engine winterization tools

[paulga]

have you seen the 5 gallon bucket with a spigot and valve, and the thick flex hose that connect to the valve and raw water intake rubber hose?

what are the names of these?

[update]: PO will not pursue this method as I heard that gravity feeding is not preferred. instead, I plan to disconnect rubber hose from the seacock to put in a bucket

 

[mvweebles]

The part that goes through the wall of the bucket is called a Bulkhead Fitting. The picture on the YouTube shows that, then a close nipple (NPT thread), then a ball valve (also NPT), then a barbed NPT to hose adapter.

Here's an example of a 1/2" Bulkhead Fitting.

Rierdge 3 Pack 1/2" NPT Female PVC Bulkhead Fitting, Water Tank Connector with Plugs for Rain Barrels, Aquariums - White (Set of 3) https://a.co/d/e2co9AW

Peter

 

[C lectric]

that bucket is likely someones adaptation of a standard 5 gal bucket for their use.

 

[paulga]

Thanks Peter.
I have been informed using gravity is not a preferred way to feed fluid to the engine. I'll try to disconnect the rubber hose from the seacock. From my experience with the water heater, it is not easy to take the rubber hose off the barb.

 

[CharlieO.]

I also made my own. I used a square backet though, slightly easier to get the bulkhead fitting tight and slightly better shape for storage.

 

[mvweebles]

Thanks Peter.
I have been informed using gravity is not a preferred way to feed fluid to the engine. I'll try to disconnect the rubber hose from the seacock. From my experience with the water heater, it is not easy to take the rubber hose off the barb.

I haven't winterized anything in many years so there are others with better advice. My understanding is gravity was preferred because you should NOT hook up a pressurized garden hose to your engine. There is a very real possibility you will flood your engine with water via the exhaust.

But like I say, I solved my winterization challenges 30+ years ago when I moved to San Francisco then to Florida. There are many experienced people on TF in northern states. I would follow their advice.

Peter

 

[Comodave]

When we winterized our last boat to do the engines I used a SeaFlush. You remove the top of the strainer and pull out the basket. Then the SeaFlush goes into the strainer. It has a hose that goes into a 5 gallon bucket. Fill the bucket with antifreeze and stick the hose into the bucket. Start the engine and watch the antifreeze get sucked in. No need to remove any hoses, just the top of the strainer. Easy.

 

[PM]

I use a six gallon Gerry can with a hose and a valve on it. Works great. I sometimes spill some antifreeze into the bilge but there is no harm in that. I also use it for my air conditioner and genny. I station the admiral at the exhaust to catch a sample of the cooling water, when it is nice and pink I shut it down.

By the way.. The pink RV antifreeze will not register on a refractometer. It has no gycol Lately I have been using the -50 stuff, just and added level of safety. Been doing this for 20 years.

pete.

 

[paulga]

I did a power boat course in Chapman in Stuart two months ago. I miss the climate there esp. in this cold winter.

I haven't winterized anything in many years so there are others with better advice. My understanding is gravity was preferred because you should NOT hook up a pressurized garden hose to your engine. There is a very real possibility you will flood your engine with water via the exhaust.

But like I say, I solved my winterization challenges 30+ years ago when I moved to San Francisco then to Florida. There are many experienced people on TF in northern states. I would follow their advice.

Peter

 

[Comodave]

I used to use either the -100 or -200 because they work with refractometers. I used the refractometer on every item that I winterized to be sure that it was indeed protected. I didn’t want to have an engine freeze and crack, or even a water hose.

 

[paulga]

is this what you use?

i was calling for compatibility list, but found it on their website:
...is designed to fit different brands of canister style sea strainers with openings ranging from 1.65” to 4.8.”
will try this approach, Thanks a lot Dave.

When we winterized our last boat to do the engines I used a SeaFlush. You remove the top of the strainer and pull out the basket. Then the SeaFlush goes into the strainer. It has a hose that goes into a 5 gallon bucket. Fill the bucket with antifreeze and stick the hose into the bucket. Start the engine and watch the antifreeze get sucked in. No need to remove any hoses, just the top of the strainer. Easy.

 

[jgwinks]

Thanks Peter.
I have been informed using gravity is not a preferred way to feed fluid to the engine. I'll try to disconnect the rubber hose from the seacock. From my experience with the water heater, it is not easy to take the rubber hose off the barb.

The longer they've been on there the harder it is to get them off. When I bought the current boat the old WC bronze seacocks were stuck, couldn't turn them at all. When I took them out I had to cut the hoses off. Now the new hoses come off pretty easy, to winterize I just take them off the seacocks and dunk in the AF bucket.

 

[Comodave]

is this what you use?

i was calling for compatibility list, but found it on their website:
...is designed to fit different brands of canister style sea strainers with openings ranging from 1.65” to 4.8.”
will try this approach, Thanks a lot Dave.

Yes that is it. You will need some clearance above the strainer in order to fit the funnel into the strainer. But it is simple to use. I could do an engine in 5 minutes once I had everything set out.

 

[mvweebles]

10 11 333413

Yes that is it. You will need g

some clearance¹ above them estrainer in order to fit the funnel into the strainer. But it is simple to use. I could do an engine in 5 minutes once I had everything set out.

All
Can we

 

[Roustabout]

For the last 12 years I have winterized with a similar rig: square 5-gallon bucket with bulkhead fitting and valve, 6' or so of garden hose to Groco strainer. (A hose typically used for your home washing machine-to-wall faucet, i.e, female hose fittings at both ends is quite suitable.) I have not been reluctant to use hose to strainer, since I am not pressurizing, just using gravity flow. To aid the procedure I bought an extra Groco strainer cap, drilled it, then brazed a NPT nipple to it, then I connect the hose to it. Using these fittings at each strainer, after the engine (or HVAC) has all the AF it needs, I shut off engine (or HVAC). Then I open seacock a few seconds and let the AF gravity feed down to purge the raw water from the piping between seacock and strainer. Close value on bucket and move to the next strainer.

 

[Datenight]

I used a 5 gallon bucket with adapters for each through hull and the fresh water system. The adapter screws into the strainer and the bucket sits on top of the adapter.

 

[paulga]

Thanks for the photos

the strainers in my boat do not have the screw style cap, so this adapter is not compatible

I used a 5 gallon bucket with adapters for each through hull and the fresh water system. The adapter screws into the strainer and the bucket sits on top of the adapter.

 

[paulga]

All
Can we

Peter, what is the secret code here?

 

[mvweebles]

Huh.....I must have "Pocket Posted." Totally incomprehensible. Apologies to all, especially Paulga

Peter

 

[Comodave]

I was wondering over that one also…

 

[Mischief Managed]

I use an electric water pump (just like a typical boat fresh water pump or wash down pump, except it runs on 120VAC) connected to a garden hose to deliver anti-freeze. I use a cheap nozzle with male garden hose threads on the output end so that I can easily connect it to the female hose threaded Winterization ports that I have added to all the systems that require Winterization, and to the boat's city water inlet. The pump sits on top of a plastic 55 gallon drum with the anti-freeze in it. Works great and is very fast.

 

[Chuck34]

I made up my own 3 gallon bucket a few years back. I also have garden hose connectors on all my strainers. I use the bucket to winterize both engines, genset as well as my AC system. Easy peasy.

 

[Helmsman]

The Seaflush works well. I have used for six or seven years for my gennie and engines on two boats. Fast setup, and can safely winterize both in under 15 minutes.

For the HVAC’s I use this. https://defender.com/en_us/trac-ecological-strainer-flushcap-adapter. In addition to this, I have a winterization kit from WM to deliver antifreeze to the flush cap.

 

[paulga]

Only the engine strainer has enough space above. Genny and ac strainers all have hoses above. In this case, is disconnecting the hose from seacock the only way?

Some hose connections are very difficult to reach. And they are too short to insert into a 5 gallon bucket.

The previous owner didn't have to winterize.

Any other methods?

The Seaflush works well. I have used for six or seven years for my gennie and engines on two boats. Fast setup, and can safely winterize both in under 15 minutes.

For the HVAC’s I use this. https://defender.com/en_us/trac-ecological-strainer-flushcap-adapter. In addition to this, I have a winterization kit from WM to deliver antifreeze to the flush cap.

 

[Helmsman]

View attachment 144640

Only the engine strainer has enough space above. Genny and ac strainers all have hoses above. In this case, is disconnecting the hose from seacock the only way?

Some hose connections are very difficult to reach. And they are too short to insert into a 5 gallon bucket.

The previous owner didn't have to winterize.

Any other methods?

With the gennie, you can try using a funnel with a flexible hose to bend around the hoses above the thru hull. Have someone start it, and pour AF keeping the funnel somewhat full. A couple of gallons already opened should do it. Then vacuum out the strainer housing and if possible the hose to the thru hull and fill with AF. If on the hard, after winterizing the gennie open all the through hulls to allow any water to drain out.

That can also work on the HVAC’s. On one boat, we just blew the HVAC line out by disconnecting the hose past the pump and using a shop vac reversed to blow it out. Don’t do that with the generator or the engine, though.

 

[paulga]

Does forcing water through the pump damage the pump?

Does the air nozzle of the shop vac thread into the hose or just aim at it at a very close distance?

With the gennie, you can try using a funnel with a flexible hose to bend around the hoses above the thru hull. Have someone start it, and pour AF keeping the funnel somewhat full. A couple of gallons already opened should do it. Then vacuum out the strainer housing and if possible the hose to the thru hull and fill with AF. If on the hard, after winterizing the gennie open all the through hulls to allow any water to drain out.

That can also work on the HVAC’s. On one boat, we just blew the HVAC line out by disconnecting the hose past the pump and using a shop vac reversed to blow it out. Don’t do that with the generator or the engine, though.

 

[Helmsman]

Does forcing water through the pump damage the pump?

Does the air nozzle of the shop vac thread into the hose or just aim at it at a very close distance?

Most pumps have motors that turn impellers that push the water through the pump housing. There is no reason to take a chance on damaging the pump motor (unlikely) or damaging the impeller (possible). Perhaps someone with more knowledge about raw water pumps for wash downs and HVAC can weigh in. It is also likely that the air pressure would not cause the impeller to spin

I use a vacuum hose attachment.

https://www.amazon.com/Shop-Vac-Cle...Attachments-Included/dp/B0BCK2MHTJ/ref=sr_1_6

I use the larger piece in the picture, pressing it up against the raw water hose to push the air through, and the water out. It depends on the height of the raw water run from the pump to its highest point, the amount of air pressure the shop vac generates, and keeping it tight against the hose opening. In one case, I taped the attachment to the hose. In most cases, I haven’t had to.

You could look for a fitting that would fit the inside diameter of the hose, so you can get it air tight, but for HVAC raw water lines, I have been successful just pressing the nose of the shop vac attachment into the hose.

I have used this approach when I can’t keep the pump primed with whatever method I was using to add antifreeze. The concern with this approach is leaving some water in the hvac, or the hose, and the line freezing. If really concerned about that, then using a an external pump to move antifreeze through the HVAC raw water system is possible. That would require fittings from the output hose of the pump to the raw water hose end.

 

[paulga]

The flex funnel has some flexibility, but is the bottom hole efficient enough?
How fast does the genny or ac draw water from the strainer?

With the gennie, you can try using a funnel with a flexible hose to bend around the hoses above the thru hull. Have someone start it, and pour AF keeping the funnel somewhat full. A couple of gallons already opened should do it. Then vacuum out the strainer housing and if possible the hose to the thru hull and fill with AF. If on the hard, after winterizing the gennie open all the through hulls to allow any water to drain out.

That can also work on the HVAC’s. On one boat, we just blew the HVAC line out by disconnecting the hose past the pump and using a shop vac reversed to blow it out. Don’t do that with the generator or the engine, though.

 

[Helmsman]

View attachment 144645

The flex funnel has some flexibility, but is the bottom hole efficient enough?
How fast does the genny or ac draw water from the strainer?

View attachment 144646

I had the room on a previous boat, and was able to just pour the antifreeze directly into the strainer for our gennie. I would imagine that the flow through the funnel would be sufficient for the generator. My HVAC’s lose prime and are not self priming so that is why I use the cap with the hose connection. Since I have it,I’m use it for the generator also.

For the engine, I would recommend the Seaflush. If you look it up on line, you will find videos showing how to use it.

 

[Comodave]

The reason I like the SeaFlush so much is that the only thing that gets removed is the strainer top and basket. No need to remove any hoses. That is a big plus to me.