Dead simple engine winterizing

[clynn]

Can you address bilge heaters? What do you use? My concern was burning the boat to the waterline. Thanks!

Mike

I have a couple of Xtreme heaters (designed bilge heaters) that I keep in the bilge and a few Caframo heaters in the galley and heads. I only winterize the engines and generator. Bilge heaters keep my a/c and water systems above freezing in the bilge and the Caframo's keep a touch of warmth in the living spaces. All are automatic based on temperature and they do not require a reset if the power goes out for a time. I also have camera's (Tenvis wifi camera) that has a manual thermostat in view for good measure.

 

[smitty477]

FWIW - I suck the main engine raw water circuit dry using a wetvac. I pull the raw water from the impeller housing and it pulls most all the water out all the way to the top of the riser. Then I take the small raw water hose off the riser (very easy to reach and easy to pull) and pour ethylene glycol antifreeze in the hose until it is coming out the impeller housing area. With an empty wetvac I pull the antifreeze back out and save to use again as long as it tests at a high enough concentration.


This takes about 15 minutes for both engines and I have not had any issues with freezing or corrosion as a result.

 

[Nidza]

djmarchand:

Thanks for great advices!

Engine seacock is for 2" hose so probably it has drain fitting, but I do not remember so I will see that today.

Smaller head seacock is not so accesible to me (to put my head above it) to do something as you said, but I get the concept so I will find the way and improvise to achieve that.

And the water below the ball is not problematic I presume because it can expand downwards to the water?

Thanks for reply!

 

[psneeld]

Unless your boat winds up being completely frozen in with ice forming all the way to the seacocks, the seacocks remain pretty much the same temp as the water they are sitting in. So they don't normally freeze up unless it gets crazy cold in the engineroom.

The water above the valves themselves are the most vulnerable, but if drained they should be OK. I still poured some antifreeze in from the top of the hose to feel better, but not sure it was necesssary.

 

[DavidM]

We are keeping our boat in the water at a yard on the Connecticut River. The yard will operate bubblers to keep the sides of our boat ice free. But the record low in that area is -5 F or -20 C. The water just below the seacock will be about 30 F (fresh/salt interface in that area) and the air temp inside the boat down near the seacock can get to 5 or 10 F when the outside air is -5 F. In a warmer climate (eastern NC) I have measured a 15 deg temp differential between outside air temp and bilge temp, so I am basing the foregoing on that data.


I agree and I don't think the seacock will freeze, but it will be close. The water is at freezing and if there is just enough temperature drop along the seacock it could conceivably freeze the ball. I am not worried about the water above the ball (none or antifreeze) or below as it will push out if it freezes, just the inside of the ball.


So, just in case I am going to drain/blow the seacock ball dry. I could keep the seacocks open, but that is another kind of risk.


David

 

[johnrupp]

I take it your not going to run any type of bilge heater David?

 

[DavidM]

I ran a heater on cold nights when I kept my boat at a slip behind my house in NC. But this marina in Essex, Ct doesn't allow any permanent power hook ups to unoccupied boats, and it is an hour and a half from home so I will only be there after a big snowfall to brush it off the bimini and check the scuppers.


So, no heat aboard.


David

 

[johnrupp]

Gotcha, thanks.