storing liquids in an unheated barn

[TomSeller]

Unopened jugs of oils & lubes are stored in the spare bedroom. .

Reminds me of having to use a gallon of antifreeze as a pillow in the barn one one night way back when. She was a looker

 

[lamanated]

I use either an old freezer or a cabinet to keep things in,, never seems to harm them, keeps the frost off as well

 

[Gary Fowler]

The undiluted jug of RV anti freeze froze solid. Did not expand the container. Not rock hard like water, but way past slushy. I think it would stand on its own. The label says it will do that, but is not supposed to burst. Which it didn't. But I don't know if I believe it is good to -50F, it was -15.

I put it in the toilet and drains at my camp, between visits in the winter.

Wrecked my idea of mixing water and anti freeze in the fall in jugs, so I could take a dump in the winter. Some times I turn the water on and drain when I leave. Other times just put water in the back of the toilet so I can flush it. Left a mixed jug by the fire all night and it still didn't completely unthaw.

But now that I have a tractor I can clear a path so it is easier to carry water in. Though it takes longer then I thought to move 3-4' deep snow.

Anti-freeze has to be mixed with water or it will freeze. Weird but adding water lowers the temps that it will freeze up to 50/50 mix and then the freezing temps start to rise again. I would suggest that if you want to store some RV anti-freeze in an unheated space, get the 50/50 pre-mix stuff.

 

[RedTailHawk]

how about items like grease, caulk, glue, etc? Do they become unusable or less effective after having been frozen?

 

[Gary Fowler]

I have never found a glue or caulk that didn't go bad in a year or so regardless of storage conditions and it seems all PVC type glues dry out after opening regardless of how well you tighten the top.

Grease and hydrocarbon products in general store at almost any natural temperature. Grease tubes will weep a bit of oil under high room temps but it has no effect on the grease that I have seen, just messy around the storage area and wherever you have your grease gun.

Motor oils or yesteryear that contained some paraffin would have the paraffin settle out with months/years of storage under ambient storage condition like in a barn but I don't think it harmed the oil, perhaps made it better. I haven't seen that happen in todays oils.

I think ethanol blend gasoline will store better at a really cool temperature, but I am not going to store it in my house, so what ever my shop temp gets that is what the gas is.

 

[Zerk]

Anti-freeze has to be mixed with water or it will freeze. Weird but adding water lowers the temps that it will freeze up to 50/50 mix and then the freezing temps start to rise again. I would suggest that if you want to store some RV anti-freeze in an unheated space, get the 50/50 pre-mix stuff.

This was the pre mixed stuff. It was cold out. Not -50 though.

 

[Zerk]

I think ethanol blend gasoline will store better at a really cool temperature, but I am not going to store it in my house, so what ever my shop temp gets that is what the gas is.

It attracts water. I have heard some people theorize it fulls the water out.

I just pumped some grease that was about 7 years old, some real cold winters, I suspect it was ok.

I've had unopened caulk that was ok, but I try to bring it in. It seems to be a crap shoot. I do check the dates when I buy it now.

I keep my wood working glue in the basement. When I was a plumber we left our glue in the van, unheated.

 

[Danno1]

Unopened jugs of oils & lubes are stored in the spare bedroom. 5 gallon cans of gas & diesel fuel are stored outside in an unheated carport. Spray cans of paint are where I last used them - some inside, others outside. Gallon cans of house paint are in the spare bedroom.

This is funny, even for me!!!


But to answer the OP, I leave most outside unheated. No prob that I've noticed. Wood glue stays in the cellar of the house. In an unheated room, but rarely below 32. And not usually very long at that temp.



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[2458n]

At the farm the stuff like paint and caulk always went under the house in a crawl space. Grease and oil always came in a five gallon can and stayed in the barn. It was good down to -25 degrees, about as cold as it ever got. Now you just leave stuff were it is, and throw it out when it is bad in the spring. Grandparents were raised differently.