Bicycle Mechanics - Waxing your chain is awesome!!!!

Finally got around to doing this . OMG WOW!! the amazing thing is I cleaned the hell out of the chain before dunking it, and the wax still turned black from the crud released in the pins.

Or does the oil turn black from the stove heat? I noticed it only started when it put the chain in, so I figured it was "purging". I figure the heat expanded the links, releasing the scunge...

Is there some special formula? I think I read somewhere that someone used coleman fuel along with the motor oil. I just used 20W-50, what I had laying around, and a chunk of paraffin.

the chain runs great now and you can run your hand on it and not pick up any black gunk.

I used to use Finish Line teflon spray on my mountain bike, great stuff, did the same thing, but that wasn't exactly cheap. This was a very cool exercize...

I've never heard of oil in conjunction with wax. Only either/or.

Doesn't adding motor oil into the wax just takes out any good thing that might have resulted if you just use waxed. I would think that the added oil component will eventually pick up dirt like regular chain lube would.
I too have not heard about adding motor oil into the wax when waxing chains.

Chombi

183349

183349

That's not the same thing - not even close.

I've been wanting to try chain waxing. Here's the article that got me interested:

http://www.ecovelo.info/2010/05/30/chain-maintenance-for-clean-freaks/

I cooked my chains in a Fry Daddy years ago. It cleaned and lubed them at the same time. The major draw back was that riding in the rain required a rewaxing. The black stuff still came out of the chain. No matter what you do the black still will be there. It is from the wear particles inside the chain.
Now I remove my chains and clean them in an ultra sonic cleaner and then lube them with 1 part chainsaw bar oil to 4 parts unscented mineral spirits.
The chain on my 7sp touring bike has over 8100 miles on it and doesn't show much "streach". The one on my road bike has 3900 miles on it and it's like new.

Hot waxing chains has the advantage of complete cleanliness. Waxed chains pick up no dirt or crud and won't leave a "chainring tatoo" on you or your clothes.

The downsides are the process can be hazardous if done properly, wax lube has poor durability and must be redone frequently and the chain has little to no rust protection if it gets wet. Finally, you must remove the chain from the bike so a chain with a master link is required.

The linked article recommends using a double boiler to liquify the wax but that limits the wax to 212°F which really isn't adequate to get it thin enough. When I waxed my chains I used to use a regular pan on the stove top with a thermometer and I'd heat it to about 300 - 310° F. That got the wax really water thin so it saturated the chain very well. I'd let the whole pot cool to about 120°F before removing the chain so all of the molten wax didn't run off.

This required watching the wax during the heating cycle to be certain I didn't overdo it so carelessness couldn't be tolerated. A temperature controlled electric pot would have been safer but i didn't have one.

A waxed chain will seem great until you're 10 miles into a 50 miler and the chain starts squeaking. There are waxy lubes that use a solvent to dissolve the wax and those work just as poorly. Wax tends to be displaced from the critical areas where it's needed, leaving the chain with no lubrication.

Waxing your chain is awesome!!!!


this is a family forum please watch your language LOL ;)

Finally got around to doing this . OMG WOW!! the amazing thing is I cleaned the hell out of the chain before dunking it, and the wax still turned black from the crud released in the pins.

Or does the oil turn black from the stove heat? I noticed it only started when it put the chain in, so I figured it was "purging". I figure the heat expanded the links, releasing the scunge...

Is there some special formula? I think I read somewhere that someone used coleman fuel along with the motor oil. I just used 20W-50, what I had laying around, and a chunk of paraffin.

the chain runs great now and you can run your hand on it and not pick up any black gunk.

I used to use Finish Line teflon spray on my mountain bike, great stuff, did the same thing, but that wasn't exactly cheap. This was a very cool exercize...

Using your stove can be dangerous I use a hot wax machine (http://www.sallybeauty.com/wax-warmer/SBS-448505,default,pd.html?cm_vc=SEARCH) and I add a little DuraLube about a cap full to this half full of wax works great don't use motor oil.
The black you got could of been from over heating the motor oil or it was still really dirty inside the pins.
You can clean the was after it cools off remove it and scrape the bottom off all the crud sinks to the bottom.

A waxed chain will seem great until you're 10 miles into a 50 miler and the chain starts squeaking. There are waxy lubes that use a solvent to dissolve the wax and those work just as poorly. Wax tends to be displaced from the critical areas where it's needed, leaving the chain with no lubrication.

Straight wax does last a short time but it helps to add something like Durlube or Prolong and you will get several hundred mile out of it.

The teflon wax lube I used worked great, I'd highly recommend it.

There's always going to be raging debates on chain maintenence. If I remember , John Forester mentioned motor oil in addition to the wax, as does Georgina Terry in her video.

Somebody posted '"using your stove is dangerous" ... yeah no kidding. Take the used wax and oil, add some dryer lint or sawdust and you'll have the most incredibly awesome redneck fire starter.

I think on a microscopic level, the oil penetrates into the pins by "thermoregulated capillary action" . it is then held in place by the wax, which comes off the exterior of the chain. I also cheated an put some Finish Line One Step lube on top just to be safe, and wiped it down. It's not my bike, I rehabbed it for a friend who rides in the city a lot. We'll see What she says about squeaks down the road, That's easy enough to fix anyway.

Waxing your chain is awesome!!!!


this is a family forum please watch your language LOL ;)


Hey I didn't say "Pulling my crank"... :)

Hey I didn't say "Pulling my crank"... :)

Just don't pull it OFF. If you do, all it'll be good for is the museum in Iceland.

A waxed chain will seem great until you're 10 miles into a 50 miler and the chain starts squeaking. There are waxy lubes that use a solvent to dissolve the wax and those work just as poorly. Wax tends to be displaced from the critical areas where it's needed, leaving the chain with no lubrication.

If you wait until the lube wears off then yes, it will start squeaking. Applied once/week or so, and ridden daily, I have had nothing but good performance from a wax lube (White Lightning). It has even worked well in our snowy winter. So far, no rust.

If you wait until the lube wears off then yes, it will start squeaking. Applied once/week or so, and ridden daily, I have had nothing but good performance from a wax lube (White Lightning). It has even worked well in our snowy winter. So far, no rust.

That's my point - you've got no idea how long the lube will last, so it must be applied quite frequently to avoid the mid-ride squeaking.

Products like this require far more frequent application and give far shorter chain life. I've used it once, many years ago. It might be OK for an MTB ridden in the dust, but it will cost a lot to use, since you'd need to apply it after every ride or every other ride of any length.

For road bike use, I prefer home brew that cost pennies per ounce.

There's always going to be raging debates on chain maintenence.
Truer words were never typed....:) Chain lube is right up there with Shimano vs Campy as a source of heated debate.

The 80's called;
They want their awesome new chain lube method back.:p

The 80's called;
They want their awesome new chain lube method back.:p

No, they don't.

I too came from the old school days from which I graduated. Wax is the worst lubricant you can use on a chain, in fact it's not even considered a lubricant, so good luck, you might as well hose the chain down with WD40 it will do about as much good.

A waxed chain will seem great until you're 10 miles into a 50 miler and the chain starts squeaking. There are waxy lubes that use a solvent to dissolve the wax and those work just as poorly. Wax tends to be displaced from the critical areas where it's needed, leaving the chain with no lubrication.

Wax is nice and clean, but is not a very good lubricant, WD-40 is probably a better lubricant. Mixing oil or grease in the wax is intended to improve the lubricity, while maintaining the cleanliness. For the best lubrication, no wax is probably best. If cleanliness is more important to you than drive-train longevity, wax away.

On edit: rek beat me too it.

WD-40 has 15-20% oil, just like most homebrew lubes, but the oil is not nearly as good at preventing wear as motor oil or gear lube. I tried WD-40 as a chain lube, just as a test. I honestly expected that it would work as well as homebrew, but that was not the case. My chain elongated much faster than normal and the chain was a bit noisier using thin oil.

I am on the side of "waxing sucks". I do not see the benefit of a "cleaner lube". Dry lubes do not last as long as wet lubes. Dry lubes allow more chain/transmission noise. Chains wear faster by using a dry lube (except if you relube every 50 - 100 miles). There are better reasons to use a wet lube than using a dry lube. Just get in a habit of cleaning your chain/transmission more often.

I use cheap candles from wallyworld (pull the wicks out), a pie pan from the dollar store, and graphite from tractor supply. Yup, mix graphite in with the wax (alot of graphite), and cook the chain for ten minutes or so on the outdoor grill. Works awesome. I put probably 1700 miles on my chain this summer and only cooked it five times. Never had to buy more material (wax/graphite), as the stuff lasts forever. Only time my chain ever squeaked was 300 miles after the first time I waxed it. It's so smooth and quiet after waxing, shifts beautifully, and no greasy hands when I mess with stuff.

Farmers use graphite on their machinery, and it's much more costly than our little chains. This method works excellent, and only takes ten minutes or so if you use a masterlink. But, each their own :)

In the winter though I oil the chains as the wax method isn't as rust preventative as oil.

Starting

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j265/jbrow1/start.jpg

Cooking

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j265/jbrow1/melting.jpg

Hanging to cool

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j265/jbrow1/hanging.jpg

Fresh waxed chain

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j265/jbrow1/nothing009.jpg

That's my point - you've got no idea how long the lube will last, so it must be applied quite frequently to avoid the mid-ride squeaking.

Products like this require far more frequent application and give far shorter chain life. I've used it once, many years ago. It might be OK for an MTB ridden in the dust, but it will cost a lot to use, since you'd need to apply it after every ride or every other ride of any length.

For road bike use, I prefer home brew that cost pennies per ounce.
I agree with you. Guess I've learned through experience when to lube the chain, and for me, riding daily, it's about once/week.
I have an mtb and a hybrid, both of which get used in dusty conditions. Their chains get WL wax lube. I've tried home brew on them, and in very short order their chains would get encrusted with black, gritty, nasty, abrasive goop - a combination of wet chain lube and limestone dust. Even when using the homebrew sparingly and wiping off excess.
The road bike, which sees nothing but pavement gets an oil/mineral spirits combo.

I like normal chain lube. T9.
I dont know why people need to make stuff complicated. boredom?

Hey you know what's really wierd? I took the lid off the pot and looked at the hardened wax. It's almost clear again. Very interesting. It turned pitch black when I put the chain in, now it's just a smokey grey color, almost like clean motor oil.

Now we can get the chemists here on BF all cranked up...

Yes, this process should be easy and no need to waste time. I have tried T9, seemed ok as I recall but the bottle didn't easily deliver a metered stream for fastest application.
Then again, that was years ago and some vendors are figuring out that the bottle's stream volume is one critical variable to a good product by saving the user from spending any more than 1 minute lubing/wiping their chain.

Home-brews can be thinned further than 4:1, and adding oil and spirits to WhiteLightning you can go with about 1% oil or less still add 20% or more of mineral spirits. Advantage over WL alone is a slower onset of squeeking, far less rust and more clump-free penetrability at even very low temp's.

Note that the black wear particles/molecules probably add lubricity to the steel-on-steel meetup, and that the metallurgy of modern chains doesn't rely much on lubrication to prevent wear. Any lube that is sufficient to prevent squeeking is plenty as long as there isn't silica dust recirculating throughout the chain pivots in a heavy application of oil. Lubes that semi-solidify don't recirculate the grit, so no need to worry about thorough cleaning. Compared to old-days chains, the best modern chains can almost be run sans lube. The day is approaching that metallurgy will allow this, but lube does also quiet roller rattling so maybe a polymer ring in each roller will be needed.

Don't heat wax on a stove! It's only a matter of time and a fire will ensue, given mere mortal's inattatentiveness, cell-phone call, or other distraction. Also, I imagine there are vapors that will hang in your indoor air?

Yes, this process should be easy and no need to waste time. I have tried T9, seemed ok as I recall but the bottle didn't easily deliver a metered stream for fastest application.
Then again, that was years ago and some vendors are figuring out that the bottle's stream volume is one critical variable to a good product by saving the user from spending any more than 1 minute lubing/wiping their chain.

Home-brews can be thinned further than 4:1, and adding oil and spirits to WhiteLightning you can go with about 1% oil or less still add 20% or more of mineral spirits. Advantage over WL alone is a slower onset of squeeking, far less rust and more clump-free penetrability at even very low temp's.

Note that the black wear particles/molecules probably add lubricity to the steel-on-steel meetup, and that the metallurgy of modern chains doesn't rely much on lubrication to prevent wear. Any lube that is sufficient to prevent squeeking is plenty as long as there isn't silica dust recirculating throughout the chain pivots in a heavy application of oil. Lubes that semi-solidify don't recirculate the grit, so no need to worry about thorough cleaning. Compared to old-days chains, the best modern chains can almost be run sans lube. The day is approaching that metallurgy will allow this, but lube does also quiet roller rattling so maybe a polymer ring in each roller will be needed.

Don't heat wax on a stove! It's only a matter of time and a fire will ensue, given mere mortal's inattatentiveness, cell-phone call, or other distraction. Also, I imagine there are vapors that will hang in your indoor air?

dude, I have a mild beer-buzz on right now, and I must say I am impressed with the physics. Bianchigirl, if you are still lurking here, read this guy's first sentence, this is bordering on art.

I dunno, wax Vs. olive oil on a stove ....eh....what about a micowave? facial pack? oh never mind... The objective is to get the friction coeffifient down to +- .6 KG per 9MM Baretta.

Man, that's too much effort for a disposable part for me. I just lube with oil while spinning the crank backward once in a while....actually, I'm pretty lazy about it. My chain probably gets pretty close to dry before I reapply lube.

I just don't care that much. I just get a new 7 or 8 speed chain when mine stretches out.

Man, that's too much effort for a disposable part for me. I just lube with oil while spinning the crank backward once in a while....actually, I'm pretty lazy about it. My chain probably gets pretty close to dry before I reapply lube.

I just don't care that much. I just get a new 7 or 8 speed chain when mine stretches out.
Nonononono... There's not enough voodoo and futz-iness in your solution. And really, it's pretty hard to sound all Erudite Forumite when being so reasonable and pragmatic. :D

Man, that's too much effort for a disposable part for me. I just lube with oil while spinning the crank backward once in a while....actually, I'm pretty lazy about it. My chain probably gets pretty close to dry before I reapply lube.

I just don't care that much. I just get a new 7 or 8 speed chain when mine stretches out.

I guess that makes you an atheist among chain lube religious fanatics.

Clean the chain often--Around every 200 miles seems right to me or after 50 miles in the wet- and use a Cycle specific chain lube.

I remember back in the 70's when I was racing Karts. We tried the hot wax lube and it did not work as effectively or stay on the chain as much as oil. I did 6 hour endurance races and the only chance we had to lubricate the chain was at pit stops every hour. Hot wax lube used to last 30 minutes before the chain was dry. Just using gear oil and we still had a "Damp" chain after one hour. So I am not a fan of Wax lubes.

There are many cycle specific lubes in the market place and they work. Just choose your manufacturer that has the prettiest bottle (I like Pedros) and lube before a ride. If you ride for longer than 4 hours- then lube again. Clean the chain often and your chain will stay clean (ish) till you ride in the dirt or in the rain.

I like normal chain lube. T9.
I dont know why people need to make stuff complicated. boredom?

+1! Cyclists must be the most anally retentive lot out of all upright walking species. I just use Prolink and T9. No cooking of chains for me, alas!

Clean the chain often--Around every 200 miles seems right to me or after 50 miles in the wet- and use a Cycle specific chain lube.

.....and lube before a ride. If you ride for longer than 4 hours- then lube again. [emphasis added] Clean the chain often and your chain will stay clean (ish) till you ride in the dirt or in the rain.

Am I to assume you ride about 50mph? or do you re-lube more often than you clean?

In any case a chain lube can and should last more than 7 hours or 150 miles, rain or shine. Otherwise we'd need pit stops in bike races, and touring would become a fair weather sport. I'm amazed at how much time and effort folks put into chain care.

I must be the laziest cyclist on earth spending well less than 10 minutes per 1,000 miles (all weather) on chain maintenance. Before you ask, average chain life is well above 5,000 miles.

Man, that's too much effort for a disposable part for me. I just lube with oil while spinning the crank backward once in a while....actually, I'm pretty lazy about it. My chain probably gets pretty close to dry before I reapply lube.

I just don't care that much. I just get a new 7 or 8 speed chain when mine stretches out.

Same here. Without casting aspersions on the way others choose to spend their time, I have to think "why". To make your prorated annual cost for chain replacement $15 rather than $17.50? (I made up those numbers, but eevn the most poorly maintained chain doesn't cost a heck of a lot over its lifespan compared to the most fussily maintained chain)

Oil frequently enough to minimize drive train noise. Wipe the exterior freqently enough so it looks clean enough for your liking (note I said "looks" - the interior is the part that counts, not the exterior). This is about 5 minutes every few weeks or few hundred miles.

Same here. Without casting aspersions on the way others choose to spend their time, I have to think "why". To make your prorated annual cost for chain replacement $15 rather than $17.50? (I made up those numbers, but eevn the most poorly maintained chain doesn't cost a heck of a lot over its lifespan compared to the most fussily maintained chain) .

I'm not holding you to your numbers, I understand it's just an example, but lets use your example for another example. If you clean and use really good oil the chain could last easily double that of your example thus reducing your prorated annual cost for the cost of 5 minutes or so once a week.

This is not an example but real numbers. My chains routinely since I stopped using wax lubes last between 8,000 and 12,000 miles with the chain rings and cogs lasting easily 3 times that.

I'm like FBinNY too in that I'm lazy as well. I hated wax lubes because I was always having to relube the chain after every ride, it seemed stupid, so I started experimenting with other types of lube and found most of them to be superior to wax, and some better then others. The best lube I found up until about 9 months ago was Finish Line Ceramic; but then I discovered Chain-L, and this so far has been a lazy man's dream come true.

Wax is just a very old tradition that refuses to die, while chains using wax die on the left and on the right. If wax was so great of lube then chain manufactures would be coating their chains with it before it left the factory.

I understand that waxing may not make sense for road applications but what about dirt? So far this cyclocross season I've gone through one chain and may go through another by seasons end. I'm fairly fanatical about keeping my gear in good shape but when you ride through the mud that we have had this year I'm thinking that waxing may be better than the prolink that I use.

I understand that waxing may not make sense for road applications but what about dirt? So far this cyclocross season I've gone through one chain and may go through another by seasons end. I'm fairly fanatical about keeping my gear in good shape but when you ride through the mud that we have had this year I'm thinking that waxing may be better than the prolink that I use.

Wax won't protect the chain against rust, nor does it work well in wet muddy conditions.

A wet lube is the best for wet and muddy conditions. Finish Line Cross Country is very good for those conditions.

People have mentioned squeaking when using wax lubes. Now that I think about it, when I first began using WL my chain would squeak after a relatively few miles. Now that I've been using it for 6 months the chain hasn't made any noise. I reapply about once/week on my everyday ride. Seems like it takes a number of applications to get the chain thoroughly saturated and conditioned. I will admit that the bike mechanic who turned me on to it carries a bottle of WL in his seatpost bag when on all-day rides.
Still, I think the advantage of having a grit-free chain is well worth the small extra effort.

I might be wrong but I'm sensing some confusion here. "Chain waxing" isn't the same as using a drip-on topical wax product like White Lightning.

"Chain waxing" invloves removing the chain from the bike, cleaning it and submerging it in heated wax. While I've never done it myself (I'm too lazy) it's a time tested method that a few folks who I trust continue to use.

... it's a time tested method that a few folks who I trust continue to use.

Yes, I tested it for a time in the '80's and quickly realized it was a waste of time, then went back to using real lubrication on my chains.

i used to use canning parafin wax on stove in a coffey can worked, great old racer man told me.

acourding to a pro team mechanic (who worked th giro) friend of mine- don't do wax It doesn't lube evenly or completely, it flakes off and leaves bare areas

People have mentioned squeaking when using wax lubes. Now that I think about it, when I first began using WL my chain would squeak after a relatively few miles. Now that I've been using it for 6 months the chain hasn't made any noise. I reapply about once/week on my everyday ride. Seems like it takes a number of applications to get the chain thoroughly saturated and conditioned. I will admit that the bike mechanic who turned me on to it carries a bottle of WL in his seatpost bag when on all-day rides.
Still, I think the advantage of having a grit-free chain is well worth the small extra effort.

Weird, because I used wax lubes for years, and whenever I had to ride more then 65 miles on a ride I had to carry a bottle of wax lube to reapply. It's not always a squeak but it's also just chain link noise similar to mild rattle or a faint dink dink dink noise. And where there is even the slightest bit of noise there is accelerated wear beginning or happening. Wax does not prevent wax and it's a known not to be a lubricant. Also keep in mind that no chain manufacture puts wax on their chains before sending them out...maybe just maybe their trying to us something.

I'm not holding you to your numbers, I understand it's just an example, but lets use your example for another example. If you clean and use really good oil the chain could last easily double that of your example thus reducing your prorated annual cost for the cost of 5 minutes or so once a week.

This is not an example but real numbers. My chains routinely since I stopped using wax lubes last between 8,000 and 12,000 miles with the chain rings and cogs lasting easily 3 times that.

I'm like FBinNY too in that I'm lazy as well. I hated wax lubes because I was always having to relube the chain after every ride, it seemed stupid, so I started experimenting with other types of lube and found most of them to be superior to wax, and some better then others. The best lube I found up until about 9 months ago was Finish Line Ceramic; but then I discovered Chain-L, and this so far has been a lazy man's dream come true.

Wax is just a very old tradition that refuses to die, while chains using wax die on the left and on the right. If wax was so great of lube then chain manufactures would be coating their chains with it before it left the factory.

We're probably actually on the same side here - simple and easy. I look at, briefly clean and re-lube my chain every 300 miles or so. Some times that's two weeks, more often 3-4. I only ride about 1500 miles in a season, since I live very far north and have only about 13-15 weeks to ride / year and don't ride every day.

Aaaannnnyyyway... Sometime once a year I might clean the chain thoroughly in mineral spirits, relube and go. But really, all I do is leave it on the bike, "rinse and clean" with liberal spraying of WD40, wipe that off as well as I can, then re-lube with oil, wipe of thoroughly and maybe wipe again the next day. Occasionally I wonder if this is enough, but they work really, really well with this minimal maintenance and last at least a couple of seasons. My point was that that's all I'm willing to do and really don't care if my chains last 2 seasons or 5, it really doesn't matter at all cost wise or function wise. I just don't understand people who fuss so much over such a simple thing and think it's worth while to spend excessive time for such a insignificant return.

Now clean and sparkly LOOKING - I guess I can understand that. Some people really like to have their bikes (and cars and yards, and houses) look pristine at all times. But I have never been able to have a chain LOOK sparkly clean beyond 10 miles of the first ride after cleaning it. To keep it LOOKING sparkly clean would "only" take 5 minutes per day, but neither before nor after a ride, do I care to spend 5 minutes on superficial stuff like this. It would not improve performance or longevity in a menaingful way.

That's what I've done a few times when readying a bike for sale.

I'll lean the bike to it's right side, against a wall, put in next-to-highest gear, then secure the rear brake lever with a toe strap.
I then take a can of cheap degreaser, Gunk brand or the better Finish-Line Citrus, both are solvent based, and spray away at an exposed length of the chain, from the left side, whilst turning cranks backward.
After continuing to rotate the cranks for a minute, then I keep turning and apply the rag to the moving chain, finally hosing off the chain, whilst still turning the cranks, again from the left side.
I shoot the claener and the hose at the lower run of the chain, thru the spokes of the wheel, so that over-shoot doesn'r get on the bike, only on the ground and/or wall. A quick ride down the street pretty much flings off excess water so then ready for re-lubing, any oily or solvent-based lube will readily displace water from the innards of the chain.
This all is for really grungy chains, more often I just apply a solvent-based lube and wipe it down as normal.
Removing chains and soaking and/or heating them, that's a deliberate waste of time in my book. It won't make the chain last a day longer.

WD-40 has 15-20% oil, just like most homebrew lubes, but the oil is not nearly as good at preventing wear as motor oil or gear lube. I tried WD-40 as a chain lube, just as a test. I honestly expected that it would work as well as homebrew, but that was not the case. My chain elongated much faster than normal and the chain was a bit noisier using thin oil.

WD40 is composed of 15% mineral oil, 50% mineral spirits, 25% CO2propellant (if canned ) and 10% inert ingredients... by itself it is a really poor chain lubricant and is basically a solvent.

The non aerosol form of WD40 makes a good base for home brew as when you mix this in a 1:3 ratio you get a much higher oil content, WD40's excellent water displacement properties and an oil that is suitable for bicycle chains... but it costs more than plain old mineral spirits.

My last batch of home brew used WD40 as I mixed it up for the shop where we have gallons of WD40 in stock as well as synthetic oil... this is something you can use in any season and it still flows at low temperatures.

At room temperature it flows quite quickly so the dispenser you use has to use a very small opening and a bottle with a straw works very well.