Can anyone outline how to winterize the hot water heater. I assume you need to drain it. How do you get the anit-freeze in to it? Thanks for any help.
Wm. Koines
Oyster Bay, NY
Wm. Koines
Oyster Bay, NY
Winterize Hot Water Heater
- Thread starter sailliny
- Start date
- Status
- Not open for further replies.
Winterizing hot water heater - Cat 310
Good morning Wm.
There is a group on this site that do not put plumber's anti-freeze in their hot water heater but it drain it completely blowing it through with air or sucking the residual water out with a shop-vac.
The process is really very simple.
1. By-pass the water heater (take the cold water supply and hot water out and connect them together using a hose barb). This allows you to pump anti-freeze through the hot water lines to the galley sink, head and shower head, etc.
2. Open the drain on the hot water tank and let the pot water drain to the bilge. If you do this while the boat is in the water, most of the water will eventually completely drain through rolling and pitching of the boat.
3. At this point, you must ensure that all of the water is out of the hot water heater. I have read on various posts that some use air and blow through the lines and others suck the water out using a shop vacuum. I am inclined to use a shop vac ( I work in the offshore O&G industry and we don't clear lines with air - except in systems designed to use air, e.g. bulk powder systems, etc.)
I believe that MaineSail has photographs of a three way valve that is installed on his boat for by-passing the water heater. It was in a thread on this site sometime last week. Makes bypassing much easier.
I don't have these problems this year. My hot water heater crapped out earlier this year and I am waiting for a replacement - the standard 20 gallon model for the 310 is not commonly available here and had to be special ordered. It lasted seven to eight years though - longer than the heater in my house!
Regards
Chris
Good morning Wm.
There is a group on this site that do not put plumber's anti-freeze in their hot water heater but it drain it completely blowing it through with air or sucking the residual water out with a shop-vac.
The process is really very simple.
1. By-pass the water heater (take the cold water supply and hot water out and connect them together using a hose barb). This allows you to pump anti-freeze through the hot water lines to the galley sink, head and shower head, etc.
2. Open the drain on the hot water tank and let the pot water drain to the bilge. If you do this while the boat is in the water, most of the water will eventually completely drain through rolling and pitching of the boat.
3. At this point, you must ensure that all of the water is out of the hot water heater. I have read on various posts that some use air and blow through the lines and others suck the water out using a shop vacuum. I am inclined to use a shop vac ( I work in the offshore O&G industry and we don't clear lines with air - except in systems designed to use air, e.g. bulk powder systems, etc.)
I believe that MaineSail has photographs of a three way valve that is installed on his boat for by-passing the water heater. It was in a thread on this site sometime last week. Makes bypassing much easier.
I don't have these problems this year. My hot water heater crapped out earlier this year and I am waiting for a replacement - the standard 20 gallon model for the 310 is not commonly available here and had to be special ordered. It lasted seven to eight years though - longer than the heater in my house!
Regards
Chris
T
tomH
First, thank you Chris for your information, it was a big help.
Just for reference I think next year I am going to pick up a small pump that I can hook up to a drill, I think that would help in the draining verses using my vacuum.
I needed to get a barb with ½" on one end and 5/8 on other. Not sure, if that was my hot water heater or everybody’s is set up that way, seemed strange.
Just for reference I think next year I am going to pick up a small pump that I can hook up to a drill, I think that would help in the draining verses using my vacuum.
I needed to get a barb with ½" on one end and 5/8 on other. Not sure, if that was my hot water heater or everybody’s is set up that way, seemed strange.
I suppose lots of people do it somewhat differently and are successful. I've done it for 2 yrs now w/ no problems. Anyway, here's how I did it this winter.
1) I drained the heater by opening the drain valve and opening the vacuum seal lever. The water drained slowly but there was a good deal of it. (In fact, somehow the bilge pump was not on and the water in the bilges was cresting).
2 I removed the cold water in line and connected it to the hot water out line (via a 90 degree elbow fitting), thereby isolating the heater
3) I poured antifreeze into the cold water in line via a tube that I ran up to the cockpit via the starboard quarter locker. I put a funnel on the tube and eventually poured about a gallon of antifreeze. The antifreeze entered the heater rather slowly. Eventually the pink antifreeze came out of the drain hose. THAT'S IT FOR WINTERIZING THE HEATER!
4) Then I drained all the water by turning on the galley sink and the bathroom sink together.
5) Then I added 2 gallons of water to the water tank & turned on the pump.
6) I opened each faucet separately, both hot & cold, until pink ran out. I did this to the galley sink, head sink, head shower, cockpit shower.
7) Then I added an extra gallon to the water tank and ran a little thru each faucet again.
That's it!
1) I drained the heater by opening the drain valve and opening the vacuum seal lever. The water drained slowly but there was a good deal of it. (In fact, somehow the bilge pump was not on and the water in the bilges was cresting).
2 I removed the cold water in line and connected it to the hot water out line (via a 90 degree elbow fitting), thereby isolating the heater
3) I poured antifreeze into the cold water in line via a tube that I ran up to the cockpit via the starboard quarter locker. I put a funnel on the tube and eventually poured about a gallon of antifreeze. The antifreeze entered the heater rather slowly. Eventually the pink antifreeze came out of the drain hose. THAT'S IT FOR WINTERIZING THE HEATER!
4) Then I drained all the water by turning on the galley sink and the bathroom sink together.
5) Then I added 2 gallons of water to the water tank & turned on the pump.
6) I opened each faucet separately, both hot & cold, until pink ran out. I did this to the galley sink, head sink, head shower, cockpit shower.
7) Then I added an extra gallon to the water tank and ran a little thru each faucet again.
That's it!
Last edited by a moderator:
- Status
- Not open for further replies.