I've completed my Down East Circle route cruise and for the first time
since I've owned BlueJacket, I need to really winterize her. I'm quite
good at preparing her for summering over in tropical climates, but this
cold stuff...Burrr!

For all intents and purposes, I've completed the winterization, but I have
a couple of lingering questions:

1) According to the boat yard, they disconnect the cold/in and hot/out
lines to the hot water heater and hook them together. Then they simply
drain the hot water tank. I did this, but I can never get all of the water
out. That makes me concerned, so I fed some anti-freeze into the tank
which will get diluted with the remaining water. Is this OK and/or how do
others winterize their hot water heater?

2) The life raft has water in it. Is there any reason to be concerned over
this? I could just bring it home and store it in the basement.

-- Geoff
www.GeoffSchultz.org

On Tue, 14 Oct 2008 12:39:48 GMT, Geoff Schultz
wrote:

I've completed my Down East Circle route cruise and for the first time
since I've owned BlueJacket, I need to really winterize her. I'm quite
good at preparing her for summering over in tropical climates, but this
cold stuff...Burrr!

For all intents and purposes, I've completed the winterization, but I have
a couple of lingering questions:

1) According to the boat yard, they disconnect the cold/in and hot/out
lines to the hot water heater and hook them together. Then they simply
drain the hot water tank. I did this, but I can never get all of the water
out. That makes me concerned, so I fed some anti-freeze into the tank
which will get diluted with the remaining water. Is this OK and/or how do
others winterize their hot water heater?

2) The life raft has water in it. Is there any reason to be concerned over
this? I could just bring it home and store it in the basement.

-- Geoff
www.GeoffSchultz.org

How did you like the "down east circle"? We've been thinking about
doing that loop some day.

Regarding winterization, the boat yard winterized the water heater in
the standard way. As long as there is only a small amount of water
left it really can't hurt the tank. You will need to do a great deal
of flushing in the spring to get the anti-freeze out, and it is
important to do that before heating the water heater.

I'd definitely take the life raft home.

Geoff Schultz wrote:
1) According to the boat yard, they disconnect the cold/in and hot/out
lines to the hot water heater and hook them together. Then they simply
drain the hot water tank. I did this, but I can never get all of the water
out. That makes me concerned, so I fed some anti-freeze into the tank
which will get diluted with the remaining water. Is this OK and/or how do
others winterize their hot water heater?

I avoid the "pink stuff" in the drinking water system. Do you really
want to be drinking antifreeze in the spring?

I have a small air compressor (40-50 PSI max) that I use to blow out the
lines. I start by draining the tanks as much as I can. Then I clear the
lines by opening one faucet at a time and blowing air from the just
downstream of the pump. Then I break the system at a low point in the
middle and blow from there. I can blow some extra water out of the hot
water tank, bu a small amount of water left in the main tank or hot
water heater will not be a issue.

No problems in 18 Boston winters.

"Geoff Schultz" wrote in message
...
I've completed my Down East Circle route cruise and for the first time
since I've owned BlueJacket, I need to really winterize her. I'm quite
good at preparing her for summering over in tropical climates, but this
cold stuff...Burrr!

For all intents and purposes, I've completed the winterization, but I have
a couple of lingering questions:

1) According to the boat yard, they disconnect the cold/in and hot/out
lines to the hot water heater and hook them together. Then they simply
drain the hot water tank. I did this, but I can never get all of the
water
out. That makes me concerned, so I fed some anti-freeze into the tank
which will get diluted with the remaining water. Is this OK and/or how do
others winterize their hot water heater?

2) The life raft has water in it. Is there any reason to be concerned
over
this? I could just bring it home and store it in the basement.

-- Geoff
www.GeoffSchultz.org

I drain all the fresh water from the tank until the pressure pump sucks air.
There is also a foot operated galley pump which extracts a little more.
Any residue in the plastic pipes will perhaps freeze but will not hurt the
pipes. When water freezes it expands a bit so any water that is free to
expand can lie where it is without problems especially in plastic pipes.
My water heater has a small drain plug which ensures it is empty-I leave it
open all winter, just in case an airlock clears and lets a bit more water
in.
I do not suppose your anti freeze will cause any problems in the heater but
be sure to flush it all out before you start using water next year!
My engine has a closed circuit fresh water cooling system which has
anti-freeze in it good to -30 degrees celsius so I leave that as it is..
Although salt water freezes to mush at first winter temperatures here can
get very low and even the sea can freeze hard enough to walk across the
harbour. So when I reach the haulout quay and am otherwise finished with the
engine I turn off the sea water thru-hull and disconnect the hose from the
thru-hull and insert into a can with about a gallon of antifreeze solution.
Then I run the engine until it has all gone through. Now the salt water side
of my heat exchanger is fully protected, as is the mixing chamber in the
exhaust system and apart from the freezing aspect the solution protects from
corrosion.
Been as low as -20 degrees celsius one winter but have had no problem with
all this.
The cooling system on my heat pump that handles the air conditioning/heating
is supposed to drain itself when the boat is hauled with the thru-hull open
but I like to be sure, so when she is out I insert a tight fitting hose into
the outlet on the side of the boat and blow through it until I am sure that
nothing but air is coming out of the thru-hull.
Can't get a good enough seal trying mouth-to mouth with the outlet hole
unless I use the bit of hose!

"Geoff Schultz" wrote:

For all intents and purposes, I've completed the winterization, but
I have
a couple of lingering questions:

SFWIW:

Gave up on potable water anti-freeze after first year and did the
following:

1) Disconnect hose from potable water tank supply at pressure pump
inlet and allow tank to drain into bilge.

2) Disconnect hose from discharge side of presure pump as well as
opening all potable water faucets allowing distribution hoses to drain
into bilge.

3) Disconnect hoses from inlet and outlet of hot water tank and allow
to drain into bilge.

4) Pump bilge.

5) Using a 5 gallon bucket and a 3 ft length of radiator hose, mix a
50-50 anti-freeze water solution in bucket.

6) Attach one end of 3 ft hose to engine cooling water inlet and the
opposite end in bucket of anti-freeze solution.

7) Start engine, run until anti-freeze runs out of exhaust discharge
thru hull, then stop engine.

8) Remove batteries and take home.

That's it.

Worked well in Northern Ohio winters for over 10 years.

BTW, engine was raw water cooled.

YMMV

Lew

On Oct 14, 5:39 am, Geoff Schultz wrote:
I've completed my Down East Circle route cruise and for the first time
since I've owned BlueJacket, I need to really winterize her. I'm quite
good at preparing her for summering over in tropical climates, but this
cold stuff...Burrr!

For all intents and purposes, I've completed the winterization, but I have
a couple of lingering questions:

1) According to the boat yard, they disconnect the cold/in and hot/out
lines to the hot water heater and hook them together. Then they simply
drain the hot water tank. I did this, but I can never get all of the water
out. That makes me concerned, so I fed some anti-freeze into the tank
which will get diluted with the remaining water. Is this OK and/or how do
others winterize their hot water heater?

2) The life raft has water in it. Is there any reason to be concerned over
this? I could just bring it home and store it in the basement.

-- Geoffwww.GeoffSchultz.org

easy i just drain the sweet water out and open the pressure relief
valves. for the rest of it i close the boat up and hang a 100 watt
light bulb. i check the boat once a week anyways so that keeps just
enough heat to keep any thing inside the hull from freezing. Prolly
helps that my boat is very well insulated.