When do you start antifreezing?

I'd run the air a good amount of time though as if enough condensation leaks back down and collects like in one spot of your coil or such you may swell or burst a section if it good and cold out.... I picture lots of air flowing over top of lots of water droplets throughout whole system until they are dried.
 
I use windshield washer fluid since Matt in CO pointed out it was only $2.29 a gal. 4 gal in the float tank and run it through both PW with a short pressure line and a ball valve off the pumps back into tank. Close the ball valve and run through the unloader lines back to the tank. Then run air through the adapters shown for about 5 minutes each line. I use 1/4' air quick connects not Schrader valves. The whole ritual takes about $10 in antifreeze and 15-20 minutes.

Just my opinion but I think you will find water still inside those pumps if you are just trying to get by with air. I got my method of air from the lawn sprinkler guys. They blow them out for a long time with high CFM and still end up with a few broken spots from freezing because of the low pockets left.
 

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I just wanted to say thanks to all who posted pictures. I went with a setup like Al's. I just can't see spending money on antifreeze when compressed air is free. All parts totaled up to about $20.00 bucks. Thanks
 
I do it until I don't see any water coming out, so I'm sure what would work just fine. I use an air chuck that locks on to the air valve and just let air flow through it. See my system does not have a Tank on it so anti freeze is real hard to do for me and they want like 300 hundred bucks for a tank setup so this was the best option for me too.
 
Since this threads inception, we added on the inlet hose to the pump a couple of ball valves, one that will shut off flow from the tank, connected to a T then another ball valve on the opposite side of the T shimmed down to a 1/4 barb to hook the air hose to. Turn on the compressor and go inside and warm up. About 5 minutes later I will go out and unhook but this has been a sure bet to keep the machines from freezing during our unusual cold snap here in the south
 
I replaced one of my old machines a few weeks ago. It was cold out (-5 deg) so I ran it for a minute or so to clear the water out of the pump. When I got it back to the shop I grab the pump pulley and it would not move. Even with very little to no water in the pump, the ceramics could have cracked and the seals could have been damaged.
If it were me I would probably run winter windshield washer fluid though whenever there was a possiblity of a hard freeze.
 
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