Can coolant concentration be checked with a coolant battery refractometer?
Refractometers can measure both Ethylene and Propylene glycol based coolant/antifreeze very accurately.
How do I check coolant concentration?
The application is very easy: It involves simply adding a few drops of the coolant emulsion to the refractometer. The fluid’s index of refraction can then be read off. The coolant concentration in vol. % can be obtained by multiplying the result with the specific factor of the product.
How do you check the concentration of ethylene glycol?
The angle at which light appears to bend can be measured and converted to concentration. A handheld refractometer is easy to use. Just add a few drops of sample on the prism, hold up to a light source, and read the concentration on the scale inside the meter. A hydrometer is a tool used to measure specific gravity.
What happens if I add water to 50/50 coolant?
Most manufacturers recommend a 50/50 mix of antifreeze concentrate to water. Mixtures with too much water may not provide adequate boil over or freeze protection. Mixtures with too much antifreeze concentrate may actually cause over heating.
What is the concentration of coolant?
A reading from 33 to 50 percent is normal. Anything more or less means you need to add either antifreeze or water to bring the concentration within a normal range. Step 3: Multiply the coolant capacity times the percentage of antifreeze within the cooling system.
What is a Brix factor?
Brix measurement (or Brix scale) is a well-known application in the food and beverage industry, among others. Strictly speaking, the Brix measurement determines pure sucrose content in water: 1 degree Brix (°Bx) = 1g of sucrose / 100g of solution.
Can a refractometer be used to test coolant concentration?
I loaned a refractometer out years ago and really should be using something to test my coolants. I shopped around for one but most just read in brix which does not go less than the specific gravity of water or 1.00 and the coolant mixed up will be in the .980-.998 range.
What can a zebra refractometer be used for?
Zebra has a full line of digital inline, process refractometers for a wide range of applications with various calibrations (machine shop coolant concentration is measured in BRIX) and fluid turbidity.
How to check a brix refractometer for coolant?
To verify that it is calibrated you can put a few drops of straight water onto the lens, then close the lid. You should notice that the line reads just below the 30°F mark. This is the indication that it is reading correctly. Once you have your glycol mixture ready place a few drops of it onto the lens.
Can a refractometer be used to measure specific gravity?
If you are trying to use specific gravity to measure concentration you will need to use a hydrometer instead. The most common error in using refractometers that read out in a percentage value is that of a correction factor for a given coolant.
