hi all .. first time poster. Re: winterizing. I am planning to add a T inline with the fresh water intake for the engine to such potable antifreeze. Did on previous boat and worked well. Any experience from anyone on this ? However I also have raw water intake for ac/heater and electric head. Any suggestion as to those systems re: winterizing. Boat remains in water year round but periodically can get below freezing .. thank you .. Dennis
Winterizing my new to me 350
- Thread starter Kingofcary
- Start date
Should work fine. Just put a shutoff valve on the flush leg of the tee so you can direct fluids correctly.
I don't think you want to use "potable" e.g. pink stuff in the engine. Most of us use the green ethylene glycol antifreeze. It's better on rubber parts.
I don't think you want to use "potable" e.g. pink stuff in the engine. Most of us use the green ethylene glycol antifreeze. It's better on rubber parts.
Justin ... thanks for the quick reply, I agree and that makes sense. Any info with respect to the ac and head since they also have raw water intake but won’t be covered by the T for the engine intake .. thanks again .. Dennis
This is how I do it. Others may have a different method. My Hunter has a tee setup for the AC also. Same config as the engine. Except here I flush the pink stuff thru until I see it coming out the thru hull on the side. The head I take to the pumping station to empty. Then I flush whatever antifreeze I have left over from winterizing the engine down the stool. Haven't had a problem yet. We get well below freezing on the trailer.
And welcome aboard!!
And welcome aboard!!
I bought one of these for our Catalina 350 (boat new to us last fall).
http://www.seaflush.com/
Works great for the engine. No need to cut into any hoses and create possible places to leak in the future. Just pull the top off the strainer and set this thing in.
On our ac, I'd like to find a better way. I just pulled the hose from the pump and ran a spare hose up to a bucket with spigot that I gravity fed antifreeze down to the pump. Our boat does not have a strainer inside the bilge (just an external one). Contemplating adding an inline strainer inside, so I can use the sea flush on that too.
Mainesail has some pics either on his forum here or on his Compass Marine site that show what he does to bypass the water heater. I'll do something like that in the future. Last fall, I just pulled the lines and bypassed it at the heater with a union and blew out the water heater with a shop vac after draining. You'll probably want to remove the shelf over the water heater for access.
On the head, if you don't have a strainer assembly, you can pull a line off somewhere between the thru hull and the head and run a spare hose to a bucket and feed antifreeze in that way. If you install a strainer, you could maybe use the sea flush, or buy a spare cap for the top of the strainer, and install a hose fitting on the spare cap for access to attach a hose to add antifreeze.
Come up with a good plan for all this (and maybe a way to "t" into the lines coming out of both water tanks) and winterizing will be easy in the future.
http://www.seaflush.com/
Works great for the engine. No need to cut into any hoses and create possible places to leak in the future. Just pull the top off the strainer and set this thing in.
On our ac, I'd like to find a better way. I just pulled the hose from the pump and ran a spare hose up to a bucket with spigot that I gravity fed antifreeze down to the pump. Our boat does not have a strainer inside the bilge (just an external one). Contemplating adding an inline strainer inside, so I can use the sea flush on that too.
Mainesail has some pics either on his forum here or on his Compass Marine site that show what he does to bypass the water heater. I'll do something like that in the future. Last fall, I just pulled the lines and bypassed it at the heater with a union and blew out the water heater with a shop vac after draining. You'll probably want to remove the shelf over the water heater for access.
On the head, if you don't have a strainer assembly, you can pull a line off somewhere between the thru hull and the head and run a spare hose to a bucket and feed antifreeze in that way. If you install a strainer, you could maybe use the sea flush, or buy a spare cap for the top of the strainer, and install a hose fitting on the spare cap for access to attach a hose to add antifreeze.
Come up with a good plan for all this (and maybe a way to "t" into the lines coming out of both water tanks) and winterizing will be easy in the future.
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Link for the pics Maine sail put on the forum for bypassing water heater. Look at his post toward the bottom of this page:
https://forums.sailboatowners.com/index.php?threads/winterizing-the-hot-water-heater.134767/&highlight=water heater bypass
I believe he's using steel braided lines available from a plumbing store.
https://forums.sailboatowners.com/index.php?threads/winterizing-the-hot-water-heater.134767/&highlight=water heater bypass
I believe he's using steel braided lines available from a plumbing store.
Flushing pink stuff down the head won’t protect the pump. You really need to disconnect the intake hose form the thru hull, put the hose in the antifreeze and pump through the pump, bowl rim, etc.
Otherwise you risk doing freeze damage to the toilet.
Greg
Otherwise you risk doing freeze damage to the toilet.
Greg
re: raw water intake for ac/heater
on our marine airr AC , while on the water, we close h 2 0 inlet seacock, took the h 20 intake hose off seacock, stuck it into pink stuff -50 antifreeze, ran the ac til the pump was throwing pink stuff out the ac exit fitting. then when boat is on the hard, open seawater inlet seacock and blow air thru the airlock fitting on the exhaust side of the pump . this air flow then clears all the pink stuff out of both the compressor exhaust and the seawater inlet lines . we got down to - 20 onc3e and the pink stuff -50 turned to slush, a lot of boats got ruined relying on -50 pink tuff. since -50 pink stuff is NOT -50... then finally loosen the screws on the march pump face in case any residual antifreeze was in the pump... and make a note to tighten them back in srping.
re: electric head--take off toilet inlet from seacock , pump AF thru the line, into the toilet bowl then out thru exit hose into holding tank then out ocean seacock thru Y valve. and don't forget to run AF thru the macerator.
on our marine airr AC , while on the water, we close h 2 0 inlet seacock, took the h 20 intake hose off seacock, stuck it into pink stuff -50 antifreeze, ran the ac til the pump was throwing pink stuff out the ac exit fitting. then when boat is on the hard, open seawater inlet seacock and blow air thru the airlock fitting on the exhaust side of the pump . this air flow then clears all the pink stuff out of both the compressor exhaust and the seawater inlet lines . we got down to - 20 onc3e and the pink stuff -50 turned to slush, a lot of boats got ruined relying on -50 pink tuff. since -50 pink stuff is NOT -50... then finally loosen the screws on the march pump face in case any residual antifreeze was in the pump... and make a note to tighten them back in srping.
re: electric head--take off toilet inlet from seacock , pump AF thru the line, into the toilet bowl then out thru exit hose into holding tank then out ocean seacock thru Y valve. and don't forget to run AF thru the macerator.