Pumping out fresh water tank-End of Season
- Thread starter JRacer
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Depends on the pump. Some are rated for continuous duty while others are rated for intermittent duty, usually 15 minutes. If you can't see the brand and model number for a look-up, just run it in bursts of a few minutes with a cool down in between. I would pump some of the pink antifreeze through it at the last as an added measure of protection for the pump.
Please do not put antifreeze in the water tank ...unhook intake side of pump and run some antifreeze through lines this way . In all my 40 years in RV busines whenever someone puts antifreeze in tank they have a hell of a time getting the taste out of the tank
Never Again ..................................
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I'll definitely second that thought. Did it only once and the foul smell for the next season guaranteed I'd never do it again
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There are two major types of antifreese. One uses a food grade product called propolene glichol. If you use that kind, costs a couple dollars more a gallon, that should make it so things smell and taste better. Still rinse well. It is safer for your plumbing and boat as well.
No problem. Quite a bit of water is a B411 with 150 gallons. A J24 holds like what, 10 gallons?
LOL. Replaced the J24 this year with a B310 so clearly unfamiliar with household plumbing in a boat!
Thanks all for the feedback.
I have two 52 gallon tanks on my B352. I'm pretty sure the fresh water pump is a SHURflo "AquaKing" model. I routinely drain the tanks with a continuous pump run.
I winterize with propylene glycol, as suggested by Sail123, and have not experienced a problem with pump performance or water quality when I launch & re-fill in the spring. About 1.5 gallons of PG is all I need to flush the lines between the tanks, the pump and lines to the sinks.
There is an active thread that covers the various types of “RV” anti-freeze on the market: http://forums.beneteau.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=146156&highlight=shock+water
In spring, I partially fill the tanks with fresh water, drain/flush the pink stuff out, fill/shock the tanks, drain and fill.
Caution on AntiFreeze Dilution
Only safe approach is to go spend 10 bucks on a specific gravity tester for freezing point of water coming out of taps. Would have saved me a pile of hand scoping as of could have just keep adding antifreeze until freezing point was sufficient as measured at end of tap.
The LM28 is said to have a 20 gallon water tank and when I used the inspection port to hand scoop out the last of the water there was almost gallon removed. If I had of added a gallon -50 degree celcius antifreeze before hand scooping the tank the result would have been diluted to -25 celcius. (guess)
Only safe approach is to go spend 10 bucks on a specific gravity tester for freezing point of water coming out of taps. Would have saved me a pile of hand scoping as of could have just keep adding antifreeze until freezing point was sufficient as measured at end of tap.
I used to wonder a bit about this continuous use of the pump, also. Friend of mine had been using a clean and dedicated small centrifugal bilge pump for that purpose. I borrowed the idea and put together a kit to drain our 38 gal. water tank quickly. Pump was about $18. and I added enough clear hose to allow it to reach the nearby galley sink drain. With about 10 feet of cord added it can plug into the 12 volt outlet across the boat.
Pumps out the whole tank in a few minutes! We have a standard Beckson 6" screw-out port on top of the tank for clean-out. The little "bilge pump" fits through that opening, with little to spare.
Lastly, I remove the last bit with a clean "turkey baster" and then reach in and wipe down the interior with a towel with some bleach and water on it.
I do not know if this adds a lot to the life of that spendy pressure-water-system pump, but having replaced a couple of them ($$$) over the decades it sure seems worth a try.
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We installed a Jabsco variable flow pump this year ,at end of season there was aprox 35 galons left in our 50 gal tank.No issues with pump down
We have a dedicated Shop Vac (smaller size) I use to clean out tank,also use shop vac to vacuum all water lines,water heater ,then connect a line directly to water outlet of water tank and pump antifreeze through system (water heater is bypased)
We have a dedicated Shop Vac (smaller size) I use to clean out tank,also use shop vac to vacuum all water lines,water heater ,then connect a line directly to water outlet of water tank and pump antifreeze through system (water heater is bypased)
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