RV Antifreeze & Glass Laser Tubes

“Hindsight is an exact science…” – Thomas Jefferson

With fall/winter basically here – you might as well prepare, if you haven’t already. There are two schools of thought when it comes to the type of liquid you put into your chiller/laser. I’m of the mind that has sense.

If your laser is in a climate-controlled environment, you can go ahead and just fill up your chiller with tap water. If the water where you are is really hard or you’re feeling paranoid because you read someone else’s blog first, go ahead and use distilled water.

If, on the other hand, you’re like me – and you’re operating in an uninsulated garage or workshop, and fear walking into a nightmare… You might want to read on.

Anyways, just go ahead and empty out whatever liquid you’ve got going through your laser right now and fill it up with some plumbing antifreeze. I, myself, have been using this pink stuff for several years and have had no issues. No, it’s not going to arc. No, your tube isn’t going to fail. No, this isn’t going to void your warranty. Yes, I’m sure.

Like I said, it’s cheap insurance. If you’re running a CW3000, or actual refrigerated units such as the CW5000, or 5200, you’ll need 6L, so get 2 bottles. If you’re in Ontario, that’s $11.28 to save yourself from a headache. Imagine having to replace a $500-$1,000 tube because the liquid inside the glass froze.

Like I said, I’m of the mind that makes sense. It doesn’t make sense to not use this stuff inside my chiller and laser tube if <$12 means not spending >$500.