How cold can you wash a car with QEW?

W

White95Max

New member
I washed my car last winter when it was WELL below freezing with ordinary car soap and warm water, with a method nearly identical to the QEW method.



Does QEW + QD lower the freezing point of the wash solution so that you can wash during colder temperatures without having to worry about the solution freezing on the paint?

At times last winter, I would only be able to wash half of a fender at a time if I were to have enough time to dry it completely before it froze.
 
I dont think QEW lowers the freezing point of water....just have to start with warmer I guess!!



I have become a firm believer in QEW last winter....But this winter it will be alittle easier ..moved up from a crowded 2 car garage to a spacious car and now all my QEW washes go on in there, with my "torpedo" heater going!!!



Stay warm!!! Sure your like Chicago today..like 10 degrees w/o factoring in the wind chill!!!!



MIKE
 
I don't think QEW does anything to depress the freezing point. It was designed to not need rinsing (used in places with restricted water supply or runoff restrictions). The no-rinse aspect is why Autopians use it as a winter wash.
 
Corey Bit Spank said:
Just use warm water.



Using hot hot hot water will actually make it get cooler quicker.
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Um....howzat work? Unless I've slid to another reality, there is a direct relationship between how hot the water is and how long it takes to cool off.



But, you don't want to thermally shock the paint, which is a better reason to use only warm water.
 
Or did you mean the RATE of cooling will be higher with hotter water? The higher the differential temperature, the faster the rate of equalibriation, but the overall time will be longer the hotter the water is when it starts.
 
Well I noticed a bunch of Canadian members praising QEW, so I thought maybe it works in below-freezing temps. I guess they all just have heaters.



I think I need one myself...



Chaotik - Do you know about the WI/IL Detailing Meet in the spring? You can see the "Wisconsin Detailers" thread in the Hot Tub forum if you're interested.

And yes, I believe the temperature was around 10F when I looked at the thermometer at lunchtime. :down
 
Setec Astronomy said:
Or did you mean the RATE of cooling will be higher with hotter water? The higher the differential temperature, the faster the rate of equalibriation, but the overall time will be longer the hotter the water is when it starts.
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Ever put hot water in an ice cube tray? They will freeze before putting warm water in the tray.



It has to do with the temp. gradient. :)



http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/General/hot_water.html
 
Corey Bit Spank said:
Ever put hot water in an ice cube tray? They will freeze before putting warm water in the tray.



It has to do with the temp. gradient. :)
Click to expand...



Yes the gradient is higher--at the beginning...but once the hotter water cools down...it is at the same temp as the "warm" water. The cooling curve will be steeper the higher the gradient...but once the gradient is the same between our two theoretical ice trays, i.e., they are at the same temperature, the cooling rate will be the same...so, if the "warm" tray was put in the freezer at the same time as the "hot" one, it will freeze first. Sorry, BTU's are BTU's.



But I live in another state, so your mileage may vary. I'm done.
 
I'm in Rochester NY, worst than that I live in the town of Greece not to far from Lake Ontario. Lake effect big time.



I have no garage and have washed my car every weekend for the last month using hot tap water and QEW and have no issues.



The water, while not cold is certainly not hot enough to shock anything by the time I've got my mitts and towels all set.



I tell you what though, once that water does get cold, I call it quits. I usually have the exterior body done by then. But I almost started to cry late in the day yesterday after putting my hands in that cold water and the air temps had gotten below 30.



Gotta find me some warm waterproof gloves.
 
GSRstilez said:
I just use very warm water and dry after each panel. I can wash my car in pretty much any temperature. :)
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Same here. I think the coldest I can personally stand working in is about 26-28 degrees. Even with warm water and knit gloves underneath neoprene gloves, my hands still get cold.
 
Corey Bit Spank said:
Ever put hot water in an ice cube tray? They will freeze before putting warm water in the tray.



It has to do with the temp. gradient. :)



http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/General/hot_water.html
Click to expand...





Actually, this is one of the oldest myths in the book.

I have personally studied this in a lower level physics course.

It is a simple change of state formula. The experiment/s you are referring to quote ridiculous examples. The website even says the results are not consistent in experiments. Hotter water has more energy then colder water and must cool more and slow down to expand into the lattice structure that is frozen water- ice. I may have studied this years ago and was not a physics major. My terminology is butchered, but it is simply a myth that hot water freezes faster then cold. Energy is energy it doesnâ€â„¢t just disappear.

If you need me to dig up my studies and break out my physics and marine science book I will do so. Until then, be careful quoting a random internet website.
 
On another note, it was 80* today in Sunny SOCAL!

Had to wear shorts and a tshirt today. LOL

Kinda fun snowboarding and surfing in the same day!!!!
 
racepenut said:
Actually, this is one of the oldest myths in the book.

I have personally studied this in a lower level physics course.

It is a simple change of state formula. The experiment/s you are referring to quote ridiculous examples. The website even says the results are not consistent in experiments. Hotter water has more energy then colder water and must cool more and slow down to expand into the lattice structure that is frozen water- ice. I may have studied this years ago and was not a physics major. My terminology is butchered, but it is simply a myth that hot water freezes faster then cold. Energy is energy it doesnâ€â„¢t just disappear.

If you need me to dig up my studies and break out my physics and marine science book I will do so. Until then, be careful quoting a random internet website.
Click to expand...



Well I want my money back from my chemistry course!
 
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