wiinterizing fresh water system

[whoover]

Mr Rosenthal, I made up a piece of garden hose with an air coupler on one end and male hose fitting on the other and blow out from the shore water connection. The water pump is removed at this point so I clamp a pipe plug into the pickup line to stop the path of least resistance. I also use this fitting to blow out my pressure washer in the winter.

Walt Hoover

[lake of the woods]

So, I think i can claim to be the member that comes from one of the coldest places you will see a Hatteras. I have been winterizing my system for 7 years and only experienced 1 problem during that time. By the way the lake regularly freezes with about 4 feet of ice and the tempature will get to 40 below F. I winterize my system almost exactly like Jim mentioned in the first post on this thread. I try to run most of the pink non-toxic (-50 below) antifreeze out of the water tank through the various taps (don't leave much in the tank). Before I run the antifreeze through the pipes I isolate the hot water tank and drain it. I do not allow the antifreeze to go into the hot water tank (tank is mostly empty and the little bit of water left in will not hurt the tank when it freezes). I by-pass the two water filters I have on the boat so the antifreeze does not run through the filters. I remove the filters in the fall and replace them in the spring. Now the one problem that i ran into is the hot water tank relief valve. Originally I did noting and in the spring the hot water tank relief valve leaked. So now each fall when I drain the hot water tank and lift up the relief valve (open it up) and leave it in the open position all winter long. In the spring I close the hot water tank relief valve and flush the system (through partially filling the water tank and running the taps). In a few flushes the water tastes fine and all the pink is gone. No leaks!
Finally I run the antifreeze through my ice maker (just let it run for 30 minutes with the pink stuff) and do the same in the spring with fresh water. No problems.

Mark
Lake of the Woods
1989 40 DC series 1

[oscarvan]

4 feet of ice and the tempature will get to 40 below F.

That's cold. Very cold.

[Dazed338]

I'm a strictly "pink" guy. Boats and RV's. Never trust the air 100%. I use it to push the water out and minimize dilution but then it's pink until it comes out everywhere. As far as the taste.... I don't use tank water for coffee. Other than that I drink coffee.

Didn't think anyone actually drank Tank water And those with FW hose hook ups, and the club the taps are tagged "Non potable water" Jugs for coffee and what not, Bottles for drinking.

[oscarvan]

Didn't think anyone actually drank Tank water And those with FW hose hook ups, and the club the taps are tagged "Non potable water" Jugs for coffee and what not, Bottles for drinking.

OP mentioned the taste..... Hence my comment.

[Jammin']

Everything's a Rubik's Cube. My aft toilet only goes through the Purasan unit and then a Y valve to select direct discharge or holding tank. No antifreeze allowed in the Purasan unit. I need to suck the water out of the Purasan unit separately, but that means I can't run pink through the system. My mistake for plumbing the waste treatment system that way but it means I need to replumb so the toilet goes to the Y valve and then selects Purasan or holding tank. There are other good reasons for that anyway so just another project before I can winterize.

[Dan Mapes]

I winterized Freedom in Kingston NY at least 8 years using air and had zero issues. I ran the compressor hose to the shore water inlet and blew the system out. I had a water heater jumper and I disconnected the water pump from the tank and ran some pink through it.
The trick was to pull all of the fittings from the heater and get as much water out as you could. Ditto on the pump but a funnel into the pump inlet and careful switch flipping by the S.O. had that issue resolved.
I blew the system up to about 30 PSI and started popping the valves from the farthest fixture back in. That included the ice maker (special winterizing switch to open the valve installed by yours truly), cloths washer, and aft deck sink.
The trick was to listen to the valve when you popped it open. If it barked a bit, I closed it and let the compressor catch up. Then I would pop the valve open again let it blow out and listen to see if it barked (or rattled) because there was still water in the system.
Repeating the progression through all of the valves from farthest out to closest in a few times got me to the point that all of the lines blew clear air and there was no rattling or barking.

And I didn't have to worry about the pink fermenting (yes that happened once) and stinking up the whole works.

[scottinsydney]

I cannot image life existing at -40.

Does the boat live outside or within in a shed during an American winter? Do such cold temperatures hurt wiring, gauges, electronics?

[lake of the woods]

I cannot image life existing at -40.

Does the boat live outside or within in a shed during an American winter? Do such cold temperatures hurt wiring, gauges, electronics?

The boat sits on the hard covered only by some heavy duty tarps. See photo's on "Lake of the Woods" HOF site. Everything works fine each spring (Raymarine radar, displays, HDTV, etc. I Charge up all the batteries in the fall (October) and disconnect the + and - cables from the battery. In the spring (April) We remove the tarp from the boat and the batteries are at 90 to 95 % full charge. But if you don't do the pink antifreeze (-50) properly through the plumbing, main engines and generator you will be in serious trouble. Buy the way the 30 year old boat has never seen salt water and there is not a speck of rust anywhere to be found on the boat! My boating season is fairly short though (May to end of September). The mains only have averaged 50 hours per year. Still have original Gas Crusader engines and O-no generator, hot water tank, etc.
Mark
lake of the Woods
1989 40 DC Series 1