Water Freezing Question

[CTFocusST]

Since it's been so cold here I haven't had a chance to clean my car off like a lot of other people here. Due to the cold I haven't wanted to spray car down/clean the underside for fear of making the road/driveway a sheet of ice.  Distance outside my garage to road through apartment complex is about the length of my focus.  So I have been thinking of going to the coin op at the exit of my apartment complex (~1 mile away from my apartment) to do the initial spray down to get it to a point I could do a rinseless wash in the garage (which stays around 50 degF)

 

Is there a limit on how cold it is outside to do this rinse without worrying about water freezing to anything and causing problems with the car?  Last thing I want to do is go spray it down and find out the water froze and causes a part to break or stop working properly

[SJC96GT]

With that short of a distance and your garage being 50 degrees, I don't think you have too much to worry about. I wouldn't necessarily go spray it off when it's 0 degrees out but I'd say anything colder than 30 degrees may start freezing. If it's windy out that could cause the water to freeze. A 50 degree garage is fairly warm enough though to allow anything that may freeze melt, you shouldn't have any problems.

[CTFocusST]

Should also mention its often been in the teens.  Tomorrow is predicted at 11 degrees and sunny with 15-25 mph winds Saturday/Sunday 26/16 with snow

[SJC96GT]

You may be able to get away with spraying it down Saturday or Sunday since it'll be a little warmer. If the wash is only a mile away, I think you'll be fine especially since your garage is at 50 degrees. Any freezing water you get will quickly melt off and you'll be good to go.

Edited February 12, 2015 by SJC96GT

[LFairbanks]

Look at it this way.  You get under spray from driving your car regardless and water freezes.  I guess the only difference is, is that the water that you spray your car with is clean and the stuff picked up from the road is dirty.  I have washed a lot of cars in my lifetime that have sat outside afterwards and haven't had any issues.  Including my current DD that won't fit in the garage.

[Ricky Bobby]

For reference, I don't think you have a thing to worry about.  In the unlikely event you rinse off well at the coin op and it somehow doubtfully freezes some by the time you get home, park it overnight and it will thaw if your garage stays at 50.

 

For what its worth the last time I went to the coin op and rinsed off, it was around 32F and the coin op is 15 mins drive from my house.  Didn't freeze, and I parked it overnight and did a rinseless on it in the morning, and my garage is unheated and uninsulated so when its 15 outside its probably 30F in the garage.

[CTFocusST]

Good to hear. Thanks everyone just wanted to be sure.

[Team Adam's]

Sounds like youre going to be using the same method I do... blast off at the pay n' spray, then retreat to the garage for a rinseless wash. I like to fill my bucket with warm water to keep the chill off. My garage can maintain around 50* if its freezing outside, but warm water always makes it a little more pleasant.

[CTFocusST]

Yup last couple times I just hosed the car off at apartment since hose is in my garage so it doesn't freeze, but it was upper 30s so I wasn't as concerned about a sheet of ice right outside my garage.  Seeing temperatures only seem to go up on days it snows right now thought I'd give the pay and spray a try so I could at least give it a rinseless wash and get off all the salt and dirt.

 

Not sure I'm going to be able to clean the undercarriage though, seeing from what I can tell the wand is at a fixed angle and this car is fairly low

 

Warm water definitely helps.  Got lazy last time and didn't want to haul the full bucket down the stairs so just filled with hose, it was cold

[Ricky Bobby]

I usually get close to the ground to spray the undercarriage off and although its not perfect I just always spray the salt off the underside when I can at the pay n spray

[CTFocusST]

I'll have to see what I can reach