Winterizing HWH - Draining Water Heater H356

[Jerry Clark H356 SV Persi]

I bought a water heater by-pass and was getting ready to install it today and cannot figure out how to rig a hose to drain the water heater from the HWH to the bilge. I can get a line to under the engine, but from there I seem to be stuck.

I have always just used the pink anti-freeze in the entire system, but flushing in the spring is a good chore so I thought I would go the by-pass and drain route on the HWH. Any suggestions on the route would be appreciated.

 

[seadaddler]

Recent

They just had a disscussion about this subject here this past week,when I was in NY 2007 I did it and if I remember it does not all go into te bilge but instead think it found all different voids in the under side and did not like it laying in hard to get at but it's been 4 or 5 years not doing it here in Florida.
I think the last time I did again I ran all the hot water and cold fawcets at the shower and sink and diconnected at the pump under the sink and used air from a shop vac after my compressor died and it If I remember worked pretty good forcing out all water and checked the water heater with the shop vac hook to the HWH drain and did not ever have any problems,I used a small hand carry shop vac.
I started using air on the boat and RV and never had a problem for many years.
Nick

 

[Ron Roman]

You just need to open the hot water tank value and let it flow out and it finds its way to the bilge, some will go into the engine bilge.

 

[Jerry Clark H356 SV Persi]

Thanks Nick and Ron. I'm going to winterize on December 4, so I will run out all the water, put the by-pass on, then drain what little is left into the voids. That ought to work. The water temp here never gets below about 38, so a little that doesn't get to the bilge shouldn't make much difference.

 

[Alan]

rather than just letting the water run into the bilge put a hose on the water drain and run the hose out through one of the thru hulls at the bottom of the boat. I use the thru hull from the knot log as the exit point. A reversed shop vac or portable air tank are a great idea.

 

[John T1594]

Residual water

Maybe I have a bad drain valve on my HWH, but I can never get all the water out by opening the drain valve to winterize - even if I open the pressure release vlave. I find that by blowing into the Hot water out nipple (with a hose), I can get about one gallon of water flowing out of the Cold water IN nipple. There is still some water in the tank, so I always add about one gallon of the pink antifreeze to the HWH just to make sure it is protected.
I had the same problem on my last boat as well.
So, don't assume that all the water will just drain from the HWH.