Winterizing question - ice maker and wet bar only

[holtcl]

The good news is that I finally got the wet bar and the ice maker on my aft deck plumbed and working this year. For whatever reason neither were connected to the water lines when I got the boat.

The bad news is now I need to figure out how to winterize these items. Near as I can tell they are fed by the same cold water line that comes through the salon from the engine room. I have not been able to find any separate "shut off" valve for this line. I've been examining the water system schematic drawing and see the line on there but can't seem to find it in the ER; but I do see it in a hatch in the salon.

I don't typically winterize my water system and would like to do so with only this part of the system. I assume that I will have to add some sort of valve into that line and add in the "pink stuff". I can get my head around adding a shut off valve to isolate that water line, but I am have a dense moment about how to get the antifreeze into that part of the line.

Also, any special winterizing info for the u-line ice maker?

Help! I'm a live aboard and therefore I've never winterized anything!!

Cheryl
Cinderella
1971 53 MY

 

[bigbill]

you could always drain the line that feeds the ice maker at the engine room connection. ( my boat has a connection in the stbd engine room) then cap off the supply side of the line and leave the aft deck plumbing empty

 

[MikeP]

Cheryl,

I haven't been there in the winter (though I'll be there in a couple of weeks to winterize) so I haven't seen your boat at that time of the year. Does your back deck stay open as it is during the boating season of do you have side/back winter canvas?

The reason I ask is that if you live aboard, I'd bet there will be enough heat radiating upward to make winterizing the ice maker unnecessary IF the back deck is enclosed. If not...well, I wouldn't be to confident about that. I realize this is not a good answer because it's a GUESS on my part but it's what I would do if I was living on our boat in Piney for the winter. OR...if I was really concerned I think I'd just do do the old standby light bulb thing:

I can't remember if a regular size incandescent bulb would fit under the Uline when you remove the grill but a small bulb like a chandelier bulb certainly would . 20W would be plenty to prevent the line/solenoid from freezing. I'd put it right next to the solenoid so it could keep that warm as well as the adjacent in/out lines.

Again, the above is what I would do on our boat if we were going to live on it this winter. But the best way is probably to install a valve system to isolate the ice maker and another valve/fitting to allow Pink to be added to that portion of the line. Keep in mind that just adding pink to the input line won't get it through the system until the ice maker goes through a couple of cycles whereby the solenoid opens. So you'd have to keep some sort of "pressure" on the pink to force it through when the solenoid opens/lets water in.

OK...here's another option: Install a cut off valve at the main line/icemaker T. Close the valve, pull the ice maker grill and remove both the input and output water lines from the solenoid. They will both drain. Leave them disconnected so that any water that remains in the solenoid can expand out of the fittings if it freezes.

Remember that if you drain the input side of the ice make and the solenoid is NOT open at the time. there will still be water in the output side of the solenoid valve and the output line. This could cause the solenoid to split if the water freezes...ask me how I know this!

I'm sure others will provide additional suggestions!

 

[Dan Mapes]

We Winterized Freedom many years with a uline icemaker. If you are handy this is the only way to go IMHO. Pull the thing out from the enclosure, and have a switch installed that comes to the grill under the door. It can lay in there and be accessible after removing the grill (one screw and a knob). This switch will activate the icemaker water solenoid.
Since I used compressed air to blow out all of the lines in the Fall, I took care of that and then with the compressor pumped up on the shore line, I flipped the switch and listened. No water and no "barking" just some hissing? Good to go.

I have never used AF in Freedom and never had an issue when blowing the lines out with compressed air at an appropriate pressure of around 40 PSI.

Your icemaker will appreciate not having AF in the cube maker if I am not mistaken. Given you are living aboard, your only option IMHO is to find an accessible place to install a fitting and put a valve in and blow out the line.

 

[Blaine Thorpe]

I don't live aboard, so I winterize the complete fresh water system with antifreeze.

I disconnect the line from the ice maker, the garden hose connection. I have made a valve to connect to the line with brass hardware from Lowes that I can open once the pump is running. I do the same for the washing machine hoses.

I should be back on the boat on Tuesday. I can take pictures of what I have done. I leave them in place until spring when I can run clean water back through them and remove the antifreeze.

 

[holtcl]

Am going to try and get this done over the weekend. I don't think I am going to mess with the pink stuff. I use the "lightbulb technique" in the generator room but my aft deck is open and therefore more exposed, even in the covered slip.

Think I am going to try and install a shutoff valve, hopefully in the engine room, to isolate the water line that goes to the aft deck and feeds wet bar and ice maker. Challenge is to find that particular line, which shows on the schematic but I haven't yet found it in the ER. There is an old line in the ER that has been cut off and is not in use which makes me wonder if a new line has been tied in somewhere else and I may need to tap into the STBD salon panel if I can't find it.

At any rate, if I can install the shutoff, I figure I can cut the water off, disconnect the ice maker, and blow air through the line. And also disconnect both lines from the ice maker solenoid.

I also thought about a worst case scenario where I would just bring the blasted ice maker indoors for winter, given that it looks like I'm going to have it out of the cabinet anyway to disconnect the water line.

Really I just need to get in there and take a closer look at what I've got. Finding the supply line in the ER seems to be the main challenge.

Cheryl
Cinderella
1971 53 MY

 

[MikeP]

Our 53 has an ice maker T in the water line that goes to the bar sink and on to the windshield washers. That T is in a cabinet under the sink. I guess there were different setups for different year 53s.

FWIW, I removed our Uline some years ago and capped that T. We replaced the U with a self contained portable ice maker that works quite well - you have to add water to it but it works much faster than the U and winterizing is essentially a non issue - pour a dollop of pink in and that's it. In the spring, drain it and flush it with water - takes 3 minutes.

 

[Blaine Thorpe]

Here's a couple of photos of the adapters I use on the ice maker and the washer/dryer to winterize.
Also attached is a photo of the adapters I use for the sea strainers. These are for the 3/4" strainers. I also have one for the 3" mains.

 

[rsmith]

Better hurry back Mike, low 20's next week.

 

[MikeP]

Well...either it will survive until Dec 9 or it won't...

If it doesn't, well that'll be a good excuse to give up boating!

Actually, I'm not worried about anything that is RW until we get into late Dec/Jan. I drained out all the FW from the lines before I left - though there is no pink added so even if it gets to those temps for several days, it SHOULD be OK...

But with global warming I'm figuring I shouldn't have to winterize at all!

 

[JLR]

It has been my experience that unless you cycle and blow out the valve on the ice maker, it will crack.

 

[holtcl]

Mike,

You say your T is "in a cabinet under the sink"- which cabinet/sink (e.g., one of the heads I am assuming)? That might help give me a clue as to where to look for mine… Heck there's only two on the way aft, I can remove the access panel from each of them and poke around.


Thanks,
Cheryl

 

[MikeP]

Sorry Cheryl I was not clear at all...

The T to ice maker was in the water line under the bar sink on the aft deck. That water line feeds the sink and continues on (up, across the salon ceiling) to feed the windshield washers. I have never looked for where that line originates but if you could isolate that hole line, that would be a good thing since you don't need the bar sink OR the windshield washers during the winter.

 

[holtcl]

ok yes- that makes sense. Like you say, I'm going to try and take a look this weekend and isolate the entire line going back to the wet bar and ice maker. It's got to be there somewhere, it's just not showing up in the ER where it says it is on the schematic, or maybe it is I just am not seeing it after my quick initial poking around.

Cheryl

 

[holtcl]

So last weekend I attempted this project. Attempt is the operative word here.

Went to hardware store and got set up with shutoff valve and another valve that I could hook my air compressor onto, to clear the line from water after the shutoff. I thought it a pretty slick set-up.

With a little more looking around the ER, I found the water line shown on the schematic, that leads (supposedly) to the aft deck wet bar. Installed the apparatus onto that line. Turned water pump back on. Water STILL coming through the systems on the aft deck!

Now I'm irritated.

Back to the schematic, which showed another line going forward (supposedly to the windshield washers- which BTW had been removed by a P.O.). I wonder, could the lines possibly be reversed? Hard to trace where they may go once they go into the ER "ceiling."

So I cap off the first line, and move the apparatus to the second line. SAME THING HAPPENS- water still running!

It's not a simple matter of the shutoff valve being in the open position.

Where is the water coming from???

Finally I decided to cut my losses, and just open the faucet on the wet bar, disconnect the ice maker completely and all the lines into and out of it, and move onto the next job: pulling my center console and putting it onto the trailer for the winter.

ARGH!

Cheryl
Cinderella
1971 53 MY

 

[MikeP]

"Finally I decided to cut my losses, and just open the faucet on the wet bar, disconnect the ice maker completely and all the lines into and out of it, and move onto the next job: pulling my center console and putting it onto the trailer for the winter."

On occasion it's sometimes best to graciously admit defeat and get on with the next project!

Stuff like that is extremely annoying. Perhaps the schematic is incorrect or, more likely, the PO made some modification. I would assume that since the wet bar/icemaker was a standard setup on 53MY's, all of them were plumbed the same way. As I said previously, I have never looked for the "source" of that water line on our boat so I can't offer any suggestions.

I think you made the best decision. If I had been doing the same thing, I would have taken my usual course of action in such a situation, and would, even now, be on a death march to find that water line and I'd have half the boat disassembled to do it. Since the line can be isolated/disconnected, you have the same result as far as protecting the ice maker is concerned without involving yourself in a multi-day Jihad that serves no REAL purpose...other than being able to say, "I FOUND where that ^$%#&*@ water line originates!"

 

[holtcl]

LOL I Love your terminology Mike! I would love to wage a holy war on this, but I am afraid of the damage I would do to all that old copper pipe in the process. I figure at some point I will wake up at 3 am and the answer will come to me in a divine image showing the source of the water, but until then, I think I will play it (reasonably) safe!

Cheryl
Cinderella
1971 53 MY