Winterizing Fresh Water Accumulator?

[jviss]

This is my first time winterizing a fresh water system that has an accumulator. It looks just like the expansion tank in your home, hot water heating system, an dis close to the water heater and pump.

I will bypass the water heater and drain it. What should I do about the accumulator?

Thanks,

jv

 

[Davidasailor26]

If you’re running antifreeze through the rest of the cold water system then it will be taken care of along with that, as long as it’s not bypassed. The amount of antifreeze it takes to fill the accumulator should be pretty small. In the spring you may want to check the air pressure in the accumulator and add any of you need to, in case it’s seeped out.

 

[Skipper]

Drain in too.
Just remove one of the hoses, and leave it off. Also remove the top cap.

I stopped using anti-freeze after I discovered that it was a huge amount easier to just drain the system. This was while I was still winterizing, of course. Am in So Cal now.

Anyway, just disconnect the hot and cold lines at their lowest point, open all the faucets, and let it drain. Leave them disconnected and faucets open.
Drain heater as you said. Also drain the water pump. I did this by just removing both lines and turning the pump on to let it spit out whatever was in there.
Some blow air through the lines but I think that's overkill.
Now in the spring all you have to do is reconnect, put water in the tanks and prime the pump. No gallons of antifreeze to flush out.
Of course the motor, or raw water side of it, and head are different, with unpliable surfaces that can trap water and crack. Antifreeze there.

 

[Bill Roosa]

have to agree with Skipper, air does not freeze and is much easier to "flush out" at the beginning of next season. I found the anti-freeze has a horrible taste that I could not get out of the tanks in 5 flushes. Gave up and lived with it for another 2 tanks of water. A can of compressed air (keyboard cleaner) is enough to blow the lines clear after draining the tanks. A little water is ok as long as it has someplace to expand into (aka air space). recommissioning is a cinch, connect everything, fill the tanks, prime the pump and go.

 

[jviss]

I'd be a bit nervous about just draining things, not being certain if there wasn't any trapped water that could freeze and damage things. Once, long ago, I blew the lines out with air, on my previous boat, but this was a bit of a pain, too. Maybe if I use my new dinghy pump, which seems quite efficient, i.e., high volume, low pressure.

But my primary concern this morning is that accumulator. Anyone install valves, or "winterizing kits," to make this easier, i.e., valves, instead of having to undo hose fittings?

 

[PGUTIERREZ]

On my 2000 Catalina 36 MK2, the three tanks feed into a master valve control center under the galley sink. Then one hose feeds into the water pump. Disconnect the hose feeding the intake side of the pump. Open the three valves under the sink in the low thanks to drain into your bilge. Connect same size diameter hose, 3-4 feet long, one end into the water pump intake, and connect to a funnel. Buy cheapest 1.75 liter bottle of vodka (I buy two bottles, one for each of the aft water tanks that I use, I decide a few years back to not use the bow tank).
Pour step #1:Turn on water pump, open one faucet and pour through the funnel until you smell vodka coming out the sink. Then repeat pour step #1 for each of the remaining sinks and showers. Stopping when you have vodka coming out fawcett or shower head.
Disconnect funnel hose, reconnect master intake line to water pump.
Pour step #2: dump bottle of vodka into each water tank. You are now done until spring. The vodka sitting in water tank and water feed lines will kill bacteria.
Next spring you can dump the vodka, make first Bloody Mary of the season, or pump back in the empty vodka bottles for re use. At under $7.00per bottle for the cheapest vodka (or rum), who cares??? You won’t have to go through the purging of obnoxious taste of commercially produced “safe to drink”antifreeze.

 

[Skipper]

I don't know of any kits.
Anyway, taking off a hose every winter seems less trouble than installing some pump out gear.

It's actually probable that the accumulator will drain on its own once the low points in the system are disconnected. Just remember to remove the top cap.

 

[dziedzicmj]

I'd be a bit nervous about just draining things,

+1 on that. If you don't want to run AF through the system, at least blow it with compressed air or even a shopvac.

 

[dziedzicmj]

when I winterise the system at my cottage, I disconnect the tank (accumulator) and drain it. I would do the same on the boat.

 

[Gunni]

Yeah, you are going to burn a bit more AF to winterize your accumulator. A few extra dollars maybe. Pump your potable system down when you drain your water tanks and your accumulator will have a minimum amount of water in it. Get a refractometer that allows you to definitively check your antifreeze concentration and learn how to use it to confirm acceptable winterization.

I drain my water tanks, disconnect the plumbing at the valve manifold and blow them clear, everything else gets AF pumped through to protect any low-lying loops.

 

[jviss]

I do have an optical refractometer, purchased immediately after reading MaineSail's winterizing article. I am concerned because I'm not completely familiar with this boat yet, and there are things about it that still puzzle me.

For example, there's a coolant recovery tank in the engine compartment, which I thought nothing of, seemed normal. Then, in the port cockpit locker, high-up, next to the water heater, there's what appears to be an engine coolant pressure tank, with a pressure cap on it, and an overflow tank connected to it! I'm pretty sure there's a pressure cap on the exhaust manifold tank, so I don't know what to think of this system with two pressure caps and two overflow tanks.

On the potable water system, I want to figure out what I'm going to do before I get there, and go through a check-list managed procedure. Draining the tanks seems pretty straightforward and easy, as I can simply disconnect the lines at the manifold under the galley sink and let them drain into the bilge. Then I'll bypass the water heater and drain it.

The next question is, can I drain and bypass the accumulator? I'd rather not pump a gallon or more of anti-freeze into it.

I will then open the faucets and drain as much water as I can.

Once the accumulator is handled, I can then connect a hose to the under-sink manifold that I can drop into a jug of anti-freeze, and turn on the pump. I'll take samples at all the taps and test; if not good, let it run some and test again, repeating until I get an acceptable result.

I've toyed with the idea of using my dinghy air pump to blow out the lines to the faucets, or even brining one of those 12VDC air mattress pumps with me. I think what I need for this is a high volume, low pressure air pump.

 

[Ron20324]

.. I think what I need for this is a high volume, low pressure air pump.

Shop VAC.

 

[jviss]

Shop VAC.

Yes, except it's big, and requires 120VAC. I already have the dinghy pump at the boat.

I'm on a mooring, and launch service has ended for the season. Bringing my shop vac would be enormously inconvenient.

 

[dziedzicmj]

The next question is, can I drain and bypass the accumulator

I hope you can. How is it connected? Can you disconnect and drain it? Then plug the hole (the T) with an appropriate plug and winterise the rest of the system.

 

[dziedzicmj]

I think what I need for this is a high volume, low pressure air pump.

Or you can use one of these air pressure tanks (e.g.: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Iron-Horse-5-Gal-Portable-Air-Carry-Tank-IHCT-05/205509142)

 

[jviss]

Yea, thanks. I have one of those, but there really isn't a lot of air volume to them. I just realized, I have scuba tanks I could use! Most are around 80 cu ft. But then, I might just test my air mattress pump tonight, see if it's up to the task.

 

[jviss]

I hope you can. How is it connected? Can you disconnect and drain it? Then plug the hole (the T) with an appropriate plug and winterise the rest of the system.

I confess I am not sure how it's connected. The water heater, pressure pump, and accumulator are all next to each other, so I can do it all at once. I'm assuming it's tank manifold to pump, pump to a "T" at the bottom of the accumulator, then to a "Y," one side of which goes to the cold taps, the other side to a backflow preventer, water heater, then to hot taps. (This boat has lots of water taps, from stem to stern, literally: a fresh water washdown at the bow, and a transom shower).

What terminal I will need to plug the "T" is a good question!

What is that gray, plastic semi-rigid plumping line? It's like 1/4" 3/8" ID (?), has some black nuts to tighten, as I recall.