Winterizing in Buffalo

[karmaf16]

Hi All,

I'm in a quandary and looking for recommendations on how to winterize the ice maker.

Most are saying to run the pink stuff thru her but I know the ice will be nasty tasting and smelly next spring. Then I've heard that the molds in the ice maker don't like A/F and many owners manuals say don't do it (I don't have our manual).

I know blowing it out with air is more user friendly but we risk freezing damage if we don't get it all out.

Of course, there's always the vodka option if you have a gallon to spare and can figure out how to get it down a 1/4" tubing.

I'm leaning towards pulling her out completely and taking her home for the winter.

So, how do the non-migratories deal with the problem?

 

[FF]

"I'm leaning towards pulling her out completely and taking her home for the winter."

Wont do a damn thing , the systems that need Freeze protection will still require protection , unless you keep the boat under the living room table.

A good flush will get the pink stuff gone , esp if you use the taste remover by Camco, the folks that make much of the pink goo.

My suggestion is belt and suspenders.

Run pink goo thru the FW system till you get good pink color , let it sit O'nite , then blow all the pink out and re capture it.

Toss it in whatever is left in the holding tank , as that's not fun to blow out , and can seldom be pumped really dry.

 

[rwidman]

Most are saying to run the pink stuff thru her but I know the ice will be nasty tasting and smelly next spring. Then I've heard that the molds in the ice maker don't like A/F and many owners manuals say don't do it (I don't have our manual).

I suspect you can get the owners manual on-line if you look hard enough. If you remove it from the boat and keep it in a warm place, it won't freeze (you already know that so if it's not difficult, that is certainly an option).

 

[Chrisjs]

Do not run the pink antifreeze through your icemaker. We needed to replace the ice tray assembly in our Raritan Icerette after doing that. Raritan specifically says not to do this!! Best solution is to disconnect the icemaker feed line and flush this with antifreeze, then blow air through the icemaker to dry out remaining water. You may also be able to remove any antifreeze from the ice tray assembly after flushing with paper towels (??) but make sure there is none remaining to damage the assembly. Rest of unit, valves etc seem immune to antifreeze.

 

[FF]

Another item some folks forget is to winterize the sink sprayer ,

If the diverter valve in the sink faucet is not filled with anti freez , the faucet may crack open.

Don't ask how I know this!