Heat Pump Winterizing

[Sdiring]

I have a Hunter Legend 40.5 with two heat pumps. They have a common intake and separate discharges. I need to winterize the heat pumps. I have seen two different methods.
1. Pump antifreeze manually into discharge until it comes out the intake.
2. Run the heat pumps and suck antifreeze.

On the hard, I don't have convenient access to 30A power so 1 would be preferrable if it would work. Please provide any advice you may have.

 

[ice breaker]

Check you manual, but I belive that they self drain. The circulating pump needs to be below the water line as it is not self priming.

I have put antifreeze through mine using simple 15 amp shore power, as the relay kicks the pump on before the ac units kick in.

Another option that I used this year was a pail with attached hose sitting on the counter connected to the ac pick up line. Stumbled into this one as I left the boat for a bit and when I got back there was red stuff coming out of the ac discharge ports.

 

[Rich Stidger]

While in the water with A/C power, I let the pump suck fresh water from a bucket for 10 minutes. Then I switch buckets to RV pink stuff and run each loop in turn until pink shows from the discharge.
Since you can't use this method now, I would use a drill pump to do the same steps. Flush with fresh and then pump antifreeze into the loops.
Plan ahead for next year to make this job easier.

 

[quadrille38]

I have a Hunter Legend 40.5 with two heat pumps. They have a common intake and separate discharges. I need to winterize the heat pumps. I have seen two different methods.
1. Pump antifreeze manually into discharge until it comes out the intake.
2. Run the heat pumps and suck antifreeze.

On the hard, I don't have convenient access to 30A power so 1 would be preferrable if it would work. Please provide any advice you may have.

I’ve done the pump through the discharge ps on my 38 for 17 years. Works great and very easy.
got a battery powered fluid transfer pump from harbor freight. Mounted it to the lid of a 5 gallon pail. Have a small 12 volt battery $25 on Amazon. Plastic tubing with a few decreasing size small pieces that fit in the pump hose and match the through hull sizes.
Pump antifreeze until it comes out the intake on forward unit then on aft unit.

 

[DRhoads]

Method 1.
No power required just gravity.
- funnel attached to a long tube (~1/2 diam) that fits into the discharge holes
- close intake valve
- loosen cover on front of pump (mine has wing nuts)
- while standing on the deck (to get enough height) pour pink antifreeze into the funnel
- watch the pump for pink discharge
- repeat for second system.
- tighten pump cover
Done

 

[Capt Robbie]

I’ve installed a tee in the inlet raw water with a valve attached to a five foot clear hose
Fore convenience to winterize and flush my system
You can do either method however I don’t like the back flow method because I like to know that antifreeze is inside the pump. Pumps are expensive if they have freeze damage.
personally i fill my sink with water and bleach then run it thru the system a few days before to clean any sludge that may have developed during the season. After that I run fresh water with a few drops of dawn dish detergent for about five minutes then run windshield washer fluid-50 thru next. Last i run the pink antifreeze thru until it comes out of the discharge. By doing this in this order i am sure that the system is clean and completely winterized and protected