Can Water be used instead of Windscreen Washer Fluid?
Any driver who uses his car on a daily basis has to constantly worry about several things: so that there is always gas in the tank, so that the wheels are pumped up, so that fluid is poured into the washer reservoir. The last point has an important role at any time of the year, in winter, summer and off-season. The consumption of windshield washer fluid is few who count. However, this is a constant item in the family budget and there are many drivers who are trying to save money on the car wash. One way is to fill the tank with water. In this article, we will tell you whether to use water instead of windshield washer fluid?
The content of the article:
What is a washer and why is it needed? Types: summer and winter windscreen washer fluid Water instead of summer windshield washer fluid How to prepare windshield washer fluid yourself? Output What is a washer and why is it needed? Glass washer fluid, or, as the people say, “washer”, glass washer is a liquid that is designed to clean the windshield of a car carzaamin.com from dirt, dust, insects, ice, and so on. Hatchback and estate cars can be equipped with a washer to clean the rear window.
It is impossible to avoid dirt if you drive a car every day. This is especially true for rainy weather or during the period of snow melting, when almost all roads are covered with puddles. When driving, not only the car body is covered with mud, but also the glass. A clogged windshield makes it difficult to see and can lead to an accident, so you need to keep it clean.
Windshield washer fluid is a cleaning solution specially formulated for car windows. The washer must easily and efficiently remove dirt, while not leaving stains and streaks.
Types: summer and winter windscreen washer fluid There are two types of windshield washer fluid: summer and winter. They have the same purpose, but they have different compositions. The winter washer has a special set of components that allows it to stay warm even at low temperatures. Therefore, it is also called non-freezing. Such a liquid must be poured into the washer barrel in winter or when frost is observed outside. For example, in spring or autumn, if the temperature at night drops below zero degrees.
Unlike anti-freeze, summer windscreen washer fluid has a simple set of components, the main of which is water. To improve its cleaning properties, surfactants, fragrances and dyes are also added to the composition. This washer should only be used at temperatures above zero degrees. Otherwise, it will freeze under the influence of low temperatures.
Water instead of summer windshield washer fluid Some drivers, in order to save on summer windshield washer fluid, or, I don’t know, with the onset of heat, begin to pour plain tap water into the tank. In theory, it could be an alternative to a special washer, but the use of water is fraught with negative consequences for your car taken from auction carzaamin.com/auction, namely its windshield washer system.
If you pour water into the car washer, later you may be faced with the need for repair. The water pump, which is located in the tank, first of all suffers from water, all the more hard. The impeller of the pump is designed for pumping a special windshield washer fluid, which contains components that act as a lubricant. Naturally, ordinary water does not contain such substances, which means sooner or later the hydraulic pump of the windscreen washer tank will jam or burn out. Dirty glass and repairs will be provided for you.
In addition to the fact that the use of water can damage the washer pump, it also poorly cleans the windshield from lime and oily contaminants. It is also difficult to wash off stuck insects with water. Therefore, the composition of the special washer contains surfactants, which provide high-quality cleaning. As for the use of water instead of a washer in the winter, it is not difficult to guess what the consequences will be. With the onset of low temperatures, the water in the windscreen washer tank will simply freeze and turn into ice. This means that you cannot clean the glass until the ice melts. But this is only half the trouble.
As you know, water expands when it freezes, which means that the plastic tank of the windscreen washer can simply break. The driver's carelessness will again be punished by the need for repairs and unforeseen expenses.
How to make your own windshield washer fluid in water Nevertheless, among the drivers there are craftsmen who are still trying to save money on cleaning the car windshield. There are a considerable number of recipes for making omyvayka, including non-freezing, with your own hands. Let's find out how to make your own windshield washer fluid.
Preparation of summer windshield washer fluid
In the summer, some car enthusiasts add window or dishwashing detergent to regular water. For example, add 300 g of detergent to 3 liters of distilled water. Everything is mixed until foaming. They say that such a solution is effective even at temperatures not lower than 5 degrees.
Anti-freeze preparation
Do-it-yourself non-freezing can be made if you mix 1 liter of table vinegar, 1 liter of distilled water and 200 g of ordinary dishwashing liquid. The result is a washing liquid that does not freeze even at a temperature of -15 degrees.
However, it is believed that this method can be used only at an air temperature of -10 degrees. Otherwise, as a result of its use, there will be an unpleasant vinegar smell inside the car.
You can also use alcohol instead of vinegar to prepare the anti-freeze. This can be isopropyl alcohol or, for example, medical grade.
To prepare 3.75 liters of washers, they take 3 glasses of 250 grams of 70 percent alcohol (if 96.6% alcohol is used, then it is enough to take 650 grams) and mix it with 10 glasses of ordinary water (a glass – 300 grams). After that, add 1 tablespoon of washing powder to the solution and mix everything thoroughly.
However, we do not recommend experimenting with non-freezing in winter. It's safer to use high-quality windshield washer fluid purchased from a good store. Inexperienced self-preparation of the solution can lead to problems with odor in the car, breakdown of the windscreen washer pump and damage to the system pipes.
Output Remember, the miser pays twice. This means that the correct use of automotive technical fluids, including windscreen washers, in the future will save your money on unplanned car repairs.