raw water washdown - winterize?

Will be keeping boat in the water year round. Temps in pacific northwest may get down occasionally to mid teens at most. Does anyone bother doing anything with raw water washdown pump and/or lines (antifreeze or disconnect fittings to fully drain)?

Also, does anyone keep a bulb or heater going in lazarette?

Camano 31

Absolutely at the very least drain the system down to the lowest point possible

Sea water freezes at 28 degrees F. In a raw water washdown system, the critical component that can be damaged in freezing weather is the pump. If the pump is mounted low down in the bilge, then it probably won't freeze.

But why take the risk. Close the thru hull and open the strainer lid. Open the raw water outlet, turn on the pump and pour a half gallon of the pink stuff into the strainer while the pump sucks it up. It takes 5 minutes and $2.00 worth of antifreeze to do it.

David

Winterizing is so cheap, and so easy, compared to the annoyance and expense of replacing the pump or anything else. Even if you're paying someone to winterize it.

Does the water in the slip where the boat is freeze over beyond a thin sheet if at all? If so, yes. If not, no.

My raw water pump and it's strainer are both mostly plastic, wash down pumps are relatively expensive. All it takes is one cold day... And you know with all that climate change going on things just aren't as dependable as they used to be.

I drain the water from my anchor washdown. I remove the hose from the washdown pump outlet, remove the garden hose "cap" on the deck fitting and let drain completely. That is the only one I bother to drain or "winterize" here in the PNW.

Winterize it properly. All it takes is a cold snap , a power outage and it could freeze. Even if the pump doesn't freezew but a line does you will have a big mess to clean up and maybe a fight with the line.

The first winter with our Camano (on Lake Washington) I didn't even think about the washdown system. I just closed the seacock in the lazerette. When I opened it in the spring, water started pouring out of the broken plastic strainer. The hose to the cockpit shower split too. The next winter I drained both of them.

I'm draining the cockpit shower line via fitting under valley sink. how are you draining raw water line while ensuring no water is left in pump?

I closed the seacock and removed the cover on the strainer. Then removed the hose on the output side of the pump and opened the nozzle on the washdown to let it drain.

I don't have a raw water washdown on my Camano. My cockpit shower is plumbed into the fresh water. I wonder if that was a factory option or not??

My raw water wash down is plumbed onto the toilet thru hull. There is a valve to close off the thru hull, and then a diverter valve on top of that directing the raw water to either the toilet OR to the wash down pump. I drain the wash down and pull it's strainer, and then disconnect the toilet line to suck the pink stuff through the toilet and it's systems.

I could see no reason to make another hole in my hull, if the toilet doesn't flush then the diverter valve is in wash down position or the valve below it is closed...

I plan to include one of these Groco flush ports when I install my raw water wash down. Currently, they’re on both Lehmans, the genset and AC freshwater lines and they work like a charm for winterizing.

1. Close seacock,
2. Pull plug,
3. Insert fitting attached to hose attached to elevated bucket full of antifreeze,
4. Start device you’re winterizing.

I’ll also use these for freshwater flushes.

I've wintered as far north as Nanaimo, BC. My bilge area never gets below 34°F. That was in weather that got down to 10°F. The plumbing to the deck I drain. The pump (in the engineroom) I leave alone. I live aboard so the ER usually stays above 40°F.

South of Heaven said:

I don't have a raw water washdown on my Camano. My cockpit shower is plumbed into the fresh water. I wonder if that was a factory option or not??

Click to expand...

It was an option on our Camano, built in 2005.

South of Heaven said:

I don't have a raw water washdown on my Camano. My cockpit shower is plumbed into the fresh water. I wonder if that was a factory option or not??

Click to expand...

what are the spigots on your bow and in cockpit?

jhance said:

what are the spigots on your bow and in cockpit?

Click to expand...

The cockpit spigot is fresh water. The one on the bow does not work, so I'm not sure.

Raw or freshwater washdown for anchor... you probably have a valve off somewhere.

The factory optional anchor wash-down had a through hull, strainer, and pump in the lazarette on the port side at the transom. There was a breaker on the electrical panel to supply power. The only valve was at the through hull.