Winterizing, good or bad.

Jun 2, 2004
5,802
Hunter 37-cutter, '79 41 23' 30"N 82 33' 20"W--------Huron, OH
Winterized yesterday for the 13th time in my 16th season. I missed three because the boat was south for two seasons and on the hard for one. There is actually some satisfaction, for me at least, knowing the boat AND I are getting a rest. And not a little financial savings compared to all year dock fees and the monthly diver cost for bottom cleaning.

But damn it is hard work. And compounded by a bad case of sciatica so I was fortunate that my Significant Other is a hard worker too. First those cheap plastic hoses are impossible to get off of the barbs and I forgot my heat gun. So I will splice a short rubber hose onto the pump hose, hot water tank, and A/C hoses to make removal easier. For those of you in the south we have to bypass the hot water tank and then run anti-freeze through the A/C and the water system.

Then the engine would not pull anti-freeze out of the bucket. I have never had that problem. Had good water flow to the crane so what happened? I pulled the pump apart and the impeller looked new although original from 2005. I replaced it anyway and tried again, bypassed the filter and tried again. Finally I primed it, pouring anti-freeze in the hose. Finally it pulled three gallons out of the bucket. But why with such a powerful pump?

Only have to finish covering before saying "have a nice winter". :cry:
 
Feb 10, 2004
3,917
Hunter 40.5 Warwick, RI
Ed,

Why don't you simply drain the hot water heater and blow out the water lines? I run the pump to drain all of the water tanks first. Then I connect a short garden hose to the drain on the hot water heater and using a drill-powered pump I pump all the water out of the heater.

Then I disconnect the line to the input of the pump and using my dinghy pump and a fitting or two that I have assembled I blow back into the tank(s) one at a time to clear the lines of water between the tank and the input to the pump.

Then I disconnect the output of the pump and blow through the pump so that the pump is now clear.

Finally I connect the dinghy air pump to the line going to all of the faucets and opening each faucet in turn I blow out the water in each line. I start with the faucets that are closest to the pump and do the cold, then the hot. When the faucets stop spitting water then I close that valve and move to the next faucet. The five faucets on my boat take me only about 15 minutes.

Finally I clean the water strainer and reconnect the hoses to the water pump.

In 17 years I have never had a freezing problem. And no pink antifreeze to buy, and no flushing of the antifreeze in the spring.

Regarding the priming of the hose to the engine pump, it will help to elevate the bucket of antifreeze above the engine pump. You undoubtedly have an air lock that the pump cannot overcome. Worse case you can take the drill pump and inserting it into the bucket, hold the output of the pump close to the input hose going to the engine to force antifreeze into the line until it pulls on its own. But unless you have a bad impeller or an air leak somewhere, the positive displacement engine pump should pull the antifreeze just fine.
 
Feb 6, 1998
11,665
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
First those cheap plastic hoses are impossible to get off of the barbs and I forgot my heat gun. So I will splice a short rubber hose onto the pump hose, hot water tank, and A/C hoses to make removal easier.

Just cut the clear plastic short of the tank and run two flexible 12" or 18" stainless hoses to the inlet and outlet of the water tank. When you need to winterize simply unscrew the SS connectors and insert a 1/2" plastic or brass nipple between the two..




Then the engine would not pull anti-freeze out of the bucket. I have never had that problem. Had good water flow to the crane so what happened? I pulled the pump apart and the impeller looked new although original from 2005. I replaced it anyway and tried again, bypassed the filter and tried again. Finally I primed it, pouring anti-freeze in the hose. Finally it pulled three gallons out of the bucket. But why with such a powerful pump?

Only have to finish covering before saying "have a nice winter". :cry:
Your pump is simply warn.

If you want it to prime rev the engine, cut it back, rev it again and repeat until it sucks water. This is a common ailment with worn pumps and the rev trick almost always works......

I use a shut off valve at my in/out bucket. When done with the fresh water I kill the engine then immediately close the valve. This keeps the prime for the antifreeze.

Another trick is to simply hold & aim the hose, in the bucket, near the end of the suck hose until it takes water by itself. Don't force feed it, just enough to get her to prime..

You want to be careful priming a warn pump as the pump does not seal and water can sneak by and fill the water lift etc. until you have a hydrolock on your hands...
 
Jun 2, 2004
5,802
Hunter 37-cutter, '79 41 23' 30"N 82 33' 20"W--------Huron, OH
Regarding the 3YM30 cooling pump it is a newer motor with low hours. Used to not matter where the bucket was located, it would drain three gallon in three minutes.

Always meant to build a bypass on that hot water heater. This year I attached the hose to the drain, stuck it down the access to the bilge and opened the valve. After a while I took off the cold water hose only to have all the water pour out, some into the engine pan and the rest down on the galley sole.

A creature of habit I think that I will switch to air for the water system. But still have to do the head, the A/C, and the engine with anti-freeze.
 
Aug 13, 2012
533
Catalina 270 Ottawa
Your pump is simply warn.

[...]

You want to be careful priming a warn pump as the pump does not seal and water can sneak by and fill the water lift etc. until you have a hydrolock on your hands...
I +1 that last paragraph. If the pump does not prime itself, the impeller is likely worn and if you pour water into the hose you will, eventually, fill the muffler (water lift) and then any cylinder that has the exhaust valve open.

I won't tell you how I know...
 

Blaise

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Jan 22, 2008
359
Hunter 37-cutter Bradenton
Winterizing Midnight Sun is somewhat simpler. I just turn the A/C off.