thomas_pokrefke@juno.com wrote:
>
> I forgot where I learned this from, but I remember being told that a
> single drop of dishwashing liquid (ie- Palmolive, Dawn, et al) in the
> radiator breaks the surface tension of the water.
>
> To illustrate, fill a bowl with water. Then, sprinkle pepper across the
> top. Notice how the pepper just lies there, with no movement. Place a
> drop of the aforementioned soap in the center of bowl, and watch as the
> pepper moves to the perimeter of the bowl. I have no complicated
> explanation of why this happens other than the surface tension is broken.
>
> Back to the cooling system. When the surface tension is broken, the
> water can make better "contact" (I'm an accountant, not a scientist!)
> with the metal parts of the engine and radiator, thereby cooling better.
>
> I wouldn't use more than one drop of soap or you are apt to have a
> "sudsing problem". Then again, I wouldn't use any soap at all in my
> cooling system.
>
> Thomas James Pokrefke, III
> 1970 MGB
> thomas_pokrefke@juno.com
> http://ocean.st.usm.edu/~pokrefke
I have seen a rather tasteless joke done with the "trick" you discuss (I
don't remember the joke anymore, but Fuzzy Zoeller would find it
funny). I don't know if the explanation is good or not. Redline
Lubricants Inc. makes a product called Water Wetter. I have used it in
my cars, and have seen a measurable difference - although some on the
list do not believe it. At any rate, I am convinced that it does work,
and that it is harmless to the cooling system. FWIW,
Chris Delling
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