I am just back in to boat ownership after a few (miserable) years away. I seem to remember doing this with success years ago. Any thoughts?
Winterizing, blowing out water lines with tire pump.
- Thread starter JHoward
- Start date
As long as it's not a hand bicycle pump 
:naughty: .
I blew out the lines a few years ago when I spent a winter on the hard. We don't get very cold weather here but I was concerned that I didn't have the ocean below me as a heat sink.
I had installed an air inlet downstream of the tank outlet valve. First let a flow of air pass throught the open lines. Then repeatedly letting the lines pressurize from the compressed air and then snapping open one outlet at a time blew them dusty dry. Finally blew back into the empty tank with the hope that this last bit was clear.
:naughty: .I blew out the lines a few years ago when I spent a winter on the hard. We don't get very cold weather here but I was concerned that I didn't have the ocean below me as a heat sink.
I had installed an air inlet downstream of the tank outlet valve. First let a flow of air pass throught the open lines. Then repeatedly letting the lines pressurize from the compressed air and then snapping open one outlet at a time blew them dusty dry. Finally blew back into the empty tank with the hope that this last bit was clear.
Low point in the loop
If you have a low point in the loop, there will always be some water sitting after the air blow by. Small amount of water will drain back to the lowest point and freeze if it is cold enough. You can never blow all the water out of the lines.
I use an electric air mattress pump to blow out the line and then send some pink antifreeze back into the line and then blow it out again. So if there is any drain back it will be antifreeze.
The idea is to reduce the amount of antifreeze staying in the line.
If you have a low point in the loop, there will always be some water sitting after the air blow by. Small amount of water will drain back to the lowest point and freeze if it is cold enough. You can never blow all the water out of the lines.
I use an electric air mattress pump to blow out the line and then send some pink antifreeze back into the line and then blow it out again. So if there is any drain back it will be antifreeze.
The idea is to reduce the amount of antifreeze staying in the line.
I use my dinghy pump. It works fine, but I wish I had an electric pump so I could just connect it and then go to all of the faucets. That would make it a one-man job instead of requiring a second person.
Air
I used air a 12 volt air compressor and larger ones too to blow out my RV and boat all the time up in NY and never added antifreeze.
I did use a shop vac on the plastic water line as it came out of water storage tank and yes let it blow air plenty of time,I tape with duck tape from shop vac onto the water line and let it blow air while I open everything until no water.
Nick
I used air a 12 volt air compressor and larger ones too to blow out my RV and boat all the time up in NY and never added antifreeze.
I did use a shop vac on the plastic water line as it came out of water storage tank and yes let it blow air plenty of time,I tape with duck tape from shop vac onto the water line and let it blow air while I open everything until no water.
Nick
You certainly can just blow out the water with air in Florida. Unfortunately, in Canada we have -30C (-22F) in the winter. With wind chill, even antifreeze freezes at some point.
Wind chill does not affect the freezing point of liquids- it only makes you feel colder
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/windchill/windchillfaq.shtml
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/windchill/windchillfaq.shtml