Need some winterization help - please?

[JBurans]

Hi all,
My first winter trying to winterize my 1983 H37c - all has gone well with the water tanks and the faucet lines, raw cooling water for the motor and the raw water cooling for the refrigerator - having trouble with the AC - it is a luminaire system that is raw water cooled - closed the stopcock and opened the strainer and turned it on but it is too cold to kick the compressor on so it is not drawing cooling water - any recommendations on how to get the lines flushed with anti - freeze???
Thanks
Jim

 

[duality]

i just blow my lines out with the air compressor.

mike

 

[petersea]

Re: Need some winterizing help - please?

I agree with "duality" and blow the lines out, actually if installed correctly these unit should be self draining (except the strainer and pump) A shop vac that will vacuum and discharge air will be an invaluable tool in winterizing your boat for the future. May want to consider buying a small air compressor as well (one of the small tank less type by Black and Decker, less then $100 will work well. Good Luck !

 

[Ed Schenck]

That is a problem. One that I do not have because mine is a reverse cycle and I set it to heat. An air compressor will work as Mike points out. With my Mermaid I can actually blow through the lines. When I remove the hose from the inlet water I often have to prime it. I pour some anti-freeze into the hose and blow. I can hear the fluid going through the pump, the unit, and out the thru-hull. I could easily put enough pink stuff in there by mouth if I had your situation.

 

[RonRelyea]

hand siphon pump works too

I use a hand siphon pump into the intake hose ... plenty of pressure to get the pink stuff through the system