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#292761 - 07/16/19 08:35 PM Summer car prep
teacher Offline
Old Hand

Registered: 12/14/05
Posts: 988
What do you add to your car for hot weather driving?
How do you keep things from melting, spoiling and failing in the heat?

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#292765 - 07/16/19 10:15 PM Re: Summer car prep [Re: teacher]
chaosmagnet Offline
Sheriff
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 12/03/09
Posts: 3819
Loc: USA
Water and lots of it. I’ve never had water in plastic bottles go bad from that. I’ve had food go bad in the car but not often, currently I’ve got some military rations and beef jerky that won’t last as long in the heat but should be good for at least the summer.

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#292766 - 07/16/19 11:25 PM Re: Summer car prep [Re: chaosmagnet]
Russ Offline
Geezer

Registered: 06/02/06
Posts: 5357
Loc: SOCAL
Get a small cooler to store heat sensitive items. Lower highs & higher lows.
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Better is the Enemy of Good Enough.
Okay, what’s your point??

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#292775 - 07/18/19 08:13 AM Re: Summer car prep [Re: teacher]
Bingley Offline
Veteran

Registered: 02/27/08
Posts: 1576
This is something I've been thinking about since it's been so hot here. With temperature in the 90s day after day, the car gets easily over 100 degrees.

How does the cooler idea work? Won't the cooler just eventually reach ambient temperature? Then when the air cools down in the evening, the cooler turns into a heater for your car as it gradually gives off the heat of the day. Or am I incorrect in thinking this?

I'd put anything that could melt in plastic bags, duct tape for example.

I know stuff tends to expire faster in a hot environment: the meds in the first aid kit, probably batteries, maybe even the ration and any adhesive. But when do we replace them? That I don't know. How do we make a rule for this?

I'm also concerned with chemicals leaching into the water from the bottle. But it's a huge pain in the neck to take a box of water to your car every time you get in, and take it out every time you get out...

https://www.today.com/health/bottled-water-hot-plastic-may-leach-chemicals-some-experts-say-t132687

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#292778 - 07/18/19 01:33 PM Re: Summer car prep [Re: teacher]
CJK Offline
Addict

Registered: 08/14/05
Posts: 601
Loc: FL, USA
Bingley...you are right to be concerned.... especially the chemical leeching into the water. Answer.... constantly load/unload the water. South FL.... we put water in every day we go out and remove it upon return. The cooler.... depends on the size, amout and type of ice...etc. We have a very small (snacks) cooler that usually gets one ice pack. Don't always bring it in when we get home (parked in garage). It can stay cold for short time. Stays cool for about 4-5 hours (nowhere near cool enough for safe food storage but prevents melting of ie chocolate drizzle on Kind bars). After that..... not really. Out and about ..... doesn't stay anywhere near cool enough if the car is parked (not running). If we are running errands and A/C is on, obviously we get more time out of the cooler.

It has become part of our routine. Like gear on the belt or in our pockets. We load and unload each time. Annoying? Yes. But WE prefer the annoyance to the leeching or melted items. When we KNOW we are going out.... 2 large coolers with sufficient ice packs to protect frozen food if we happen to pick some up. That's in addition to the small cooler with water and the snack cooler.

We've been told we're nuts to do all that.....maybe so, but it works for us.

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#292779 - 07/18/19 03:15 PM Re: Summer car prep [Re: teacher]
hikermor Offline
Geezer in Chief
Geezer

Registered: 08/26/06
Posts: 7705
Loc: southern Cal
While leaching o chemicals and microplastics should be of concern, in a quasi-emergency where immediate hydration is advisable, such items in the water is a minor issue (to me, at least).

https://phys.org/news/2018-03-bottled-brands-contaminated-plastic-particles.html

One source in this article states that tap water, in general, is safer than bottled water.

I have a variety of water containers, all filled with tap water, and I imbibe from any of them, without concern, when and if necessary. The water in these containers is only a small fraction of what I generally consume on any given day.

Most of my water is stored in the trunk, which is separated from the passenger compartment. The trunk is considerably cooler than the passenger compartment.

One might consider storing fruits, like apples (something like 85-90% water) if concerned about chemicals and plastics.
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Geezer in Chief

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#292787 - 07/19/19 06:14 AM Re: Summer car prep [Re: teacher]
Bingley Offline
Veteran

Registered: 02/27/08
Posts: 1576
Hikermor is right -- store water in the trunk for emergency use only. That takes care of the leaching problem. For non-emergency use, don't expose your water to high heat, or use a non-plastic bottle.

Some electronics may fail when the car interior gets too hot. If you need to rely on a GPS, you may want to make sure it stays cool enough to work.

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#292788 - 07/20/19 03:13 PM Re: Summer car prep [Re: Bingley]
brandtb Offline
Addict

Registered: 11/26/04
Posts: 500
Loc: S.E. Pennsylvania
Is it the BPA / BPH (I think those are the correct initials) in the plastic that are of concern? Would a BPA- / BPH-free bottle solve the problem?
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Univ of Saigon 68

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#292797 - 07/21/19 04:12 PM Re: Summer car prep [Re: teacher]
haertig Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 03/13/05
Posts: 2322
Loc: Colorado
I generally carry a large water bottle (made of stainless steel, and insulated). I fill it with ice and water before I go out in the car, take it with me, then bring it back inside the house after the drive. I also have a few gallons in a plastic bottle in the bed of the truck. Mostly meant for emergency radiator fills (never had to use it for that), but could be used for drinking. It's just tap water. Probably stale, might have some of that plastic stuff leached into it, but not enough to be any kind of issue if I had to drink it in an emergency. Chances are, I could eat the entire plastic bottle itself and not ingest enough BPA/BPH/whatever to be of harm. I think concerns about these chemicals are way overblown for occasional/emergency drinking. Half the world's population would be dead already if the leached chemical problem were as bad as some make it out to be. One breath of air from inside your car on a hot day probably has more chemicals leached from the plastic/fabric in the car than a sip of water from a plastic bottle. Ever notice how the inside of your car windows need to be cleaned of that residue over time? You're breathing that stuff as well. Take reasonable care, but don't scare yourself to death worrying about it. Just my opinion.

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#292798 - 07/21/19 05:15 PM Re: Summer car prep [Re: haertig]
hikermor Offline
Geezer in Chief
Geezer

Registered: 08/26/06
Posts: 7705
Loc: southern Cal
Total agreement!!
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Geezer in Chief

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