime tends to dissolve in it. Moreover, ethanol is more expensive than isopropanol. Isopropanol is also not as volatile as ethanol so once diluted with water, it tends to stay in the solution rather than evaporate away. It is easy for me to get this because I work in a lab but you can get isopropanol from the pharmacy. It comes as rubbing alcohol. DI water is deionized water. Actually I used RO water which was easily available to me. Isopropanol is also known as isopropyl alcohol. ↡ Advertisement Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackfoo 1st Gear October 14, 2003 Share October 14, 2003 Isopropanol (isopropyl) in short is it also call "IPA" ?? Please advise....thank you Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie47 1st Gear October 14, 2003 Author Share October 14, 2003 Yes. IPA is the acronym for isopropyl alcohol. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slowpoke 3rd Gear October 15, 2003 Share October 15, 2003 wooohooo! Just found out I have gallons of that stuff in the POL store at work, gonna "stunt" a little cup later Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renegade Neutral Newbie October 15, 2003 Share October 15, 2003 Just curious - what is the effect of IPA on the wiper blades ? I recall reading somewhere long ago that alcohols can be used as organic solvents..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie47 1st Gear October 15, 2003 Author Share October 15, 2003 It is still miscible in water. So not that organic to dissolve plastic or rubber. Still considered a lower alcohol. If it is butanol, I'll be worried. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soya Supersonic October 15, 2003 Share October 15, 2003 interesting. but isn't isopropanol hazardous in the hot engine bay as it's flammable? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace_t Neutral Newbie October 15, 2003 Share October 15, 2003 isn't it corrosive towards rubber ? I think it makes the rubber (tubes) hard and brittle. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace_t Neutral Newbie October 15, 2003 Share October 15, 2003 just found out I got 500ml of it... by the way, the only IPA I know of is India Pale Ale... and I drink it by the jug. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace_t Neutral Newbie October 15, 2003 Share October 15, 2003 see the pic I sent.. flash point at 12 deg C. extremely flammable. can't even use it in aircon environement. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie47 1st Gear October 15, 2003 Author Share October 15, 2003 Ah but it is mixed with water. Alcohol loves water. Now that it is 10% in solution with water, it will stay in solution with water. The problem is when it hits >50% in water. There is just not enough water to keep it in solution. It will vaporize to seek water elsewhere. When in vapor then the flash point is important. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace_t Neutral Newbie October 15, 2003 Share October 15, 2003 (edited) flammability (sic) is one thing, but how corrosive is it towards rubber ? I think RAIN-X has some IPA mix in it and overtime, it sort of damages the wiper blades by making it hard.. Edited October 15, 2003 by Ace_t Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie47 1st Gear October 15, 2003 Author Share October 15, 2003 (edited) Whether they become hard or not, you still have to replace them once a year. No point trying to make them last forever. The will be worn off from the wiping as well. They are like $8-10 per piece. Edited October 15, 2003 by Genie47 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace_t Neutral Newbie October 15, 2003 Share October 15, 2003 once a year ?... guess mine is long overdue.. the main thing is that it dun damage your rubber tubes and motors. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Assassin Clutched October 15, 2003 Share October 15, 2003 just found out I got 500ml of it... by the way, the only IPA I know of is India Pale Ale... and I drink it by the jug. Just make sure you are drinking the correct IPA ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Neutral Newbie March 8, 2004 Share March 8, 2004 have you tried ethyl alcohol? Does it work as well? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie47 1st Gear March 8, 2004 Author Share March 8, 2004 (edited) ethyl alcohol is ethanol AKA you booze alcohol. The reason why I chose isopropanol. It is more organic than ethanol but still water miscible. So it blends with water still. It is more organic to dissolve grease and grime but not as great as lighter fluid. But lighter fluid is so organic it is not miscible with water. Edited March 8, 2004 by Genie47 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madarmour Neutral Newbie March 8, 2004 Share March 8, 2004 see the pic I sent.. flash point at 12 deg C. extremely flammable. can't even use it in aircon environement. When you dilute it to 10%, it's not flammable anymore. ↡ Advertisement Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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